These compelling tales from the lives of the great spiritual leaders help children to share in the heritage of world history. Twenty informative texts give a vivid account of each inspirational figure at a particular moment in his or her life: the reader witnesses the struggles and triumphs of people whose leadership and faith inspired their followers. The lives described here span over three thousand years of human history, from Moses and Buddha to Mother Teresa and the current Dalai Lama, from ancient Egypt to contemporary America. All the major world religions are introduced and brought to life: Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism and Hinduism, Confucianism, Baha i, and Taoism, as well as traditional North American beliefs.