Biblical stories presenting a moving message, contemplative questions, and captivating illustrations.
A collection of stories of God’s love inspired by the Bible.
This collection of 42 kid-friendly stories pulls from the Old and New Testaments. Starting with the creation story, it covers Exodus, follows Jesus’ life, and ends with a tale from Revelation. Readers will encounter a variety of both better- and lesser-known stories. Each entry emphasizes one of three main messages God has for us: “You Belong. You are Beloved. You are Delightful.” Clark retells episodes from the Bible in accessible text using her original dialogue and phrasing to convey her messages. Each chapter opens with a title that may trigger recognition of the original story (“She Laughed,” “Jesus and the Party People”), the Bible verses the story stems from, and notes on the characters’ Greek and Hebrew names. “Mindful Moment” sections describe God-focused mindfulness activities, while “Wonder Moment” segments pose thoughtful questions for readers to reflect on. Throughout the Old Testament section, two-page spreads explain key groups of people, such as judges and prophets, and their roles among God’s people. Ample illustrations throughout feature beautiful embellishments and borders, breathing color and life into the descriptive text and adding cultural context. God is depicted in golden hues and given human facial features and a more amorphous body; the human figures are racially diverse.
Biblical stories presenting a moving message, contemplative questions, and captivating illustrations. (notes) (Religion. 7-12)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9780593580318
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Convergent
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
A celebration of progressive Judaism and an inclusive primer on Jews making a difference in the world.
This wide-ranging collection of short biographies highlights 36 Jewish figures from around the globe and across centuries.
Explicitly pushing back against homogenous depictions of Jewish people, the authors demonstrate the ethnic, racial, and gender diversity of Jews. Each spread includes a brief biography paired with a stylized portrait reminiscent of those in Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo’s Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (2016). A pull quote or sidebar accompanies each subject; sidebars include “Highlighting Jewish Paralympic Athletes,” “Jewish Stringed Music,” and “Ethiopian Jews in Israel.” Kleinrock and Pritchard’s roster of subjects makes a compelling case for the vastness and variety of Jewish experience—from a contemporary Ethiopian American teen to a 16th-century Portuguese philanthropist—while still allowing them to acknowledge better-known figures. The entry on Raquel Montoya-Lewis, an associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court and an enrolled member of the Pueblo Isleta Indian tribe, discusses her mission to reimagine criminal justice for Indigenous people; the sidebar name-checks Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan. The bios are organized around themes of Jewish principles such as Pikuach Nefesh (translated from the Hebrew as “to save a life”) and Adam Yachid (translated as the “unique value of every person”); each section includes an introduction to an organization that centers diverse Jewish experiences.
A celebration of progressive Judaism and an inclusive primer on Jews making a difference in the world. (resources) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9780063285712
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A useful if occasionally preachy introduction, this book would benefit from the inclusion of more specific details,...
To encourage tolerance, the photographer/authors want to help children understand similarities among Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
The authors assume readers will be people of faith, not atheists or agnostics. After short descriptions of each religion, common themes, such as the Golden Rule, spiritual leaders, sacred texts, clothing, symbols, places of worship, worship acts (use of incense, candles, water, and prayer), charity and cherishing children are explored. The text can be very specific, mentioning branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist) without explaining the differences. (Sunni and Shiite Muslims are not delineated.) Activities will help children, teachers and parents think about religion in a comparative manner, although no sources or further reading are provided, which is a glaring omission. The attractive photos are often cropped into circular or curvilinear shapes and presented on brightly colored pages, giving the book the look of a magazine. Identified by religion but not by country, the photos were taken in the United States and eight other nations, including Mexico, Turkey and Vietnam. Interestingly, Israel and India, seemingly obvious choices, are not included. Captions would have been helpful for some photos such as a picture of a Muslim boy in a distinctive white cape and jeweled hat, which remains unexplained in the text.
A useful if occasionally preachy introduction, this book would benefit from the inclusion of more specific details, including holidays and eating customs. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 8-11)Pub Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55453-750-1
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
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