LET THERE BE PEACE

Full of delicate, stylized imagery that reflects its subject, this clearly heartfelt and well-intentioned compendium suffers from a lack of sourced material and a surfeit of fuzzy sentimentality. Its compiler is an English vicar, who combines Lao-Tzu’s and St. Francis of Assisi’s prayers for peace with those cited only as “Muslim daily prayer” or “Baha’i prayer, Iran.” “Traditional prayer, Africa” is regrettably meaningless: What place in Africa? What tradition? The universal longing for peace through prayer is highlighted, and Brooks adds very brief prose introductions to various sections. Daly uses soft, clear colors and elegant line to make barbed wire turn into wild roses, and her multiethnic cast, each figure as small and neat as a doll, is varied by age, dress and accoutrement across many cultures. It ends with the hymn that gives the collection its title, familiar to many in the English-speaking world. (Picture book/religion. 5-9)