Books for Kids about Religion

Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Archived Q&A and Reviews

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Books about religious traditions for a 3 year old?

 Aug 2014

My husband and I are both decidedly agnostic - I was raised largely without religion, although my family's background is Jewish and Catholic, and he was raised Protestant but left the church as a teenager. And now we have a three year old. Who asks a LOT of questions, as three year olds do. Right now, they're mostly about heaven (This Old Man is a new favorite song), which I think I can handle. But Christmas is coming...

We're currently living in a place without much religious diversity. I'd love for him to learn the stories behind different religious traditions - our own as well as others - but thanks to my upbringing, my own knowledge is pretty limited. And I don't think he'll get it outside the home. I really don't want him to see Christmas as an excuse for over the top commercialism - or even as a holiday that everybody celebrates, like they do here. I'd like him to know more about other holidays and belief systems too. And I'm hoping we can learn together through books.

Can anyone recommend some good, age-appropriate books we could read to him? Maybe there are books out there that talk about the meanings of different holidays? This is really new territory for me. I'm open to any and all suggestions, covering any religion(s). Thanks! Questioning


Got a recommendation from a rabbi for Old Turtle, which is a lovely book about spirituality delivered in a non-sectarian earthy sort of way. We like it. A bit over our four year old's head but much appreciated by this momma. We are Jewish and like much of the PJ Library offerings, but not all of them. If you don't know it, it's a free book of the month club for Jewish kids. (pjlibrary.org) sarah

''What is God?'' by Etan Boritzer is a good one. My daughter read it a lot as a young child. It talks about most of the major religions in a way that kids can understand and doesn't push any particular one.  dawnm

One book we have at home is One World, Many Religions: The Way We Worship.  It's by the author of the Magic Treehouse series. The text is probably a bit advanced for a 3 year old, but the photographs are beautiful, and it is very complete. You also might take a look at the online Unitarian Universalist curriculum called Tapestry of Faith: http://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/children/index.shtml I teach the K-1 class at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley (http://uucb.org), which has sessions on world traditions, with stories from different faith traditions, and more generally explores the wonder of the universe and teaches about compassion, ethics, justice - good stuff like that. UUDad
 

Books about religion for 5 yr old

May 2012

My daughter is 5 and we haven't really explained anything about religion (not even what is God?). I am from a Christian background, and my husband is Muslim, and we're not part of a religious community here (and not really interested in it right now). But we would like her to know about her background: the traditions, beliefs, etc. and she's starting to also be interested in understanding. I feel like books would be helpful for us to be able to frame our discussions. I was wondering if people had any suggestions of books about religion for this age? They could be comparative, discussing a bunch of religions, or just about one. I would be particularly interested in books about Islam for this age, since we have chosen to raise her in the Muslim faith (and my husband is European and wouldn't know English titles), but really any religion would be relevant because we've been talking to her about other people's religions too.

I would also be interested in books about 'living' the religion, particularly Islam -- not just what is the theology, but how one celebrates holidays, the traditions, etc. We've been reading the 'All-of-a-kind Family' books, about a Jewish family in 1912 with five girls, and I really like how it's just a nice story about a family and not purposefully teaching religion, but along the way it talks just a bit about what holidays mean and how certain holidays are celebrated by that family (after reading the story about the Succos, my daughter said she wished she was Jewish!)

I really like ''Muslim Child: Understanding Islam through Stories and Poems''. It's a book you would have to read to your daughter but might be nice during bedtime. Sultana Bookstore on San Pablo near Gilman in Berkeley has a nice selection of children's books. They are very helpful in there and you can ask many questions. If you look up ''Muslim Child'' on Amazon a lot of other books pop up and you may find some titles that you like. U.

As an introductory children's book to the concept of God and religion, I really like a book called ''What Is God?'' by Etan Boritzer, published in 1990 by Firefly Books in Canada. Zoe

Hi, I'm still trying to find my place in this world, but I found the following books very insightful as an exposure to religion and spirituality for my 6 and 7 year old:


- The Usborne Book of World Religions (World Religions (Usborne)) Sue Meredith (Author), Nicolas Hewetson (Illustrator)
- The Little Soul and the Sun: A Children's Parable Adapted from Conversations With God [Hardcover] Neale Donald Walsch (Author)
- The Little Soul and the Earth: I'm Somebody! A Children's Parable from Conversations with God [Hardcover] Neale Donald Walsch (Author) Good luck! J

Sagrada, a bookstore of 'sacred' books and small items, is located on Telegraph in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland. It's a great resource for folks wanting a friendly, non-denominational place to find religious books and gifts of many persuasions. The back left corner is all kid-oriented books. jmf

Hi, we are in a similar situation. My husband is Muslim, and I converted to Islam from Christianity. We have two small children. It is really hard to find Muslim books for little ones. We did find an ADORABLE book about Ramadan though! It is actually written by Karen Katz. It's very sweet and shows the traditions around celebrating Ramadan with beautiful illustrations. It's called My First Ramadan. We got it on amazon. Good luck! Kristina

Good children's bible?

