animals

We read this nightly with our 2 year old and 3-1/2 year old. They love finding the *right* page each night, and by mid-month they have the blessing memorized and they say it along with us. Then, towards the end of the month, as we grow weary of the same blessing every night, lo and behold it is a new month, and we get to learn a new one! This opens up so many avenues: prayers of thanksgiving, nighttime rituals, the concept of months and seasons. And the pictures offer many things to talk about, some covered in the blessing, and others that simply fit the month. We heartily recommend this book to parents of toddlers!

My 20 month old LOVES this book. He always digs it out from his others. The pace and length of book works well for short attention span and bright, child-like illustrations work well too. Recurring themes (dogs,cats,trees...) in illustrations make this a good book for 'point to the ...' recognition game.

BLESS US ALL takes you through the months of the year "blessing" things common to the month, each in four lines of poetry. Rylant's illustrations are as charming as her words, done in folk-art style, bordered with wrapping-paper prints. This book would make a lovely gift for a young child or for an adult who still has some child within. BLESS US ALL is a blessing!