Every time a new children’s book arrives in the mail, particularly when it’s a multicultural children’s book, I get really excited to browse the pages. I usually can’t wait for the kids to get home on my first read, as I am so eager to absorb the words and illustrations. But no matter how much I like a book, it usually takes me months and months to review it because of the serious backlog of awesome books Meera and I have to review. Everyone Prays by Alexis York Lumbard is the exception, as the week I received the book from Wisdom Tales Press, I felt compelled to review it in order to share its message of unity with the world.
“Everyone Prays: Celebrating Faith around the World” introduces prayer to kids and shows how it’s the same ritual throughout the world, just expressed in different ways. The message is simple, without a lot of words, “Christians, Jews and Muslims all pray, and so do Hindus and Buddhists. Many others pray too like Sikhs and Jains….” It’s a book ideal for preschoolers but I used it as a tool to teach my five and seven year olds about other religions, their symbols and styles of worship. The book helps kids make the connection between their faith and other faiths as well as recognize a different type of religion they may have seen in their community. Although there is a simple description of each religion included in the final pages (and as a note, not every single religion/belief system in the world is mentioned), it is not meant as in depth introduction to different faiths. It’s a simple message to show our unity across our differences; it’s a celebration of faith around the world.
I was trying to come up with a category for this book to group it with a few other similar books, but I realized the book didn’t have a category because it is for every global citizen. Kids across beliefs can enjoy and learn from it, whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Jain, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Native American of Baha’i (I do wish the book had mentioned Baha’i as since many other faiths are mentioned), spiritual, atheist or a blend of faiths. This book is the essence of global citizenship—exactly what we’re all about at InCultureParent.
*I received a free copy of this book from Wisdom Tales Press but the decision to review it was my own. I was not compensated in any way for this review.