April 2011

We are a non-religious household but our 3-year-old happens to go to a preschool affiliated with a Christian church. They've read Bible stories, including ones about Jesus for Christmas and Easter. My child is curious and would like me to read to him about Jesus at home, so I started looking for a good book of Bible stories adapted for preschoolers. I did some research on Amazon but couldn't a book that would fit these criteria:


- Stay close to the original whenever possible, I'm annoyed by renditions such as 'God made puppies and kitties'.
- Minimize violence, i.e. skip the gory details while staying true to the story. Apparently there are some kids' bible books where Jesus doesn't die on the cross at all. I'm looking for one where he dies but without the specifics about spikes through the hands etc.
- The stories should make sense, but not spell out the moral. I didn't care for the books that explicitly supplied the 'lesson' with each story, such as 'you should feel sad when you sin'.
- A short selection of the most famous bible segments will be fine, I'd rather not get a 500-page tome. I will appreciate advice from non-believers and Christians both!

There's a store on Telegraph near 51st-I can't remember the name of it at the moment, but it's on the same side of the street as Bakesale Betty and really close to Dona Tomas, across the street from Genova Deli. They'll have something there for you. The people who work there are really nice, and there's a guy there who used to be a priest or something. He's amazing at directing you to the perfect whatever for whomever. There's a whole bunch of kid books in the back, from your classic kids' bible to the 'God made puppies' thing, and they cover every type of reglious/spiritual topic. Have fun.

I didn't see your original post so I'm not sure if you gave specifics as to what you were looking for, but my kids LOVE The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones. The pictures are beautiful, and they go back to their favorite stories time and time again. And the stories are well-written and kid friendly, and not totally cheesy and dumb like some children's bibles.

Jan 2005

Does anyone have a recommendation for a really good children's bible? I am looking for a kids' bible that: is non sexist, doesn't refer to God always as a ''Him'', has nice wording and is not guilt-inducing, and that preferably has nice illustrations. We are exploring Christianity and faith, and would like to become more familiar with bible stories, but do not wish to be traumatized by them ;-) ! Is this too much to ask? Thanks for your suggestions. anon.

My husband and I have loved reading Bible stories to our 3 and a half year old daughter and have also spend a great deal of time teaching Sunday School for all ages (nursery through high school). The Bible we currently are excited about for our daughter is the ''Read with me Bible'' published by Zonderkidz. It is in the NIrV (New International readers Version) and has 106 stories in it (the familiar ones we know and love) and wonderful, full color illustrations. The language is traditional, but the stories are delightful and there is no fear, intimidation, or guilt associated with the stories. This Bible retails for $11.99 at Christian Book Distributers (1-800- 247-4784 or www.christianbook.com).

Another Bible you may want to explore is Max Lucado's ''Hermie and Friends Bible'' that is a version of the International Children's Bible. It is written in age appropriate language for children accompanied by cartoon characters (Hermie the caterpillar and Flo the fly for example) that give extra insight. This Bible retails at $24.99 and can be found at www.thomasnelson.com.

If you are looking just to familarize your child with Bible stories, you may want to rent some Veggie Tale movies from the video store. These movies do a great job of telling Bible stories in a very non-threatening, kid friendly way. One of our current favorites is ''Esther, the Girl who became Queen.'' In this movie, Esther is a scallion (or some other long green vegetable) and she saves her people (who are peas for some reason) because of her position as queen. This video goes right along with the book of Esther in the Bible, but, amazingly, in an action packed 30 minutes!

