One Earth, One Spirit -A Child's Book of Prayers From Many Faiths and Cultures [Hardcover]

Tessa Strickland (Compiler)

Book Description

One Earth, One Spirit includes prayers from these faiths and cultures: Buddhist Christian Hindu Jewish Ojibwa Sikh Taoist Tewa Ute Zuni

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K Up. Seventeen ecumenical and often ecologically based prayers from many cultures, teamed with outstanding full-color photographs of children and landscapes. Unitarian, Russian Orthodox, Hindu, Zen Buddhist, Native Americans, Sikh, Taoist, and Jewish traditions are among the richly varied sources. Peace, reverence, and beauty are the dominant themes and are enhanced by a graceful typeface. Interestingly, the full-page picture that faces the prayer does not necessarily represent the culture from which the prayer arises, although it always represents its spirit. For example, a Tewa Pueblo prayer is illustrated by a Peruvian parent and child, a Taoist prayer by a chain of Caucasian children, and a Jewish prayer by a sea of Tibetan butterlamps. Such combinations gently reinforce the universality of the thoughts throughout. Without being sentimental, the photographs are so tender and life-affirming that they themselves are celebratory prayers. A minor criticism is that some of the pictures are repeated. Excellent notes on each prayer and its tradition are appended.?Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

All over the world, in every country and culture, people express their innermost thoughts, feelings, and hopes through prayer. When we pray, the mystery and beauty of the universe and of our own earth can comfort and uplift us, for our prayers give us a way of connecting with something greater than ourselves. The collection of prayers, compiled especially for children, brings together offerings from many cultures and religions. The prayers themselves, which read like poetry, are enhanced by beautiful photographic images of children from around the world. Together, words and pictures express a deep reverence for the earth and a spirit of oneness among all living things. A special section at the end of the book offers information on the origins and significance of each selection so that adults can help young readers toward a greater understanding of the prayers. One Earth, One Spirit celebrates our sacred bond with the earth and the creative power that pervades it. Children will be drawn again and again to the simple yet powerful prayers presented in these pages.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Sierra Club Books for Children (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871569787
• ISBN-13: 978-0871569783
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,405,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Makes a wonderful holiday gift for the family., November 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: One Earth, One Spirit -A Child's Book of Prayers From Many Faiths and Cultures (Hardcover)

My family purchased many copies of this wonderful book last year to share as Christmas gifts to out multicultural, multi-religious extended family. There is something for everyone here, child and adult, christian and nonchristian. The pictures are captivating. Our two year old son has recently taken an interest in his copy and it has become a nightly favorite. Our family highly reccomends the message and the presentation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prayers for the Earth, October 8, 2002

By 

Judith Nelson (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Earth, One Spirit -A Child's Book of Prayers From Many Faiths and Cultures (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book of prayers for the earth and all living things on the earth. The pictures are beautiful and inspiring! The book features prayers for "children" of all ages from many different faiths. This book truly shows that we are all one and we are all connected. I highly recommend this book for all ages, especially adults. Read this book to your children or purchase it for yourselves to remind you of how simple life really can be!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Prayers from Many Faiths, July 31, 2004

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Earth, One Spirit -A Child's Book of Prayers From Many Faiths and Cultures (Hardcover)

Earth teach me to forget myself
as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness
as dry fields weep with rain.
~Ute

The prayers in One Earth, One Spirit are from the following faiths and cultures: Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Ojibwa, Sikh, Taoist, Tewa Pueblo, Ute and Zuni. In every country and culture, children say prayers in order to express their innermost thoughts and to comfort themselves with beautiful words. The last few pages of this book have notes about the prayers. You can read about the Zuni prayer and how it is taken from the ancient Night Chant of the Zuni or read about the reasons for certain prayers, like how they acknowledge the interdependence of human beings.

The prayers help children to connect with something greater than themselves. The prayers can be read like poetry and you might remember a few from your own childhood. This would be a perfect book to read before bed as it presents prayers that would bring comfort to a child.

The author, Tessa Strickland, was born in England and graduated from Cambridge University. She specialized in theology and ancient philosophy.

I could see a few of these poems in a frame. My favorite picture is the little girl standing in the waves on the shore.

~The Rebecca Review