''Prayer for a Child'' is a 1944 book by

Rachel Field Rachel Lyman Field (September 19, 1894 – March 15, 1942) was an American novelist, poet, and children's fiction writer. She is best known for the Newbery Award–winning ''Hitty, Her First Hundred Years''. Field also won a National Book Award, ...

. Its artwork by

Elizabeth Orton Jones Elizabeth Orton Jones (June 25, 1910 – May 10, 2005) was an American illustrator and writer of children's books. She won the 1945 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing ''Prayer for a Child'', after being a runner-up on ...

won it a

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

in 1945.American Library Association
Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 - Present
URL accessed 27 May 2009. The whole book is narrated by a little girl, but it represents children as a whole. It reflects their love of God, and their gentleness to humankind as a whole.

Critical reception

''Prayer for a Child'' received positive reviews. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' described it as "A beautiful piece of bookmaking". ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' said "The pictures and the prayer itself speak to a child in a child's language; older people will find this little volume beautiful, moving and deeply satisfying."ANNE T. EATON
Fall Harvest for Younger Readers
" ''New York Times'': 2. Nov 12 1944. ProQuest. 21 Jan. 2016.

References

{{Caldecott Medal Caldecott Medal–winning works 1944 children's books American picture books Christian prayer