For many of us, the study of family history includes a discovery of the immigration of our ancestors, and a new interest in the countries and cultures from which they came. Author Karl Beckstrand learned of his family’s heritage (at least from one particular “branch”), and wrote this children’s story, Anna’s Prayer – the story of his immigrant ancestors.

Anna lived with her mother and sister in Sweden. When they joined the Mormon church, they were persecuted and her mother was fired. (I didn’t even realize the Mormon church existed in Sweden in the 1880’s!) Ultimately, her mother decided to send her and her sister to America.

The book tells of Anna’s journey, first by boat to the United States, then by train to Utah. It tells of her struggles as a young girl alone in America, unable to speak English. Anna remembers, though, what her mama told her – that her Heavenly Father understands her. God answered her prayer for a Swedish speaker – and then some! (Isn’t that just like God? Providing even more than we could ask or think?)

As you have probably discerned by now, the book revolves around a Mormon young girl. However, there’s nothing in the text that would offend or concern me as a conservative Christian. Rather, it’s a sweet story about trust in a Father who cares for us wherever we are, and an eye-opening peek into the difficulties our ancestors faced in coming here, in a context perfect for children to understand. (We also found it a useful segue into talking about Mormonism.)

Disclosure: The publisher provided the book to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.