New & Noteworthy

If I Had A...Crayon

Peace is the World Smiling, from Music for Little People. A collection of peace-filled tunes for the little activists in your life. The Music for Little People choir, with help from a few grown-ups, gives songs from poets, storytellers, and musicians—Pete Seeger, Holly Near, and Sweet Honey in the Rock among them—an earnest, precious twist. www.mflp.com

Rich Witnesses

African Saints: Saints, Martyrs, and Holy People from the Continent of Africa, by Frederick Quinn. An invaluable, chock-full resource that expands—necessarily—our Western-weighted list of saints. Quinn, an Episcopal priest, looks at 90 "holy people" who've had a profound impact on Africa during the last 2,000 years; he also includes African prayers, proverbs, and wise sayings. Crossroad Publishing

Music to Read By

Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter 1 is a creative and quirky benefit CD put together by the SIBL Project, a San Francisco group that promotes adult literacy. Stirrings for the 16 songs here began with poems, plays, and books, including Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace and Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic. Musicians include the known—Bruce Springsteen and Aimee Mann—and the unknown. www.siblproject.org

Home Remedies

Practicing Your Path: A Book of Retreats for an Intentional Life, by Holly Whitcomb, is the book for those who'd like to go on retreat but just can't get beyond their own driveways. Designed for one day or one week, for individuals or groups, each retreat includes meditations, journaling or discussion questions, ideas for creating sacred space, and creative ideas for art projects. Innisfree Press, Inc.