Lora Friedenthal

The text "Religions of Africa" by Lora Friedenthal and Dorothy Kavanaugh is a great informational text for children. I feel it would be especially beneficial in a classroom setting. The information is rich and organized very well. The text is broken into the role of religion in Africa, the three main religions practiced on the continent, and religious conflicts. There are also extras including a glossary, further readings, and internet resources. The extra parts in the book was a positive bonus that led me to feel that this could be a good classroom resource for older grades. Another positive with this book is the use of pictures of African citizens as well as some of their art associated with some of the religions. For example, on one of the pages there is a picture of a man belonging to the Chadian tribe wearing talismans that are believed to protect the wearer from trouble. At the same time there is a picture of Pope Benedict XVI and an African Priest and African Muslims practicing in a mosque. While the meat of this text is the three main religions, other religions, such as Judaism, are also acknowledged in extra text features. Another really helpful is that there are maps with graphic/color-coded representations of how the religions are dispersed. The writing in the book is also done well. The text is clear and easy to understand, while still using vocabulary that pushes children to use context clues. For example, when the authors talked about the spread of Christianity they wrote, "Mark is believed to have established a church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria...He was apparently martyred in A.D. 68, during a time when Christians throughout the empire were being prosecuted." The text is informative, clear, yet still challenging enough to keep the children engaged. The overall purpose of this book is to teach readers about African religions.… (plus d'informations)