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Psalms for Young Children
The Psalms describe a whole range of emotions, from joy and wonder to sadness and regret. This collection of Psalms, paraphrased for young readers, uses simple yet powerful imagery to help children express their feelings.
88 pages, Hardcover
First published January 2, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 5, 2023
Absolutely glorious. A brief paraphrase of a verse or two from a psalm is accompanied by a beautiful illustration. The paraphrases put the psalms into simple words that children can use to pray. Besides a few, like Psalm 23, I don't remember engaging much with the psalms as a whole in childhood. I love how this captures the central thought of a psalm and makes it accessible for children's devotional use! Highly recommended.
-----
Psalm 84
Like a mama bird
who has found
a nest for her baby chicks,
God, you provide
a safe, warm place
for me, your child.
Psalm 116
I love God, because
he listens when I talk to him;
he hears my prayers.
I love God,
because he comforts me
when I am scared.
I thank God for protecting little children like me.
-----
Psalm 84
Like a mama bird
who has found
a nest for her baby chicks,
God, you provide
a safe, warm place
for me, your child.
Psalm 116
I love God, because
he listens when I talk to him;
he hears my prayers.
I love God,
because he comforts me
when I am scared.
I thank God for protecting little children like me.
April 29, 2016
After an intensive month of immersing ourselves in the Easter story, I think our family was ready for something besides narrative. I found a copy of Psalms for Young Children at our local thrift store where children's books are something ridiculous like 5 for 25 cents. No, I am not exaggerating.
As soon as we cracked the cover of this little gem together, the kids and I were drawn in to a world of poetry and illustration that has captured our imagination. It's what we needed.
Writer Marie-Helene Delval has skillfully paraphrased 40 of the Bible's Psalms into 3-sentence poems. Not feats of sing-songish rhyme that trivialize the content for the sake of fitting it all into the proper beat. But, simple haiku-like expressions of the concepts and emotions at the core of each Psalm.
And illustrator Arno staunchly refuses to visualize God's poetry with stale literalism. His are pictures of a forgiven sinner stretched out in the sunny center of a daisy, a melancholy star-gazer curled up in the crescent moon's gentle curve, or God's house on a cloud, a yellow cottage with smoke from the chimney.
I mean who doesn't need this?
"If the ground starts to shake,
if the mountains break into pieces
and fall into the sea,
if the waves grow big as giants,
I'm not scared.
God is with me.
God provides a safe place
for me to hide." Psalm 46
Ahh...
~Jen
As soon as we cracked the cover of this little gem together, the kids and I were drawn in to a world of poetry and illustration that has captured our imagination. It's what we needed.
Writer Marie-Helene Delval has skillfully paraphrased 40 of the Bible's Psalms into 3-sentence poems. Not feats of sing-songish rhyme that trivialize the content for the sake of fitting it all into the proper beat. But, simple haiku-like expressions of the concepts and emotions at the core of each Psalm.
And illustrator Arno staunchly refuses to visualize God's poetry with stale literalism. His are pictures of a forgiven sinner stretched out in the sunny center of a daisy, a melancholy star-gazer curled up in the crescent moon's gentle curve, or God's house on a cloud, a yellow cottage with smoke from the chimney.
I mean who doesn't need this?
"If the ground starts to shake,
if the mountains break into pieces
and fall into the sea,
if the waves grow big as giants,
I'm not scared.
God is with me.
God provides a safe place
for me to hide." Psalm 46
Ahh...
~Jen
Read
July 2, 2016I like the idea of retelling the Psalms at a kid-level -- we do that with narrative stories from the Bible, but rarely with the Psalms -- and I appreciate that this book, while only does some of the Psalms, includes ones that deal with emotions of fear, etc., not just the happy praisey emotions.
The illustrations are more white kids and the God language is more "He" than I was comfortable with. It does include a couple Psalms using maternal imagery for God, but there's also a bunch using "king" imagery (and one "father") and there are a lot of ones that aren't using similes but still use "he" language. Despite my hope from the cover image, there are only a few illustrations that depict dark-skinned children (most of the landscape imagery is nature, so the backgrounds are rarely situating the scene in a particular national/cultural context).
I also cringe at the simplifying sometimes -- its Psalm 23 says, in full, "God is my shepherd. He leads me in the right direction. And even if I have to walk in a dark place, I am not scared. I know nothing will hurt me if I walk with God!" and, um, the biblical witness is clear that "nothing will hurt me if I walk with God" is a lie (also, the illustration is of a child walking between buildings at night, which I understand as a way to depict "a dark place" in a kids' book, but I would worry it would encourage kids to assert that they can wander outside alone at night 'cause the Psalm book said so).
