As we approach Memorial Day, there will be a lot of talk about honoring those who made the greatest sacrifices.
I imagine that it’s an emotional time for those still in active service and their families. A reader asked me to share the following prayer of support.
It’s an excerpt from a children’s book by Jill Biden, wife of the Vice President. She wrote:
At the deployment ceremony for my son, the general’s wife quietly slipped a prayer into my hand. I hope it will offer comfort and hope for others as it did to me:
I pray to give each soldier the courage and strength to do the duty that is required of them. May they always remember our appreciation for the sacrifice they and their families are making for us. We are thankful for the men and women who are willing to risk their lives to protect our freedom. Please go with each one of them and protect them wherever they go.
The reader brought the book to my attention because of the dedicated posts I write on children’s books.
She was right. It is a lovely book for teaching children about the sacrifices other families make to keep the rest of us safe.
If you are interested in doing that, I recommend it and some other picture books:
- Don’t forget, God bless our troops, by Jill Biden*, is narrated by a 5 year old girl whose father leaves to fight overseas. It’s a sweet look at a girl trying to be brave for herself and her younger brother.
- Recently, my children and I read Year of the Jungle by Suzanne Collins. The author recalls the year her father served in vietnam. The emotions from that experience are certainly applicable to today.
- Another we’ve enjoyed in the past is H is for Honor by Devin Scillian*. It pulls double duty by running through the alphabet while explaining various aspects of military service, traditions, and family life. It’s part of Sleeping Bear Press’ series of alphabet books. I like that for each letter they include a short highlight and a longer explanation. When reading from the series, I used to read the quick highlights with my youngest and most of the longer text with my oldest.
- In a previous blog I wrote about Love, Lizzie by Lisa Tucker McElroy. That story is told through the letters of a girl writing to her mother, who is serving the military overseas.
*Biden’s and Scillian’s books above aren’t part of the Southborough Libary’s collection. But they are available upon request through the library’s interlibrary loan program.
For more of my past book recommendations, click here.
