FROM THE PUBLISHER

The Islamic religion began almost 1,400 years ago in what is now Saudi Arabia. Muslim's believe that this is when the Prophet Muhammad received revelations from God. Muhammad's followers and successors soon spread the word of Islam beyond Arabia. To Muslims - the followers of Islam - their religion is a way of life, forming and guiding their entire culture and society. Islam's teachings have spread around the world and the Muslim population today numbers more than a billion people.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature

Muslims make up almost a fifth of the world's population and a growing percentage of the American population. This book, in a series that includes Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism, would be a valuable addition to a school library or classroom. Short, highlighted paragraphs fill each page, surrounded in full color by elaborate illustrations¾photographs, maps, artwork, crafts, and Arabic calligraphy. Although the text notes the Islamic restriction on painting or drawing people, there is a page of Turkish miniatures showing the life of Mohammed which many Muslims will criticize and may even find offensive. The wealth of information is presented in easily digested bites, although the pages jump rather randomly among history, faith, and culture. Women are shown in full conservative covering but also with fashionable yet modest headscarves as they hold professional positions in many Muslim countries. Historical sections cover the spread of Islam through Arabia and Asia, to the rich contributions of Islamic culture to art and science to current Muslim history in Bosnia, Palestine and Afghanistan. There is a short glossary and index, but no bibliography and no acknowledgement to any Islamic authority or expert who might have reviewed the text. 2001, McGraw-Hill Children's Publishing, $16.95. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Karen Leggett

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7-Informative if occasionally disjointed, these two books both overlap with and contain different material from titles in the "What Do We Know about-?" series (Peter Bedrick) and the "Beliefs and Cultures" series (Children's, 1996; o.p.). Both titles include historical background ranging from the religions' beginnings to the present, information on basic beliefs and practices, and overviews of both the core ethnic groups from which the religions sprang and the various other groups into which both faiths have spread. There are multiple illustrations per page in the now-familiar "Eyewitness" style (DK), which provides a great deal of visual support for the text, while necessarily limiting the size of the art. In both presentations, the point of view is that of a believer, especially in regard to the founding of each religion: occurrences that might be considered legendary or miraculous by outsiders are presented straightforwardly. Each thematic chapter features a general introductory paragraph accompanied by shorter paragraphs on various aspects of the theme, which will be useful for reports, while browsers can simply skip around as their interest is caught by one item or another. Libraries needing books on Buddhism and Islam will be well served by these titles, which are useful and attractive if not essential. Books in the "Beliefs and Cultures" series contain less information, but have the advantage of providing activities for home or classroom.-Coop Renner, Moreno Elementary School, El Paso, TX Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.