Freedom of Religion by Mary Louise Sanchez

According to a statement by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of current law on religion in the public schools, "students may be taught about religion, but public schools may not teach religion."

Thus, our government gives us the right to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. However, we don't see many current children's fiction books where religion plays a central part in the lives of the characters.

These are some fiction books where religion or at least spiritual thoughts and feelings play a role. 

 I appreciate the fact that people in the children's book world are embracing diversity and for me, some of that diversity involves religion. In my soon-to-be published middle grade historical fiction novel, The Wind Called My Name, religion is a part of the characters' lives and culture. My book is loosely based on the lives of both sides of my family whose ancestors were Hispanic colonists during the 16th and 17th centuries to present day New Mexico. They came to this land for gold, glory, and God. 

In my story, the Sandoval family moves from northern New Mexico during the Great Depression, and brings their Hispanic and Catholic religious identity with them to the small southern Wyoming town. Thus, they decorate their home with their various, familiar santos and crosses.

Santo Nino de Atocha

They pray before meals and Margarita invokes the saints to help her family when her father and brother's railroad jobs are not secure. Even though there is no Catholic church in the town, the family has a makeshift altar where Abuelita spends much of her time praying the rosary.

The family's conversations reference their religious traditions too. In one scene where the family is finally reunited, the seven-year-old son, Ernesto, remarks how the meal they are sharing is a Good Saturday.

La Sagrada Familia

Perhaps he thinks this, because the family is eating torta de huevos, which is a traditional meatless New Mexican Lenten dish for Good Friday. 

Another nod to religion in my story is that each chapter is titled with the name of a saint familiar to New Mexicans.

San Isidro-Patron of Farmers

In the first chapter, the family is leaving their ancestral home and their abuelita who wants to save the land from the creditors. The saint I thought that best fit this idea was San Antonio de Padua—Invoked for Lost Items.

 I hope teachers are willing to share my book with their students so that they come away with a sense of importance religion plays in culture and traditions. As the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly said, "one's education is not complete without a study of comparative religion, or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization." 

What are some books you've read for children that show a character's religion?

The debut for The Wind Called My Name is September 18, 2018. It can be preordered now from Amazon.