A new textbook for children aged between 5 and 7 has recently been published in Wales.

Christine Abbas, a member of Blaenau Gwent SACRE (Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education), wrote the book to answer the need for more materials on the Bahá’í Faith for use in schools. Bahá’u’lláh, as the title implies, is a short introduction to the life of the founder of the Bahá’í faith. It also includes a brief introduction to the Bahá’í faith for teachers.

The impetus for the book came from the Religious Education Adviser for Blaenau Gwent who asked Mrs Abbas about what materials were available. Although many Bahá’í books have been published for children, they are not generally in a format that makes them useable in the classroom. ‘The story depicts the main events in the life of Bahá’u’lláh,’ wrote RE News in the Autumn 2004 issue, ‘together with a simple summary of his teaching, and a link between the life and values of the founder and the Bahá’í communities living around the world today.

Malcolm Lee, a member of the Bahá’í community of Bedford provided the story with pictures in the style of Persian miniatures, showing children the way of life in a different culture more than a century ago. A second volume, about Bahá’u’lláh’s Prophet-Herald, the Báb is already in preparation.

CA