A Prayer for World Peace

Anthropologist and conservationist Goodall and Iranian artist Golmohammadi present a nondenominational prayer for peace and equality with emphases on the human impact on the Earth ("We pray... that we may strive to heal the hurts/ that we have inflicted on nature/ and control our greed for material/ things") and a respect for life, in whatever form it may take. Golmohammadi's collages are lush and bright, even as they depict a trail of refugees in the midst of displacement or a mother fleeing a war-torn village. Elsewhere, a chicken and bull serve as emblems of the suffering of animals everywhere as Goodall invokes scientific experimentation, cockfighting, and more. Goodall's verse avoids sentimentality or generalities, instead explicitly naming ways children are endangered: "We pray for/ the children who are starving, who/ are condemned to homelessness,/ slave labor, and prostitution, and/ especially for those forced to fight,/ to kill and torture even members/ of their own family." It's a candid and direct picture of war, poverty, and inequity, but equally emphatic about the power of hope and faith. Ages 4%E2%80%93up. (Sept.)