A World of Praise by Deborah Lock. Illustrated by Helen Cann

Illustrator Helen Cann’s exquisite, vibrant artwork and author Deborah Lock’s prayerful, praise-filled verses unite to portray the words of Psalm 24:1-2: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”  

Depicting scenes of nature and people from around the world—a sunrise in India, a mother and her children running through a wheatfield in the United States, a brightly dressed man in the mountains of Peru, a Japanese girl sitting in a blossoming cherry tree, children playing on a street in Estonia, a blackberry harvest in Canada, and more—this joyful, inviting children’s picture book gives praise to God for the magnificent wonders of his creation: “All the world from East to West / gives praise to you. / We lift our voices, / we clap our hands, / we stamp our feet, / we dance, we sing, / we jump, we shout, / give praise to you. / All the world from North to South / gives praise to you. / All big things— / mountains and lakes, / waterfalls and volcanoes— / and all small things— / beetles and birds, seeds and flowers— / give praise to you.”  

A World of Praise concludes with the prayers of a Kenyan boy living on the savannah and a boy in Nepal falling asleep with snowy mountains visible through his bedroom window: “Bwana, O Lord, shining light in the dark. / May peace be with us as we rest tonight. / God of far and wide, high and low, / great and small, stay close to us as we sleep.” (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)