In the past, religious topics were treated with caution in children's literature. Spirituality was alluded to in "values-laden" plots such as "Little Women" and "Swiss Family Robinson," but the actual experience was subtle: The parents prayed or attended church. That was about the limit.
In recent years, two examples of fiction that openly treated religion as a theme were Cynthia Rylant's "Fine White Dust" (where a young boy meets an unscrupulous faith healer) and LouAnn Gaeddart's "Daffodils in the Snow" (the story of a pregnant girl who claims the child was immaculately conceived). The Rylant book continues to appear on recommended reading lists, but Gaeddart's book never reached a second printing. What makes the difference? Perhaps it's the topic of a virgin birth; some reviewers saw it as blasphemy, and it was highly censored.In this time of categorizing titles for certain age groups, we must be conscious of what the director of the American Library Association's Office for Creative Freedom, Judith Krug, says: "The one thing we can't do is begin to censor children or to limit their ability to have access to the ideas that they feel ready to deal with, and (that) comes earlier and earlier."
While Krug referred to all reading materials, she specifically suggested religious reading material on her list of things to be carefully censored, if at all.
There appears to be a change in the introduction of religion to young readers; for example, Elaine Marie Alphin says in "Children's Writer Guide, 1996" that the number of Christian bookstores and book publishers has shown a steady increase. It is known too, that nonfiction, particularly biography, and stories adapted from the Bible and Talmud previously were limited to specialty book publishers. However, a recent look at the catalogs of national publishers shows that nearly all - not just the specialized ones - have at least one or two books under the theme of religion.
Following are a few examples of nonfiction that I found outstanding, besides those published and distributed by local distributors such as Deseret Book and Bookcraft:
ONE WORLD MANY RELIGIONS: THE WAY WE WORSHIP by Mary Pope Osborne and illustrated with photographs (Knopf) explores the history and beliefs of the world's major faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism,Confucianism and Taoism. Traditions, writings and forms of worship are outlined. Particularly interesting is the abundance
of color photos and the holiday rituals, which are uniquely portrayed. The book has a glossary, selected bibliography and regional map of the six religions, followed by a timeline from 2000 B.C. to A.D. 2000.
A companion to this is GREAT LIVES: WORLD RELIGIONS by William Jay Jacobs (Atheneum), which highlights religious leaders who have made an impact on recorded history, such as Jesus Christ, Mohammed and leaders of Protestant and American religions. There is also a short chapter about Joseph Smith. However, the article is taken from two biased references by Fawn Brodie and Donna Hill.. But the book as a whole is worthwhile and concludes with an editorial suggesting religious harmony throughout the world and further reading lists.
In consultation with educators, scholars and religious advisers, Selina Hastings has adapted four stories from the Bible that adhere to the high quality of her publisher, Dorling Kindersley. "The Birth of Jesus," "David and Goliath," "The Miracles of Jesus" and "Noah's Ark" are each 61 pages of text and full-color illustrations. These are all good introductions to the scriptures.
Three books published by Simon & Schuster are "Biblical Times," a sturdy book with a fold-out game board; "Stories from the Old Testament," illustrated with paintings from the masters; and "When the World Was Young," creation stories retold by Margaret Mayo and illustrated by Louise Brierley. All of these are great additions to religious studies.
While "The Good Night Blessing Book" by award-winning Nancy Willard (Blue Sky Press) has received rave reviews, it is not a favorite of mine, but "A Family Treasury of Prayers" (Simon & Schuster) is. This small collection includes 50 prayers with religious paintings from the world's great art museums. What a great gift for someone who needs a creative and spiritual boost!
Marilou Sorensen is professor emerita of education at the University of Utah.