Many centuries ago, in a kingdom in the foothills of the Himalayan
mountains, a miraculous child was born to the king and queen. The young
prince, Siddhartha, was raised in the greatest luxury, sheltered from
all pain and ugliness. But one day Siddhartha left the palace and saw,
for the first time, human suffering and death. He knew then that he must
relinquish everything - his family, his wealth, his position - to
discover the Truth of life and death. With only a few humble
possessions, he began a remarkable spiritual journey that ended many
years later under a bodhi tree. There he finally discovered the Truth
and became an Enlightened One, a Buddha. The Buddha taught the Truth and
the path to inner peace for forty-five years, attracting thousands of
disciples. Today millions of people around the world live by his
teachings.
Muhammad is the messenger of Islam. Born in Mecca in the year 570,
Muhammad grew into a sensitive and thoughtful man who believed deeply in
the worship of one true god. In his fortieth year, Muhammad experienced
a revelation from the angel Gabriel that he, Muhammad, was the
messenger of God. Over the next twenty-three years, he received many
such revelations, all of which were written down by scribes at the time
of revelation to become the Koran, the sacred scripture of Islam, a
religion that is practiced by nearly one-quarter of the world's
population and holds as its most sacred tenet that there is no god but
God.
Presented in the language of the New Testament from the King James
Version of the Bible, this inspirational picture book biography takes
readers from Gabriel's announcement to the Virgin Mary to Jesus's
crucifixion.
Chronicles the life and travels of Zheng He, the Chinese naval commander
of the Ming dynasty who led the world's largest fleet of ships and
brought peaceful trade to Asia and Africa.
Many people say Marco Polo was the greatest explorer that ever lived,
traveling 33, miles by land and sea from Venice, Italy, to modern-day
Beijing, China. His famous book, The Travels of Marco Polo, indicates
that he was a man of extraordinary bravery, brilliance, and strength.
With his uncle and father, he traveled across Turkey, Armenia, the
Middle East, the rugged mountains of Afghanistan, and the hot Taklimakan
Desert before finally reaching China in 1275. Welcomed by the great
emperor Kublai Khan, Marco Polo was amazed by the inventions, riches,
and religious tolerance of the great Khan's kingdom, where Marco
remained for the next 2 years.
Portrays Columbus as a
great navigator and explorer, but she also provides a balanced view of
his accomplishments, describing his enslavement of the native Taino
Indians of Central America and his mismanagement of the colonies that he
established in the Indies.
This thoughtful and thought-provoking book opens with a biography of Lao
Tzu, the mysterious philosopher who is said to have been born at the
age of eighty-one with snow-white hair, the ability to walk and talk,
and unparalleled wisdom. Many credit him with creating the Tao Te Ching,
which was written for the good of all humankind. On topics
ranging from silence to moderation, from governing to the balance of
earth and heaven, these passages carry a powerful message and are sure
to give each and every reader something new to consider.
After thirty-two centuries of lying hidden in the Egyptian Valley of the
Kings, King Tutankhamun's sacred, royal tomb was discovered by a
British archaeologist, and Tut's story became known throughout the
world. Demi sets King Tutankhamun's life in the context of the religious
beliefs of his ancestors. Born to a pharoah who had the revolutionary
idea that all of Egypt must worship only one god, Tut ascended the
throne and restored religious freedom to the Upper and Lower kingdoms.
He allowed his subjects to worship either the one god, Aten, of his
father or the many shapes and forms of the sun god, Amun, whom they had
worshiped since ancient times.
The life of a major figure in France's history who is now one of its patron saints.
Traces the life of the warrior king of Macedonia who conquered and united the known world of his time.
As a boy, Genghis Khan inherited
the role of leader after his father's death. As a man, he earned it--by
fiercely protecting his people, no matter the cost, and be demanding
total loyalty from those he led. His is a story of courage and survival,
sacrifice and death. The boy who became the great Genghis Khan would
take his people from the brink of survival to near-world domination--and
lead the largest empire ever created in the lifetime of one man.
From his very first day of life, when he rises from his bath to pray to
God, it is clear that Nicholas is a miraculous child with a spiritual
destiny. As he grows he is deeply saddened by the sickness, suffering,
and death that he witnesses every day. Looking to use his special gifts
to affect change in the often desperate world around him, Nicholas
dedicates his life to worshiping the Lord and helping those in need.
Through his good works, Nicholas becomes the youngest man to ever become
a bishop and the patron saint of seafarers, children, and prisoners. He
performs more than twenty miracles, including bringing those wrongly
killed back to life and going to people in need as an apparition,
providing solace and inspiration.
King Midas is a proud and foolish king who loves gold above all else. In
return for helping him one day, a satyr grants the king his dearest
wish -- all that he touches will turn to gold. For a time, the king
enjoys his gift. But then the food he puts to his mouth turns to gold so
he cannot eat. And the horse he mounts turns to gold so he cannot ride.
And everyone he touches turns to gold so he no longer has any family or
friends. He has all the gold he could ever want, but he's not at all
happy.
Sent
by the God Vishnu to aid humanity in the eighth century BCE, a young
Krishna hides among poor cowherds and uses miraculous powers to fight an
evil demon king who has overthrown the peaceful kingdom of Mathura.
The
story of a rich merchant's son who was raised to become a knight in
medieval Italy. Instead he abandoned his privileged life upon receiving a
vision from God, preaching to humans, animals, and nature itself.
