Lot of food for thought and multicultural programming for schools, libraries and religious classes, despite its limitations...
Focusing on six children growing up in Britain, this photo-laden book provides a very brief introduction to the world’s major religious groups, customs related to holidays and services, and special foods.
Today’s multicultural world is in great evidence as the Muslim family includes people of various ethnic backgrounds, and many in the Buddhism section are not Asian, including Francis, the narrator. Jacob highlights the Jewish Shabbat, as well as Chanukah, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Purim and Passover. The meal described for the Muslim Eid ul Fitr is South Asian with Tandoori Chicken. The pakoras in the recipe section are also from South Asia, but there is no explanation that Muslims from other regions might eat different festive foods. Francesca’s Christingle, a recent Christmas symbol in the Anglican Church, will be of interest. Hinduism and Sikhism are also included. Recipes for one representative dish per religion are included at the back, with the exception of Buddhism, as the text concentrates on the custom of providing plain food to Buddhist monks and nuns. While the book conveys a lot of information, the layout is almost too busy. Photos of children, families, cooking implements, shops and foods are all attractive, but the intense backgrounds and many design elements overpower the photographs.
Lot of food for thought and multicultural programming for schools, libraries and religious classes, despite its limitations and lack of sources. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 7-11)Pub Date: June 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-84507-986-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2012
This visually appealing introduction to Paul and his writing can serve as a useful starting point to help young readers...
Caldecott Medalist Raschka examines the writings of the Apostle Paul, an early missionary of Christianity, with this interpretation of some selected words from his epistles.
A brief first page introduces Paul and his belief in the teachings of Jesus, but that is the only mention of Jesus, and God is never mentioned in the book. The book’s attractive design includes a double-page spread for each of the 14 books of the New Testament of the Christian Bible traditionally attributed to Paul. Each spread is structured as a letter, offering Paul’s advice from the relevant book on how to live a good life. As these recommendations do not specifically refer to Jesus or God, it is not clear from the text that Paul was spreading the new religion of Christianity in his letters. The text consists of a few short quotes from each book, rephrased and condensed, with pertinent chapter and verse references at the bottoms of the pages. While many of the rephrased quotations are familiar passages, other widely known verses attributed to Paul are not included, such as the famous words from 1 Corinthians often read at weddings. The words of Paul are hand-lettered in pleasing arrangements, with related elements such as palm trees and columns integrated within the text and a view of Paul on each spread in the act of writing his letters. Raschka’s loose watercolor illustrations show Paul as an aged man with brown skin and a white beard on the front and back covers; internal illustrations show him in different solid, pastel shades.
This visually appealing introduction to Paul and his writing can serve as a useful starting point to help young readers understand a key figure in the spread of Christianity. (map) (Picture book/religion. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5494-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
An exciting and thought-provoking evocation of a strong, brave young woman.
In a retelling of the story of Deborah taken from the Hebrew Bible, she emerges as thoughtful and trustworthy, with God’s words to guide her.
While on a hill overlooking her village, Deborah spots an army of chariots. She and her friends bravely rush to warn the villagers in time to escape. King Jabin, his general, Sisera, and his men destroy the village, but the people, including Deborah’s family, escape. The army continues to attack villages throughout the land, maintaining a reign of terror. Deborah definitely has God on her side, as he speaks directly to her, telling her that she has been chosen to lead her people to freedom. On God’s instructions the battle is joined with Deborah and the soldier Barak in the lead and with God’s intervention in the form of lightning, pouring rain, and floods. With their bravery and that of the Israelites, freedom is achieved. The authors employ accessible and poetic language to tell the tale, with careful attention to the characters and details as they appear in the Bible and with particular emphasis on Deborah’s faith in God. Elwell’s strongly hued illustrations capture the texture, light, action, and power of the tale. Deborah and the Israelites are depicted with dark hair and eyes and deep-toned swarthy skin color.
An exciting and thought-provoking evocation of a strong, brave young woman. (questions, author’s note) (Picture book/religion. 8-10)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7369-7371-7
Page Count: 49
Publisher: Harvest House
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
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