Talking to God: Prayers for Children from the World's Religions

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.