Food and Faith - Hardcover

Reuben, Susan; Pelham, Sophie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1845079868 ISBN 13: 9781845079864

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2012

Synopsis

An absorbing introduction to world religions through customs associated with food.

About this title

About the Author

Susan Reuben has been an editor since 1997. A Cambridge University graduate, she was Commissioning Editor at Frances Lincoln, then Senior Publisher at Egmont books before starting Baobab Editorial and Design with Sophie Pelham. She is co-editor of the Ultimate Book Guide series, the first of which won a Blue Peter Book Award. Susan also works as a ghostwriter and copywriter. She lives in London.
Sophie Pelham has been a graphic designer since 1992. A graduate of St Martins School of Art, she became a Senior Designer at Frances Lincoln Ltd. Since 2000 she has been working as a freelance designer and paper engineer, and in 2006 she set up Baobab Editorial and Design with Susan Reuben. She is also co-author of the innovative pop-up book Counting Creatures, published by Simon & Schuster both here and in the U.S. She lives in London.

Reviews

Gr 3-5-Six children pose as narrators to introduce food and eating practices in their particular religion, with each of their entries on a set of colored pages with attractive small photographs sprinkled among short segments of text. This British import includes Christian festivals, Jewish holy days, and Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Sikh traditions. The theme and intent are welcome attempts at developing cross-cultural understanding, but the material becomes confusing in not accounting for international differences in practice and language. Francesca's Christingle-an orange stuck with a candle and dried fruit-is interesting, but what is she going to do with it? Jacob lights candles in a Chanukiah, the special candlestick known on this side of the ocean as a menorah. Key elements of belief, observance of holy days, and related foods are briefly explained, and all the children-who are 10 or 11 years old-assist with food preparation. Cursory, simple explanations of major ideas in dietary and religious practice are likely to raise questions with some readers. What makes kosher or halal food different from other food? Why do people fast during Ramadan, and when in the year does that happen? Why are the followers of Islam called Muslims? The appealing layout of the book begins with a double-page set of introductions to each child. The concluding recipes from five of the six groups include a few ingredients unfamiliar in the United States. Though the book is simplistic, some parents, teachers, and librarians will find it useful for initiating discussion and further exploration.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Bostonα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Jacob’s Story

Food is extremely important in the Jewish religion. We have traditional dishes for each one of our festivals and strict rules about what we can and can’t eat every day. Eating together with family and friends is one of the most important parts of our culture.

Food that Jewish people are allowed to eat is called kosher food. We buy our meat from a kosher butcher and we’re not allowed to eat any meat that comes from a pig.

We’re also not allowed to eat meat and dairy products as part of the same meal. We have two sets of pans, plates and cutlery – one set for dairy meals and the other for meat meals. In my house, orange is for meat and blue is for dairy.

Our Sabbath, or Shabbat, is the most important part of the week. We rest and we do no work for a whole day. We don’t watch television or paly music either, and our house feels very peaceful. Shabbat starts on Friday night as soon as it’s dark. Mum lights two candles and says a prayer. Then a blessing is said over a cup of wine. Everyone has some wine – even the children.

Next we all go and wash our hands using a two-handled beaker kept especially for Shabbat. We say another blessing as we dry them.
Then the final blessing is said over two plaited loaves, called challahs. That’s always my job. When I’ve said the blessing, I tear off a bit of challah for each person, dip it in salt and pass it round the table, piece by piece.

Edition details

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1845079868
• ISBN 13: 9781845079864
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 48