Hope that helps and good luck with your faith journey. Amy

My 10 month old daughter was christened in August and as a gift, she received the coolest bible I've ever come across for ages 4- 8...and would you believe, it meets all your criteria!!?! I only saw God referred as a ''he'' once in my skimming of the book. It's called THE RHYME BIBLE STORYBOOK by L. J. Sattgast (published by Zonderkidz)and has 38 classic stories from the bible all in verse. I think you'll be happy with this choice! Michelle

I am a consultant for Usborne books. Usborne books are a leader in educational, interactive and unique books. We have a wonderful line of children's bibles and bible stories. You could check them out on my web site at www.usborne101.com or call me for more info 510-799-0265. Melissa

I don't have a specific Bible to recommend, but I'd inquire at your local United Church of Christ (see http://ucc.org/ to search for one). These churches are committed to inclusive language (to the point of irritating me sometimes, lol).

Best of luck. Would you let us know when you find what you're looking for? I think I'd like that. Jennie

Books that introduce Buddhist ideas

Feb 2009

I'm looking for good toddler/preschooler books that introduce Buddhist ideas. (Or books for older kids, that I can use down the line.) Also looking for books on how to parent from a Buddhist perspective. Thanks for any suggestions! Dharma Mama

try ''zen tails'' you can get this series through Daedalus books www.salebooks.com daedalus books 800.395.2665 elaine

How wonderful you are looking into this. Here are some recommendations: Peaceful Piggy Meditation by Kerry Maclean and her books about Family Meditation Because Brian Hugged His Mother by David Rice, The Dalai Lama by Demi (and other books by Demi); Each Breath a Smile by Thich Nhat Hanh; A Pebble for Your Pocket by Thich Nhat Hanh; Stone Soup by Jon Muth; The Three Questions by Eric Kimmel; Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents; some of the Jataka tales. There are also several books out on parenting from a Buddhist perspective, such as Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting by Kabat-Zinn; Dharma Family Treasures: Sharing Buddhism With Children ed. by Sandy Eastoak; Zen Parenting by Costello & Haver; Momfulness by Denise Roy; My Monastery is a Minivan by Denise Roy; Momma Zen by Karen Maezen Miller. Yvonne

Parallax Press publishes books about buddhism (they do many of Thich Nat Hahn's books). They've had a few books for kids over the years, check their website. Heian Press also has a great picture book called The Pumpkin Patch: A Buddhist Parable (or something like that) which is a sweet story about compassion. Both publishers are local, and with any luck, their books are carried at local, independent bookstores. Champion of Shop Local

Wonder Garden~ A Tale of an Old Dog and a Baby Rabbit~ by Rima Fujita. My mother's best friend gave us this book when our daughter was lamost two years old...it seemeda bit old for her, but we read it to her anyway and she loved it then. She still loves it (she is 3 1/2 now). It is a beautiful book, black cover, with a bright pink interior, beautiful chalk drawings. It is based on the current Dali Lama's experience, a story recounted in Pico Iyer's biography of the current Dali Lama. It is about compassion. sara

www.parallax.org Lots of kids books about Buddhist principles. Logical Mama

we love samsara dog, which introduces the idea of reincarnation. i can't remember the author but you can find it online. karma mama

There is a nice book of Jataka (sp?) Tales that I bought at Shambhala Books years ago. It consists stories to read to children. I think it is available elsewhere. The book I really liked for myself is called ''Dharma Family Treasures: Sharing Mindfulness with Children,'' an anthology edited by Sandy Eastoak and published by North Atlantic Books of Berkeley. It was published in 1994, and I have no idea if it's still available, but you might find it online. Also, the Ngingma (sp? Institute in Berkeley had a children's program when my son, now 18, was young. I don't know if they still do, but it's worth checking out. Linda

Zen Shorts by Jon J Muth is a great book for kids. He has also written several others along these lines. buddha babies

Berkeley based Buddhist publisher Parallax Press has dedicated their imprint Plum Blossom Books to publish books on meditation and Buddhism for children and their parents. Many are based on the teachings of the Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. Great titles for the younger set are the picture books ''Each Breath A Smile'' and ''The Sun in my Belly''. For slightly older children ''A Pebble in my pocket'' is more of a chapter book and has a number of meditation practices for young people. For all titles go to www.parallax.org and find ''Children's books'' in the drop down menue under ''Browse books''. You can order directly from them or through Amazon. Hope that helps. Happy mindful parenting! Travis

check out http://www.books4yourkids.com/2009/01/cat-who-who-went-to-heaven-by-elizabeth.html there are some other book recommendations there. Marion

Bible stories for non-religious kids?

