Beautiful Psalms for Children

I love the psalms.  Here is a lovely book that makes the psalms accessible for children.  The author, Marie-Helene Delval, has captured the spirit of the psalms, and rendered them in language that is “prayable” for our younger saints as well as deeply touching for us older saints.  She includes the psalms of sorrow and lament as well as the psalms of praise and joy.  For example, here is how she renders Psalm 88, the most despairing psalm of them all:

God, please listen to me.

I am full of sadness, I am crying.

I feel lonely and scared.

Do you really love me?

I’m calling you, God.

Please comfort me!

And this is how she renders Psalm 8:

People are so small

next to you, God.

You put the stars and the moon

in the sky, and the birds in the air

above the cows and horses in the fields,

and the fish that swim in the seas.

You created all the beauty

in the world!

I highly recommend this book, and look forward to using it in many ways, including worship planning.

Psalms for Young Children, by Marie-Helene Delval, illustrated by Arno.  Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2008.  ©2003 Bayard Editions Jeunesse as Les Psaumes pour les tout-petits.

Advertisement