The illustrations are more white kids and the God language is more "He" than I was comfortable with. It does include a couple Psalms using maternal imagery for God, but there's also a bunch using "king" imagery (and one "father") and there are a lot of ones that aren't using similes but still use "he" language. Despite my hope from the cover image, there are only a few illustrations that depict dark-skinned children (most of the landscape imagery is nature, so the backgrounds are rarely situating the scene in a particular national/cultural context).
I also cringe at the simplifying sometimes -- its Psalm 23 says, in full, "God is my shepherd. He leads me in the right direction. And even if I have to walk in a dark place, I am not scared. I know nothing will hurt me if I walk with God!" and, um, the biblical witness is clear that "nothing will hurt me if I walk with God" is a lie (also, the illustration is of a child walking between buildings at night, which I understand as a way to depict "a dark place" in a kids' book, but I would worry it would encourage kids to assert that they can wander outside alone at night 'cause the Psalm book said so).
March 12, 2014
I purchased this book last week from Eerdmans going off of the Google Preview only. I am very impressed and have not been disappointed! Per the copyright page, this little book, published in 2008 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, was first published in 2003 in French by Bayard Editions Jeunesse.
The artwork, by Arno, is bright, creative, engaging and well-suited to the selected texts. I was struck by the way the artist did not gloss over the lament passages making everything to look bright and cheerful. Rather, when the text is solemn, the characters appear to be solemn, when sad, likewise, and when joyful, the same. This is an example of careful, artistic interpretation.
The texts are "summary-paraphrases" of selected psalms. One question I had concerning the text was, "Will a child be able to smoothly transition from each "summary-paraphrase" to the full translation?"
After comparing many of the texts with the full translation, I'm confident that this will be a smooth transition. In fact, the value of a "summary-paraphrase" is that it seeks to pinpoint the mood and major theme of a text. I believe that Marie-Hélène Delval did an excellent job here.
This book will be an excellent introduction to the Psalter for children.
The artwork, by Arno, is bright, creative, engaging and well-suited to the selected texts. I was struck by the way the artist did not gloss over the lament passages making everything to look bright and cheerful. Rather, when the text is solemn, the characters appear to be solemn, when sad, likewise, and when joyful, the same. This is an example of careful, artistic interpretation.
The texts are "summary-paraphrases" of selected psalms. One question I had concerning the text was, "Will a child be able to smoothly transition from each "summary-paraphrase" to the full translation?"
After comparing many of the texts with the full translation, I'm confident that this will be a smooth transition. In fact, the value of a "summary-paraphrase" is that it seeks to pinpoint the mood and major theme of a text. I believe that Marie-Hélène Delval did an excellent job here.
This book will be an excellent introduction to the Psalter for children.
October 30, 2017
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I definitely appreciate the concept of taking these long Psalms and shortening and condensing them in a way that's completely understandable and comprehensible for children. That being said, I'm not sure how this is biblical in light of Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32, and Revelation 22:18.
October 15, 2018
The illustrations are lovely and simple and the text is appropriate for young readers. The images are diverse in gender and ethnicity as well as cultural and historical contexts. I do wish page numbers were included, however.
July 21, 2018
Best read one Psalm at a time instead of reading all the way through.
Would be a nice counterpoint to the typical Bible storybook for littles.
It offers a good selection of different Psalms showing different emotions.
Note that the words have been changed/simplified for young readers (publisher says ages 4-8). I'm a little conflicted because I feel like the time kids are old enough to read these for themselves, they're old enough to memorize/learn Psalms using the traditional language.
Would be a nice counterpoint to the typical Bible storybook for littles.
It offers a good selection of different Psalms showing different emotions.
Note that the words have been changed/simplified for young readers (publisher says ages 4-8). I'm a little conflicted because I feel like the time kids are old enough to read these for themselves, they're old enough to memorize/learn Psalms using the traditional language.
November 19, 2018
I've really enjoyed reading these simple, short, paraphrased Psalms with my little guy. We love to read a few of these after all our other stories before saying our good night prayer. The illustrations are beautiful. The words are simple and easy to understand. And when this book stars to fall apart because we've read it so much, I'll take the pages and make them into nursery art (which is what I originally planned to do).
April 9, 2020
This is one of my favorite spiritual books on my children's shelves. The illustrations are colorful and imaginative. The text draws on the psalms in a straightforward way which is perfect for children. I read it recently with my baby, and the simply-phrased psalms of trust, lament, and praise were a balm to my heart during a time of upheaval (the coronavirus pandemic).
May 5, 2025
I generally shy away from reading Gods word from anywhere that isn’t explicitly Gods word (the Bible and quotes from the Bible), but this retelling of many psalms in language children can understand and relate to is actually very helpful for little minds as they learn who God is and our relationship with him.
