The last few years have seen an explosion of new Baha’i prayer books for very young children. We’ve selected our three favorites for you to consider – O God Guide Me, Crown My Head, and our fold-out postcard booklet.
O God Guide Me! has been a favorite for almost 40 years. it has 11 prayers that are appropriate for young children, on 48 pages that alternate between watercolor pictures and text. The pictures depict children and families from around the world. It even lists the nationality represented by each illustration in the back of the book. It is perfect bound, but thin, in a classic 4.25×6.25 format.
Crown My Head is newer, so fewer Baha’i children have it on their bookshelf. It is beautifully illustrated with pictures of diverse children in bold colors that will attract the interest of young readers. It is 24 pages with 12 prayers. It is has a stapled binding, so it lays flat for reading, but it looks like it is perfect bound. It is 5.5×5.5 square. Only four of the prayers are the same as O God, Guide Me! so children can learn prayers from both of them.
Both books are the same low price, so you can afford to give them to every young child in your community.
Our Postcard Booklet is an even lower-cost alternative you can afford to give out by the dozen. It consists of six full-color postcards linked together in a fold-out “booklet.” Three of the postcards have short prayers, three have short quotations. The photos include both diverse children and animals. You can give them out as a set, glue them to our other postcard booklets to make a board book, or separate them to make 6 individual postcards. Click this link to see them all.
For older children, we recommend Pocketful of Pearls. It was edited by my daughter when she was 8, and is designed for kids who can read on their own, but aren’t ready for a full-sized adult prayer book. It includes prayers and writings.
Linda –
I plan to give to neighbor with four children