What is God?

January 30, 1990
In a world increasingly torn by religious strife, the laudable motive behind this book is to try and answer the question ``What is God?'' and to give children a sense of universal brotherhood by celebrating similarities in differing religions. Boritzer starts off well, explaining some of the historical concepts of God, what the word religion means and how different religious groups worship. The book is at its best when talking about these concrete subjects. It's when the author starts drawing conclusions and forming definitions that he may get into trouble. In an attempt to tie the concepts together, Boritzer writes: ``God is everything great and small! . . . If everything is God, God is the last leaf on a tree . . . God is an elephant crashing through the jungle . . . God is the hot wind in the desert,'' etc. This may be construed as pantheistic, and Boritzer risks foisting his own beliefs on readers. Overall, this is an intriguing idea. Marantz's daring, highly stylized illustrations are full of character, and they pick up on many of the text's nuances. All ages.