“God Bless My School” – Book Review

Nobody wants to think about it in July. But in less than a month, on August 2, children in my area will be back in school.

While my own children are now grown and out of school, I keep my ties to the local school year because my youngest daughter Jenna teaches elementary school.

She’s switching schools and grades this year. Instead of teaching Kindergarten in a public Title 1 school, she’ll be teaching 1st grade in a private school for students zoned to public Title I schools, each the recipient of a scholarship based on need.

While the children’s backgrounds will be much the same as her previous school, this year she’ll be able to mention aloud the name of Jesus to the children, pray with them, and have conversations together about God.

One book I’m donating to her class is God Bless My School by Hannah C. Hall, beautifully illustrated by Steve Whitlow.

God-Bless-My-School

It’s a padded board book with four rhyming lines to a page about young animals preparing for exciting new adventures at school, knowing God goes with them.

The book ends with this rhyme:

We’ve learned so much and made good friends.
We’ve worked hard and we’ve played.
The day is done—it’s been such fun!
“God bless my school,” we say!

So in this month when teachers are working hard to prepare for school—and parents are working hard to prepare their children—now is the time we all can pray, whether we have students or not, for:

  • students everywhere,
  • their families,
  • and the adults who will be with them many of their waking hours in the  upcoming 9 months.

Whether public, private, or homeschool, may God bless everyone’s school.

* * *

Do you have children who will be returning to school soon? How do you prepare for it? Please share in the comments.

My thanks to BookLook Bloggers
for the review copy of this book

14 thoughts on ““God Bless My School” – Book Review

  1. Susan Nowell @ My Place to Yours

    It’s impossible to pray “too much” for our teachers and the students with whom they spend their days! Thanks for this reminder. May God bless your daughter even now as she prepares to switch schools. Hers is a beautiful ministry to little personalities coming into their own. I think it’s wonderful you are there to encourage her and her students!

  2. Lynn Severance

    Lisa – what exciting news about Jenna and how nice of you to donate a book.

    I loved my years teaching first grade before I got promoted to 3rd!
    She will love it. And teaching K will have prepared her well, in fact, she may think her new students quite ‘ahead’ so much growth takes place during that K year.

    Thinking of her and praying her a wonderful new experience and as she prepares for this early August unveiling

    1. LisaNotes Post author

      Thanks for your prayers for Jenna, Lynn! She will appreciate that. I’m curious what she will think about 1st grade. I think I would enjoy it more than K if it were me; the children are still very young but yet more capable in many ways. Hope you’re doing well, friend!

  3. Pam

    Looks like a great book, Lisa! It’s also a much needed pray item as we look at the challenges facing today’s students and their teachers on so many levels.

    1. LisaNotes Post author

      It’s a sweet little book, Pam. I’ve been out of the world of young children’s books for awhile, so it’s good to stick a toe back in and explore again.

  4. floyd

    That’s awesome. Good for Jenna. That is a great prayer and I know it will have a huge impact on our society. I’m praying it with you.

    Our youngest is heading into her second year in college… the ties are slowly being let go… but never in the heart.

  5. Theresa Boedeker

    What a cute book. Right now how I am preparing for school for my young teen is not mentioning anything related to school or the end of summer. I was trying to tell him yesterday the date school started and he was like, “No, Mom. Don’t talk about that. I don’t want to be reminded.” Oh well. So I am preparing. Funny thing, he loves school. But he also loves his summers.

    1. LisaNotes Post author

      Ha. Sometimes we just don’t want to think too far into the future. 🙂 Your son has a good fix on living in the now. I need to get better at that myself instead of planning so much. Thanks for sharing, Theresa.

  6. Gail Golden

    This looks like a beautiful book, and I love the concept. I’ve always said, “G-d bless the teachers.” They do a mighty work. I’ll recommend this to others. Thanks for sharing it and, yes, we all need to pray for our schools.
    Blessings,
    GG

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