Who Believes What?: Exploring the World's Major Religions

by Wills, Nora Tomm (Illustrator)

Overview

In today’s multicultural cities and interconnected world, understanding different belief systems can help kids appreciate the differences of people they see every day, or people who live on the other side of the globe. This book introduces readers to the five major world religions by population: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism.



Each mini-section opens with a fully illustrated spread representing one religion. Designed in a search-and-find style, the illustrated spreads are busy, bright, and jam-packed with details that show people worshipping among symbolic places, rituals, and objects. A text spread follows, pulling out details from the illustrated page and providing further information about the history, festivals, places of worship, celebrations, religious leaders, and gods of each religion.



Front matter gives broader overall context about religion and each featured belief system, making this a comprehensive go-to resource for introducing religion and global cultures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771473330
Publisher:	Owlkids Books
Publication date:	09/14/2018
Edition description:	Translatio
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	626,673
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 12.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

ANNA WILLS studied communication design in Germany. She now lives in Berlin with her daughter, where she works as a freelance graphic artist for television.

NORA TOMM studied illustration and graphic design in Germany and Spain. She now lives in Berlin with her son, where she works as a freelance illustrator.

Editorial Reviews

11/19/2018
In a frank, lively, and informative guide to the world’s religions, Wills and Tomm explore the central tenets of Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. For each faith, the text covers its history, origins, and system of belief, and accompanying vibrant, wordless pages are busily filled with the religion’s iconic structures, symbolic objects, and practitioners in moments of worship or celebration. Spreads that resemble flowcharts identify many of the items from the illustrations, describing their significance within each faith (and offering a fun seek-and-find element): “In Buddhism, the dragon possesses special powers and stands for rebirth, change, and renewal.” It’s a hearty celebration of belief and tradition around the globe. Ages 7–10. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"A good addition to shelves in school and public libraries, both for the completion of classroom or church school assignments or for personal enrichment."

Canadian Review of Materials

2018-06-25
Words and extensive illustrations describe the beliefs, practices and customs of the followers of five major world religions. People use religion, Wills writes in this German import, to find answers to "life's big questions." While "Rituals and community provide everyday life with structure and give people support through difficult times," belief is personal, and the freedom to choose whether to believe and what to believe is paramount. From the perspective of an effort to understand one another, the text delves into Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. For each religion, a summary describes the major tenets of faith, the sources of the faith's teachings, and some major lifestyle practices and rules. Next, a full double-page spread of colorful illustrations offers scenes from daily life for followers of that faith, including rituals such as weddings, worship, and funerals. Finally, isolated images from the art are described in sentences or short paragraphs. The spreads identify regional specifics, such as the Ganges River, the Temple Mount, and the Great Mosque of Djenné, and represent practices across different cultures. The elaborate illustrations are reminiscent of seek-and-find books and provide much content for young eyes to pore over. Eventually, curiosity about what the people are doing will lead slightly older readers to explore the busy pages of explanations, where difficult subjects such as conflict over holy sites in Jerusalem are handled with care. The focus on the actual practices of the faithful makes this volume a valuable key to understanding our world. A rich and inviting celebration of the human search for meaning. (Nonfiction. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews

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