Peggy Fletcher Stack’s A World of Faith (BCC Press, 2023), features 32 religions of the world accompanied by Kathleen Peterson’s impeccably detailed illustrations. Like the best of children’s books, it has a lot to teach adults, too.
This book is an expansion of the original edition, published in 2001 by Signature Books (a book that boasted a blurb by former president, Jimmy Carter, as well as blurbs by other well-regarded individuals). As in the first book, each religion in A World of Faith receives two paragraphs, starting with an origin story followed by descriptions of current practices and traditions. Fletcher Stack, a well-known religion journalist in our community, recruited a sensitivity reader from each faith to read the respective descriptions. That thoughtwork and care shows. The length of both paragraphs given to each religion is perfect — brief enough for younger readers to grasp a basic understanding, but detailed enough for older readers to learn unique facts about the followers and beliefs that may not be found in the first few paragraphs of Wikipedia or covered in their world history curriculum.
Kathleen Peterson’s illustrations range from portraits of Daoists practicing religion in daily life to the wedding ceremonies of members of the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic faiths to significant temples and monuments sacred to Buddhists and Jains. Peterson brilliantly borders each illustration with meaningful symbols, words and phrases, as well as figures of each religion, including the Shinto torii, Medicine Wheels of the Lakota and Longhouse members, or “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” in Hebrew.
At the conclusion of the book is a brief section of the “Golden Rules” from some of the religions highlighted in the book, such as:
“No one of you is a believer until you desire for another that which you desire for yourself,” a teaching by Muhammad in Islam.
“Respect for all life is the foundation,” a teaching from the Iroquois leader, Deganawidah, the Great Peacemaker.
“Human nature is good only when it does not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self,” a Zoroastrian principle from Manuskihar.
Human nature is good only when it does not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self,” a Zoroastrian principle from Manuskihar.
I love this concluding portion because it subtly concludes a collection illustrating the vast differences between the religions of the world with a reminder of the common understanding of respect for one another and the earth. I see A World of Faith as a fantastic addition to a school-age library or classroom to introduce children to world religions, invite curiosity of different faiths, and build a foundation of tolerance and love for those who are different from ourselves.