Aug 2008

Can anyone recommend a book (or books) that introduces the major stories from the bible -- Noah, Jonah, Garden of Eden, Tower of Babel, that sort of thing -- for kids age 5+ without a strong religious slant? I don't mind god being mentioned, since he's a major character in things like the Creation story, but I'm hoping to avoid a lot of religious rhetoric and rhapsodizing. We do have a nice book called ''On Noah's Ark'' by Jan Brett for younger kids, if you know that book and it gives you any idea what I'm looking for. Thanks! Separation of Church and Bedtime

I like the DK series The Children's Illustrated Bible, Selina Hastings. I have the 2004 edition. It is packed with colorful illustrations, maps, and photos, and the stories are told in one or two pages, perfect for bedtime reading. Like the other DK books (Dorling Kindersley, a British-based publisher), which I also highly recommend, this one is in style similar to a childrens' encyclopedia, in that concepts like pharoah are explained and illustrated alongside Bible stories that feature a pharoah. There is also an introduction that gives a historical account of the Bible itself for children who want to know more. There is a lot of supplemental material such as short pieces about what daily life was like, foods they ate back then, historical kings and nations, etc. Actually this would be a great book for any adult who has gaps in their knowledge about the Bible!

My dad (former minister) had a series of books illustrated by Piet Worm, and I (now definitely non-religious) liked reading them when I visited him on weekends. I suspect they're out of print, but a quick Googling of Piet Worm Old Testament Stories gave me a few leads. They were rich illustrations, and more about characters and story than indoctrination. At least, that's how I remember them. Good luck! -- Never on Sunday

Not a direct answer to your question, but found the book Parenting Beyond Belief (available at the Berkeley Public Library) to have helpful discussion of many of the issues that parents who want to raise our children to think critically face. Somewhere in there, maybe in an appendix, was a bibliography of just the sort of story books that you're looking for. Freethinking Dad

Not a story per se, but check out the book ''Parenting Beyond Belief'' which is a series of articles by agnostic & atheist parents. There are some great references in here, and you may find some books that fill what your are looking for. Stephanie

Dear Friend- Tomie dePaola has done some religious stories in the same spirit as Jan Brett. I teach Kindergarten and I have to be very careful what I am reading-a great children's author on a theme that is not preaching, just sharing the author's background. Amazon.com usually has synopses and you can see which ones might suit your needs. I know the kids LOVE dePaola so you might give him a try. Susan

We have a great book that should be right up your alley. It is The Children's Illustrated Bible from DK (Dorling Kindersley) Press. We are a totally secular family that wanted to introduce our 7 y/o to the Bible because of its importance in literature and daily life - we wanted our daughter to be familiar with the stories. It is more on the historical side than religious and has great illustrations and legends and photos typical of DK output. I HIGHLY recommend this book! Anon

These are stories on tape. I grew up in church and my father was a minister. I really do not remember reading a bible related books besides the bible but I do remember listening to stories. I literally listened to these 30 min. stories on tape every night. They were stories about sharing, cheating, lying, homework and studying and they even give history stories (I learned about Paul Revere and the midnight ride).They used to play them on Saturday mornings on one of the Christian radio stations, but not any more. To this day, I love listening to them and can't wait for my daughter to start. They sell them on Amazon, and there is an endless about to choose from, each set of CDs is about $20, but it comes with 12 different stories on each set. I really can't rave enough about these stories, they have characters (different voices) and adventures dealing with just about everything in childhood and adulthood. I sold all of my sets when I was about 15 yrs. old and regret it too thi! s day. Your child will love them... I still do!! Julie

I posted a previous description of stories to listen too rather than read, but forgot to type the most important part, the NAME of the series!! The name of the stories on CD are ''ADVENTURES IN ODYSSEY''. I also did some research and you can listen to them online for free before purchasing at...

http://www.whitsend.org/radio/
http://www.whitsend.org/vault/

Their are about 50 different collection of CDs but at the vault you can browse by lesson. (i.e. Friendship, Responsibility, Forgiveness) Enjoy!! Julie

Introducing different religious beliefs to toddler

April 2006

My husband and I are not religious, do not go to church, and are not likely to start anytime soon. My husband grew up without any religion (and is a fine individual); I grew up in a christian-ish church but consider myself religiously neutral/agnostic. I'd like to get my 2.5 year old daughter a children's bible to introduce her to the main stories - I think it's an important part of cultural literacy. However, I'd also like to introduce her to something similar for Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddism, Paganism, Shamanism, etc. Plus folklore, mythology... Are there any specific story books you can recommend? Pictures are a plus for a kid her age. Looking for books for this age and the upcoming years. Thanks! Heather

