Gr 1-3-This slender collection of prayers and quotes is the latest from prolific author Demi. The book opens with three spreads on Christianity, followed by two spreads each for Judaism and Islam, one each for Hinduism and Buddhism, and single pages for Taoism, Shintoism, the American Plains Indians, and Central Africa. The work ends with a psalm that pleads for unity among nations, and notes on prayers and illustrations. As always, Demi's drawings are charming and engaging, and the prose style is simple and sweet. However, the title's organization is confusing. Some headings refer to religions, while some do not. Plains Indians, for example, are a set of nations, not a religious group. Central Africa is not a nation or even a set of nations united by a religion. Item placement is questionable, attribution is nearly random, and the content is suspect. For example, Psalm 23 is placed among the Christian prayers, and while it's true that it is popular among Christians, it originally comes from the Hebrew Bible, but this is not made clear. The attribution for the Hail Mary simply lists its Latin name, Ave Maria, without identifying the prayer as Roman Catholic. In the pages dedicated to Judaism, the Shema is correctly attributed but poorly transcribed. Not all of the items are even prayers; some are simply words of wisdom or advice. End notes add some detail but not much clarity, and they reinforce overgeneralizations regarding cultural and religious groups. VERDICT This is neither an accurate introduction to world religions nor a reliable source for traditional prayers.-Sheri Reda, Wilmette Public Library, IL © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This collection of short prayers from different religions around the world is presented with intricate illustrations showing related settings and people.Over her extensive career, author/illustrator Demi has profiled many individual religious leaders in well-received biographies for children. With this collection, she introduces groups of short, often well-known prayers representative of many of the world's major religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Single prayers are included from Taoism, Shintoism, the Lakota people, and the Luba people of central Africa. The illustration for each prayer includes a group of representative humans, such as Buddhist monks and children praying at a Buddhist temple or a group of Jews praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Demi's highly detailed illustrations with signature touches of gold are intriguing and well-researched, including people of many ethnicities and ages. An introduction from the author details her inclusive view of the common threads that underlie all these different religious traditions as well as her goal of fostering "tolerance and respect" through the combination of her choice of prayers and visual interpretations. Two concluding pages give specific notes on the prayers and on related illustrations. A visually pleasing collection with appeal for those families who wish to introduce a universal approach to religious education, suitable for the religion section in larger libraries. (Picture book/religion. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Most books of prayers for children, if not coming from a specific religion, draw on the universality of prayer for its content: thanks for food, shelter, protection, and so on. This book is more sectarian, with content divided by religion. There are several prayers each from Christian, Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu traditions, and one each from Taoism, Shintoism, American Plains Indians, and Central Africa. These prayers mostly come from holy books and scriptures, though a few come from folk traditions. Oddly, in the Christianity section is Psalm 23, which begins, The Lord is my shepherd. Though certainly a prayer used by Christians, it is found in the Jewish Bible and is ascribed to David. Jewish readers may feel uncomfortable to see its placement and the accompanying illustration of (as the Notes on the Illustrations say) a Christ depicted with arms outstretched to welcome all to the good news of the gospel. The book is illustrated in Demi's familiar, diminutive art, though sometimes with less detail and definition. A good choice for libraries wanting to enlarge prayer shelves.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2017 Booklist