

Series: What Is? Life Concepts Series
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Firefly Books; Reissue edition (September 1, 1990)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0920668895
ISBN-13: 978-0920668894
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.1 x 10 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #615,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #42 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Philosophy #4636 in Books > Children's Books > Religions #149953 in Books > Reference
Age Range: 6 - 12 years
Grade Level: 1 - 7

Our daughter is of the age to wonder why. And because the God Question is about the thorniest we expect to face, we have been looking for a Good Explanation.I started by relying on personal knowledge. Since I was old enough to question, I've been reading about religion and spirituality. You name it, I've probably read the basic texts. And, by profession, I sort of know how to tell a story.So on Easter Sunday, when the little one asked about the egg roll, I saw an opportunity to explain about a more significant roll --- the rolling of the rock from Jesus' tomb.Two sentences in, she walked away.And I got it. Talking about God is like teaching a kid to swim. It's not a job for every parent; it's surely not advised for those parents who are, like us, still searching. So we started looking for a book.And now we have one.When the time comes, "What is God?" will be our First Responder.It is short (32 pages), with a lovely water-color on the left hand page of each spread and three or four short paragraphs on the right.It could not be more straightforward. On Page 1:Maybe we can't really talk about GodBecause maybe we can't see GodOr maybe we can't hear GodOr even taste or smell or touch GodMaybe we can only feel GodLike we can feel loveOr like we feel happy or sad.From there, Etan Boritzer takes us back, to a brief history of belief, focusing on the image of God as "an old man, with a long white beard." Next time you're on an airplane, he suggests, look at the clouds: "You won't see that God there/Because no one has ever seen that God!"Maybe, he proposes next, God is an "eternal mystery.
Over the years, people have asked me what books I recommend for children on the subject of God and religion, even requesting that I myself write children's books. Although I have read several good books on the subject over the years, other than "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" I have not been able to come up with any at the spur of the moment. That inspiring book, however, is not specifically about God and religion, and is also geared for an older audience.For younger children, even as young as those who can understand full sentences, "What is God?" by Etan Boritzer is without a doubt the best children's book on the subject of God and religion that I have read to date. As is appropriate for young children, "What is God?" contains marvelously attractive illustrations by Robbie Marantz that may hold the attention of the wandering mind which is still too young to understand some of the heady but accessible concepts provided by Boritzer's fabulously inclusive text. The book is simply appealing from cover to cover, and the best surprise is that it is not at all preachy and would be useful for even the most ardent unbeliever to teach his or her children about what other people believe about God.This book is so great, in fact, that I believe reading it to all the world's children would have an enormous impact on ending religious strife globally. "What is God?" does not teach children what to believe. It is not threatening to any parents, except for those who think that informing their children about other people's beliefs will somehow "poison" their minds. This book simply and matter-of-factly recites a wide variety of beliefs from around the world, including the simplistic and childish concept that God is an old man with a long white beard who lives in the sky.
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