Non-Fiction: The World's Religions

Religions Explained
by Anita Ganeri, with Marcus Braybrooke, Consultant
Henry Holt and Company, 1997
ISBN 0-8050-4874-X

This self-described "Beginner's Guide to World Faiths" is a very basic introduction to many of the world's religions and is full of useful information. With a plethora of photographs and other illustrations-showing worshippers, buildings, icons, symbols, etc.-the reader becomes acquainted with the world's major religious traditions and also with some of its smaller communities of faith. The book covers the following religious categories: ancient religions (Egypt and Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, the Aztec and Inca gods, and Norse myths); people of the book (Judaism, Christianity, Islam); religions of India (Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Sikhism); Chinese and Japanese religions (Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Zen Buddhism); spirit religions (South America, North America, Africa, Australasia); and new religions (Rastafarianism, Baha'ism, Hare Krishna, Mennonites and Amish, Mormons, New Age, Unification Church).

The Story of Religion
by Betsy Maestro, illustrations by Giulio Maestro
Clarion Books, 1996, ISBN 0-395-62364-2

"From the beginning of human history, people have wondered about things they could not understand or explain... People began to create stories about the events that mystified them."

Beginning with a general discussion about the kinds of questions religion tries to answer, Maestro has developed a narrative that describes the histories of the world's major religions. Through the narrative, the reader gains a better contextual understanding of how the major traditions relate to each other geographically and historically. The narrative is enhanced with a variety of painted illustrations-of natural scenery as well as icons and symbols-which are both artful and instructive.

One World, Many Religions: The Ways We Worship
by Mary Pope Osborne
Alfred A. Knopf, 1996
ISBN 0-679-83930-5

This non-fiction book is a thorough, readable survey of the world's seven major religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. The reader is introduced to the customs and rituals of these traditions through beautiful photographs of people worshipping and of religious symbols. In addition to the photographs and text, the book includes a glossary; a timeline which shows the dates of the lives of the major religious figures and important developments in each of the traditions; and maps which show which religions are practiced by the majority of the people in different regions of the world.

Images of God
by John & Katherine Paterson, illustrations by Alexander Koshkin
Clarion Books, 1998
ISBN 0-395-70734-X

"None of us can see God whole, but we can, if the Bible is to be believed, have glimpses of the Almighty."

In this book, the Patersons present a wonderful array of Biblical images of God, nonapologetically drawing exclusively from the Judeo-Christian scriptures as their source. They present images from the created world of nature (light, water, wind, dove), from ordinary life (mother, father, housewife, wrestler), and of watchfulness and creation (gardener, judge, architect). Their contemporary explanations of these biblical images carefully express a variety of ways of understanding God, and in general discussions, God is refreshingly genderless. However, the oil painting illustrations (which are merely supplemental to the text) do present a very white American image of God's people.

In God's Name
by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, illustrations by Phoebe Stone
Jewish Lights Publishing, 1994, ISBN 1-879045-26-5

Written from a clearly monotheistic perspective, this exploration of some of the many names for God affirms that God is One but that no one name for God is better than another. Each of us relates differently to God, and therefore has a different name(s) for God. Sasso tells stories about a variety of individual human lives and how their experiences affect their understanding of God. Stone's paintings effectively represent children and adults from all over the world as they engage in their unique lives and relate to God as the Source of Life, Maker of Peace, Ancient One, Comforter, Friend, etc.

To Everything
text and illustrations by Bob Barner
Chronicle Books, 1998
ISBN 0-8118-2086-6

"To everything there is a season... A time for every purpose under heaven..." Barner's book is an artful adaptation and presentation of the poetry from the Hebrew Bible's book of Ecclesiastes. With brightly colored paper collage illustrations, Barner has creatively expressed his visual interpretation of the poet's words with images from nature-animals, people, the sun and stars. Also included are suggestions for using this book and the paper collage medium as an art activity and teaching tool.

