Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Book Review :: The Lord's Prayer: Words of Hope and Happiness, by Rick Warren, illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson

The Lord's Prayer is a new book by author Rick Warren. (I am reviewing the board book version, but there is also a hard cover version available.)
The Lord's Prayer goes through the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6: 9b-13) with commentary from Rick Warren. It almost reads as if it is two books in one...with one line or portion of the Lord's prayer (KJV) on each two-page opening with additional wording (by Rick Warren) that corresponds with that portion of the text. The two sets of text are separated, so you can read through the book with just the prayer, just the commentary, or both together. (It is an odd flow, in my opinion, to read them both together, but you can decide for yourself.)

Some of Rick Warren's words seem more related to the actual direction of the prayer than others (ex: for the "and the power" portion from verse 13, he says that we can ask God for strength when we are tired. That part of the prayer seems to be ascribing power and dominion to God as praise, not as a "power source"...but that is just my perception, I guess. I understand that it may not seem "off" to others as it did to me, but just wanted to mention it.

The commentary by Rick Warren is written from the perspective of the reader ("I", "me", etc.) and each page ends with a line to God (from the reader).

The last page opening has the full text of the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6: 9b-13, KJV) on one page and a paragraph about the topic of prayer (by Rick Warren) on the opposite page.

The illustrations are well done with beautiful colors and sweet imagery. I appreciated that it showed diversity in the children depicted.

My little one loves to look at The Lord's Prayer and I think it will continue to be one of his go-to books, even though we may not be reading it in the manner the author may have intended. 
FTC Declaration: The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy. This does not change the fact that I will give my honest opinion in my reviews.

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