I'm the storyteller at Northbrea Community Church, and I think it's great you are interested in teaching your daughter about the stories in different world religions--it's what I do almost every Sunday at Northbrea! There are many places where you can find anthologies of stories, some from one particular religion and some from a variety of world religions. You might start looking at books from Barefoot Books--they publish wonderful theme-based anthologies with beautiful illustrations. But those might be better when your daughter is a little older. For now, since toddlers are very interested in other children, you might try a couple of DK books--there are two that come to mind right away: ''Children Just Like Me,'' and ''Children Just Like Me: Celebrations.'' The first one is more secular, but it's a nice, very visual way to show children what children look like in other parts of the world, how they dress, what they eat, what they play with. The second book introduces some of the major celebrations in other cultures and religions, including Chinese New Year, Purim in Jewish communities, Holi in India, Eid ul-Fitr that ends Ramadan in Muslim communities, and Epiphany in Christian communities. Plus there's lots more. It's probably best to stick with stories and the celebrations for very young children.

Later on, when kids have more abstract thinking capabilites you might discuss different belief systems, but it can be confusing too early. As for Bibles to introduce Judeo-Christian stories, again I'd recommend DK, this time their Children's Bible. It stays pretty close to the stories and has illustrations plus interesting geographical and archeological spot photos. Some of the stories in the Bible can be pretty confusing for a very young child, so be sure you read through the stories first and choose those that you think will be best for your daughter--you don't have to teach everything at once. I hope you enjoy reading these stories too--there are so many wonderful things in our world's religious traditions! Carolyn West

My husband and I are exactly where you are. My daughter heard the ''Noah's Ark'' song recently (i.e. It rained..and poured...for forty...days-ies days-ies..) and wanted to know the story behind the song. I found a great book, ''The Children's ILLUSTRATED BIBLE'' with stories retold by Selina Hastings, printed by DK Press (Dorling Kinderseley). If you know DK Press, they have really nice layouts and illustrations for children's books. My daughter really enjoyed the stories and they were just the right length for her 5-yr-old mind (about 1-2 pages per). I have to warn you, though, the stories open up many questions, like, Did this really happen? Is this a true story? Who is God? I wasn't as prepared to deal with those and am still looking for the book to help me with some good answers. Agnostic mom who cares about religion

hello Heather, I think children love to learn about religions of all kind and the God is something great to them--without all the difficulties and questions we come to as we grow older. I commend you on wanting to introduce you daughter to all this--it is a great opportunity to real dwell on the meaning of existence and the greatness of human life. And to really instil wonder!

I would suggest going to the Oakland main library down town (you don't have to live in Oakland to get a library card there and it is really easy to renew online to avoid late fees...). They have a pretty good religion section with all kinds of stuff--stories and pictures... And also try to browse online or at barnes and noble or boders and just look for something you like. There are some really bad (from my very educated religious perspective) children's bibles but there are also some beautiful, simply lovely books out there as well. Many children's books touch on some very deep philosophical/theological points. For beautiful Catholic Christian stuff look for Brian Wildsmith--his picture books are simply beautiful. I think he did some Old Testament stories as well. There is Tomie de Paola, Josephine Nobisso, and many other very talented artists and authors. Sagrada, the bookstore on Telegraph in Oakland has a great children's book collection--and I believe that many religions are represented there. I picted up a great picture book called ''What does God look like?'' Also, Waldorf stuff might interest you... good luck! Carmelite

If you are looking for a wide variety of great religious stuff, I'd go to Sagrada. It is a marvelous small store run by a fantastic couple. It is in Oakland near 51st and telegraph, I think....Across from the little mall where Genoa dlecatessan is. Sagrada in North Oaklans (Temescal neighborhood?) is the place where folks from my liberal catholic berkeley church go for stuff for their children and friends. But Catholic stuff is just one portion of their inventory. They have items from a wide range of spiritual practices; items from the very traditional to the very non-traditional. Also, they have a wonderful section for children. I highly recommend it. They work hard on getting multi-cultural childrens' books and they know their inventory quite well. They could probably find you a book to meet your needs. They are in the phone book. Anon Mom

Book for 7-year-old about world religions

Does anyone know of a book written for children that describes the world's religions? We have a fairly mature 7-yr old with very good reading skills whose classmates come from a variety of religious backgrounds. She frequently asks us questions we can't answer, so we'd like to find something we can read together.

