A Family Prayer

A Family Prayer is a beautifully illustrated children's book that celebrates all the family--biological and chosen alike--who keep us safe and teach us to dream.

In A Family Prayer, acclaimed novelist Shay Youngblood brings to life the prayer of a little brown girl who finds joy in asking God to keep her family safe. Young readers will celebrate every auntie, cousin, and grandmother in their life. But more than just her biological relatives, each family member is a maternal or paternal archetype, someone in her community who represents the title of mother, father, auntie, and the like.

My sister is a blessing

She keeps my secrets

Braids my hair

And helps me find my way

Sisters are a blessing

Keep them safe from harm

My Auntie is a blessing

She sings sweet songs

Rocks me to sleep and whispers stories in the dark

Aunties are a blessing

Keep them safe from harm

A Family Prayer champions the age-old wisdom that raising a family takes a village--and that the love of a community runs soul deep.