Today, Sing, Wrestle, Spin makes its way into the world. It's a book on prayer for kids ages 7-11, but, funnily, some of my first readers have been middle-aged friends who've said it's helpful for our demographic.

I loved exploring ways to pray that use all of our senses and that welcome people of various abilities, personalities, and interests to express themselves to the Divine.

Got a kid who never sits still? Maybe they would enjoy dancing or spinning in a chair as a prayer. A visual artist? Invite them to paint or draw or sculpt in prayer. A child who's nonverbal? They could pray by listening to or pointing at what's around them (or, of course, spinning, painting, and dancing, too).

To learn more about the book, I invite you to watch a release video I taped with my friend and colleague Brian Allain last week.

I'm grateful to have collaborated, again, with the gifted Gillian Whiting on this book. Gillian created simple, whimsical interior illustrations for Sing, Wrestle, Spin. She illustrated two of my other books for kids, too: A Little Blue Bottle and Once Upon a Time Not So Long Ago. (See the full contents of the new one, below.)

What senses do you use when you express your thoughts, needs, and desires to the mystery we call God? I'd love to hear from you; you can just hit "reply" to this email!

Wishing you well,

Jennifer Grant

P.S. Interested in other books on prayer? I'm currently reading (and loving) The Book of Tiny Prayer by Micah Bucey, and I reference Father James Martin's Learning to Pray in my book and highly recommend it.

from the introduction to Sing, Wrestle, Spin:

I learned last week that Dimming the Day, which released this past fall, was honored as a 2021 Best Spiritual Book of the Year by Spirituality and Practice. About the recognition, S&P writes:

"Since we only review books that we want to recommend to you for your spiritual journey, this selection actually represents the best of the best. Through diverse approaches, drawing upon the wisdom and practices of the world's religions and spiritual paths, these books explore the quest for meaning and purpose, wholeness and healing, commitment and community, contemplation and activism."

You can read their review of Dimming the Day and read an excerpt of the book here.

Special congratulations to friends Brian Allain and Jon Sweeney whose books were also honored by S&P. And what incredible company we're in...Valarie Kaur! Amanda Gorman! Brené Brown! See the full list of honorees, here. Receiving the news that Dimming the Day was recognized in this way was incredibly heartening for me.

Easter is Sunday, April 17. Sing, Wrestle, Spin, with its colorful pinwheel cover and inviting spiritual content, might make a good addition (along with Cadbury Eggs, jelly beans, and a chocolate bunny) to your Easter baskets.

Consider including it and/or my dear friend Traci Smith's new one, Faithful Families for Lent, Easter, and Resurrection: Simple Ways to Create Meaning for the Season in your baskets. (But, really, don't forego the chocolate!)

Full disclosure: I'll be getting Easter treats at my neighborhood candy shop which, if you like historical factoids, was also Al Capone's favorite.

[For more on Easter baskets, see Martha Stewart's best basket ideas, here.]