One Earth, One Spirit
compiled by Tessa Strickland
Sierra Club Books for Children, 1997
ISBN 0-87156-978-7

This collection of short prayers and blessings was designed specifically for children, as evidenced by the clarity of most of the language, and includes explanations of each of the prayers in the back of the book. These prayers have been gathered from many faiths-including varieties of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, Ojibwa, and Zuni-and they are complemented by Sierra Club photographs from all over the world.

God's Quiet Things
by Nancy Sweetland, illustrations by Rick Stevens
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994
ISBN 0-8028-5082-0

This rhyming poem expresses creatively that God (or "God's Things") may be everywhere, particularly in the silent or quiet things which are so easily overlooked-fish, clouds, breeze, gardens, worms. Detailed pastel artwork accompanies the poem, illustrating beautifully the imagination and the creatures in the poet's text.

Buddha
by Demi
Henry Holt & Company, 1996
ISBN 0-8050-4203-2

This is the story of Siddhartha-how he was born to a king and queen, into a life of privilege, and eventually began to ask the meaningful questions of existence. Eventually Siddhartha realizes, "I must seek the Truth of life over death, if am to find peace." The reader experiences his life from his human birth all the way to when he reaches nirvana, that state of eternal peace where there is no more birth or death. Demi explains many of Buddha's important teachings, as well as how he became a Buddha. Her ink and watercolor illustrations are exquisitely and delicately detailed-she drew from Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Burmese and Indonesian paintings; sculptures; and sutra illustrations; and particularly from Pahari and Chamba Indian miniature paintings.

The Mountains of Tibet
Mordicai Gerstein
HarperCollins Publishers, 1987
ISBN 0-06-022144-5

Though not explicitly religious, this story offers an introduction to reincarnation through the story of a little Tibetan boy who grows up to be a woodcutter. After the woodcutter dies, he is faced with the choice either to stay in heaven or to return to earth, as an animal or as a person. The reader shares in his exploration and his struggle to choose where he wants to go, and ultimately he chooses to be reborn in the mountains of Tibet... as a little girl. The lovely, simple watercolor illustrations enhance the story without overpowering it.

When the Beginning Began: Stories About God, the Creatures, and Us
by Julius Lester, illustrations by Emily Lisker
Silver Whistle (Harcourt Brace & Co), 1999
ISBN 0-15-201238-9

This novel-like collection for young readers is Lester's unique and creative expression of the beginning(s) of the world and of human existence. The stories are based primarily on Lester's own translation (from Hebrew) of the first three chapters of the book of Genesis, but he combines the stories in that text with other legends and myths, including his own creations. Lester's perspective is unapologetically Jewish and God is distinctly male for him, but this book is beautifully written and is creative, humorous, and surprising at times. Lisker's oil paintings are works of art in their own right and are the perfect supplement to Lester's text.

The Blessing Seed
by Caitlin Matthews, illustrations by Alison Dexter
Barefoot Books (UK), 1998
ISBN 1-901223-28-0

In this picture book, Matthews has adapted the traditional myths of Creation and the Garden of Eden from the Hebrew Bible's book of Genesis into an imaginative tale which honors humans' gifts of curiosity and 'longing to know'. In her story, God sings the world into being, and humans are blessed with the unique capacity to sing life into their own and others' lives. Dexter's watercolor illustrations are an exquisite interpretation of the dark-skinned characters' world, as its greatness is both enticingly brilliant and frighteningly intimidating.

Old Turtle
by Douglas Wood, illustrations by Cheng-Khee Chee
Pfeifer-Hamilton Publishers, 1992
ISBN 0-938586-48-3

This fable expresses a message for all the beings of the world-that we are to love and respect each other instead of bickering about who God is, instead of hurting each other. It is a message of peace and a reminder of the magnificence and wonder of God. The poetic text of Wood's fable is beautifully expressed through Chee's watercolor illustrations of the natural world, animals, and humanity.