At www.bibliofind.com, I found these: Parrinder, G.: World Religions. From Ancient History to the Present. ; Facts on File Publications, New York, NY, 1971. 528 pages, soft cover. Very good. Book ID:HS417. Offered for sale by Gail's Books at US$10.00 Similarly, Parrinder, G.: THE WORLD'S LIVING RELIGIONS ; Admirably thorough study. Pan 69 Pb VG 202pp ind. Please quote no: 12637 category: WORLD RELIGIONS Offered for sale by Phenomenal Books at #4.00 I have seen that book before and almost bought it -- it looked good! Apparently the seller or lister thinks so, too. I guess Parrinder in general would be a good choice. There are also several books available in new bookstores, such as Will and Ariel Durant's books. I read Will Durant's The Story of Philosophy when I was 11 and enjoyed it. The following also looked fascinating, as it includes texts from the religions themselves (note that this is an old book): Frost, S. E., Jr.: The Sacred Writings of the World's Great Religions ; New Home Library, 1943. 2nd Edition, Good-, no d/j, 8vo, 410 pp., fep removed and binding visible at that point, underlining in a few chapters, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Confucianism, Jainism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Shinto, Sikhism, Mormonism, Christian Science. Includes introductions to religion and texts., Cloth Bds, Religion Theology (UR#:MATEBASE002642) Offered for sale by No Garbage Books at US$6.95 and is also (as UR#:1710) offered for sale by REV. D. A. SCHROEDER at US$8.00 Good luck!

I saw a couple of good choices:

One in particular, the Encyclopedia of World Religons by Ellwood and Alles, seems to aimed at a Young Adult market and is fairly comprehensive. This in particular would be useful in the Bay Area, where there is such diversity.

from the Amazon review:

Nearly 500 entries cover topics from prehistoric and ancient religions, major contemporary world religions, concepts, symbols, and personages. The entries for major religions are the longest, covering two or three pages and subdivided into sections that discuss history, beliefs, practices, organizations, and significance

Another book, which looks quite lovely is: Growing Up : From Child to Adult by Anita Ganeri. It approaches religons from the standpoint of their coming of age rituals This one is aimed at 4-8 year olds.

One World, Many Religions : The Way We Worship by Mary Pope Osborne. This one focuses on six religons, but is written for 9-12 year olds.

And, if you want to focus on the stories that people of faith use: Sacred Myths : Stories of World Religions by Marilyn McFarlane looks really great. (this is also for 9-12)

I'd be very interested to know what you find particularly helpful.

Introduction to religion for 9 year old

April 2005

Re: concerned about daughter visiting very religious relatives
I haven't had to deal with this issue yet but I know it will come up in my family, too (my parents and siblings are rather fundamentalist Christians and we are raising our son as a fairly secular Jew - fun for all). One of the books people recommended to me might be a good starting place for your 9-yo - it's called ''What is God?'' by Etan Boritzer and provides a non- religious, non-denominational look at the diversity in all the great beliefs and the way in which we are all connected. For ages 9-12 reading level. It won't answer all her questions, but may help give some perspective on the stuff she'll hear at Sunday School. I'm looking forward to seeing others' advice! anon

Books for kids about spirituality

April 2004

I'm wondering if anyone can recommend any books about introducing spirituality into kids' lives--for those of us who are not part of an organized religion. Any suggestions? anonymous

circle round by anne hill & diane baker andrea

Hi! I can recommend a book that I have recently recieved entitled ''Learn from the Great Teacher''. It is a fully illustrated book that tell the stories of Jesus' life and teachings It does not,however, stress a specific denomiation but instead contains stories intended to provide moral guidance and priciples in which to live by. It contains thought provoking questions throughout each story that can encourage your child to express himself/herself. For example in one story entitled ''Is it Right to Fight?'' tells the story about two disciples who got angry and asked Jesus if it is right to get revenge. The story then directs you to your Bible and after some explaination asks the question ''What should we do if someone tries to pick a fight with us?'' I don't know how old your children are but I would say that this book is meant for kids between 5-12. For younger children I would recommend ''My Book of Bible Stories'', which also contains wonderful pictures and simpler text. I have an extra copy of both if you would like one. cassie

As the monther of two wonderful young men and as the owner of Garden Gate Montessori School, I have found the book ''Nurturing Spirituality in Children'' by Peggy J. Jenkins, PH.D. to be especially helpful for my own family and others, because it follows the principle of using the concrete to illustrate the abstract, which is especially important for young children. The author uses simple concrete objects from the kitchen, etc. to illustrate many important spiritual concepts. Mimi