This book was recognised by the Newbery Award. The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

This book is aimed at children in primary school.

There are 224 pages in this book. This book was published 1987 by Prentice Hall (a Pearson Education company) .

Rachel Field wrote A Prayer for a Child for her own daughter, before sharing it with children around the world. Rachel Field's other books for children include Newbery Medalist Hitty, Her First Hundred Years; Calico Bush; and Hepatica Hawks.