A WORLD OF FAITH, by Peggy Fletcher Stack, Illustrated by Kathleen Peterson

Twenty-eight world religious groups are introduced on two-page presentations -- one page a striking illustration of that faith’s symbol or image and the other a brief profile that discusses the origin of each faith and its most important practices. It is meant to provide young readers with a glimpse, a taste, an awakening into the remarkable and diverse world of religion. In the preface the author explains why these religious groups were selected. Hopis were chosen to convey the sense of all Native American paths, although there are wide differences among the more than 500 traditions. Similarly, Yorubas represent all African tribal religions of which there are hundreds. And because America’s scene is strongly colored by Christianity, many Christian variations are described. The Unitarian pages are respectful.

HOPE, by Isabell Monk, illustrated by Janice Lee Porter

This is the story of a young girl named Hope and her relationship with her wildly alive Great Aunt Poogee. Every year Hope visits her aunt and learns more about the history and love in her family. On one trip they meet another relative Violet who asks outright, "My goodness . . . is this child mixed?" The question haunts Hope until her aunt tells her a story that explains what "mixed" means and why Hope should be proud of it. Aunt Poogee talks about the faith it took her immigrantgrandparents to leave their homeland and come to America. She talks about the faith her slave great-grandparents had for a better day. She speaks about the faith her parents had to marry because they loved each other and faith in a future when people will be proud to be part of the human race. The vibrant, fluid illustrations are dynamic accompaniments to the story.