Writing a picture book looks easy. How long can it take to write less than 500 words? Actually, it can take a really long time! For my book, it took almost two years of editing, revising, and research. Yes, the time spent to physically write down the words isn't that long, but there are hours of work behind every single word. I spent a long time researching and reading other picture books, interfaith texts, and scriptures from many different faiths. Because of this, I found some really wonderful resources that not only helped and inspired me, but that I think anyone interested in interfaith should know.
I did the research, so you don't have to! If you are looking for more books and resources, here are some of my favorites that I found:
God Lives in Glass by Robert J. Landy, Ph.D
This book uses artwork and quotes from children to present a child's eye view of the creator from all over the world. The book is filled with quotes and artwork done by children from many different faiths and nationalities. The pictures and descriptions are funny, sweet, and often poignant. Whenever I do a book presentation, I do this activity with the kids where I ask them to draw a picture of what they think God looks like. It's always an enlightening and fun exercise. This book is like being able to do that workshop on a world wide level. It reminds us that children are very much in-tune with spirituality, often more than we realize.
A refreshing take on what it means to embrace Interfaith as its own faith. This book not only provides countless philosophical insights, but its primary goal is to give practical resources and suggestions on how to create an interfaith community. Through personal experience, trial and error, and research, this book is a great building block for anyone interested in facilitating or developing interfaith programs.
World Scriptures: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts
This was actually one of the first places I went. It's a huge volume, but the layout allows you to search based on topic and shows quotes from different scriptures next to each other in the context of the topic. Part of my idea for the book was to make a sort of "world scriptures" for kids. In many cases, I started here to find sources, and then searched for the original or an updated source to find the best translation.
Princeton Theological Seminary Archives
If you really want to go down the rabbit hole, check out this extensive archive of old and sacred texts online. This is an incredible resource of texts dating back to the 1800's. Extremely interesting for any scholar, and guaranteed to consume you for at least a few hours. Click at your own risk!
Skylight Paths Publishing
You may have noticed that the first two books were published by the same company. I found this publishing house during my research. They publish religious and spiritual texts including interfaith and books for children. A list of their children's books for different age groups can be found on their website.