A Special Thanks

This tiny Max Lucado-endorsed board book is exactly what it sets out to be: a rhyming prayer of gratitude for the very youngest children. A little girl thanks God for sunbeams, stars, family, food, smiles, animals, and love across shaped-tab pages that toddlers can actually navigate. The faith content is explicit and warm — this is devotional material, not incidentally Christian — making it an ideal first book about prayer for families who want to introduce that vocabulary early. The honest caveat is that at roughly 14 pages it's over almost before it begins, and its appeal is genuinely narrow (Christian families of toddlers, specifically). It's also worth noting the catalog lists it under Self-help, which is a mismatch — it's a children's devotional board book through and through. For its actual audience, it's a sweet, well-made little gift.