November 13, 2025
This is one of my favorite books to use for intergenerational worship! The Psalms are written in child friendly language and short enough to capture attention. We use them as Call to Worship or Opening Prayers. The art is also beautiful. Highly recommend this book for Christian families.
June 3, 2017
This is good for conversation starters with kids. I would not recommend this in lieu of reading the actual psalms, though!
September 21, 2019
A beautifully drawn and synopsized version of several psalms. Helps kids and adults consider the essence of praise, lament, gratitude, and wonder.
May 7, 2014
This book goes through the Psalms giving summarizing verses from many, though not all, of the Psalms and putting them into easier to understand and easier to read language. It starts with Psalm 1 and ends with Psalm 150 with about 40 psalms highlighted inbetween. There is a summarizing verse for that psalm written on the left-hand page and the opposite page has a drawing inspired by that psalm. One thing I liked about this approach is that it covers themes that are not normally covered in children's books: sadness, fear, guilt, thankfulness, joy and more are all expressed. Sometimes children's books can be one-dimensional and only deal with the love of Jesus or the need to obey. I appreciated the breadth of feelings and experiences dealt with in Psalms for Young Children. I wasn't, however, crazy about the artwork. I am sure it is a matter of taste, but I thought it was rather ugly, though I will be the first to admit that I'm not a good judge of art. The artwork on the cover gives a good idea of what you will find inside.
The downside of making the Psalms not only easy to understand but easy to read, is that the language loses something of its vividness and beauty. But they are simple and I hope children will find them helpful. Here is a sample from Psalm 13: "Sometimes, when I'm very sad, I worry that you will forget about me, God. But then I remember that you love me always. So I will sing and be happy!"
The downside of making the Psalms not only easy to understand but easy to read, is that the language loses something of its vividness and beauty. But they are simple and I hope children will find them helpful. Here is a sample from Psalm 13: "Sometimes, when I'm very sad, I worry that you will forget about me, God. But then I remember that you love me always. So I will sing and be happy!"
April 20, 2014
I find the psalms a bit tricky for me to explore with my children, as I feel some of the wording harsh and of the concepts difficult to understand. The short snippets in Psalms For Young Children of some of the psalms has been perfect to begin to explore the rich poetry of the psalms. Another helpful book I found has been wonderful is Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness by Nan Merrill. She has reworded the psalms in positive phases. My 11 yr old and 9 yr old can now hear the psalms in a new way: a beautiful, heart opening way. Psalms for Praying is still too much for my 7 yr old to understand so Psalms for Young Children is perfect for her.
May 6, 2016
Bright illustrations draw in readers of all ages to Delval's three-sentence summaries of the Psalms. The youngest will be satisfied with the concrete, simple, summaries. Older students can read this book, follow it up with the Biblical text, and read this again to summarize main points for application. And the wisest among the group can discuss the Biblical passage and Delval's message for young children.
If the text of this book is all you use, it is inadequate, but as a starting point for discussion of these Psalms, it is a wonderful devotional that our entire family recommends!
If the text of this book is all you use, it is inadequate, but as a starting point for discussion of these Psalms, it is a wonderful devotional that our entire family recommends!
July 14, 2010
This is a decent introduction for preschoolers to the Psalms. It is simple, but true to the text. I would have used with my kids if it had been available. I am going to be using it with some preschoolers this fall.
October 5, 2010
I got this for help with curriculum on Psalm 139 for preschoolers, but the version in this book was so minimal that I didn't end up using it. Completely eliminated the part with "fearfully and wonderfully made".
September 18, 2012
A beautiful book for K-3, and a delightful find for grandmas. The illustrations are lovely and vivid. The text is simple a easy for children to understand. A great resource for anyone looking for a child's version of a Psalm.
June 11, 2008
This is a longer picture book with several psalms and simple pictures to illustrate. Large font. Beautiful.
July 8, 2008
nice to have the psalms simply paraphrased for little ones...also bold and colorful illustrations that made me happy
April 2, 2009
this is a beautiful version of the Psalms. Sometimes I cry when i read through it, it is so simple and beautiful.
August 6, 2009
This is a book of paraphrased Psalms. I really like the pictures, but they aren't a style that everyone would enjoy.
January 17, 2014
The heart of Psalms in kid friendly language.
May 22, 2014
Great book to introduce early readers to the Psalms. I use it with my 9-year-old nephew all the time.
July 21, 2014
This beautiful collection of Psalms rewritten in a language for very small children is just as valuable for adults. The illustrations are also gorgeous.
October 11, 2015
Great book!
I highly recommend it.
See my full review here-
http://teaandtheology.com/book-review...
I highly recommend it.
See my full review here-
http://teaandtheology.com/book-review...
January 26, 2016
A wonderful id-friendly version to the psalms with vibrant illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews