Children's books about peace ✌️

Notes From the Reading Nook: January 2

Happy New Year, you delightful speck of stardust.

I hope this message finds you ready to hit reset, to begin again, but if not, know that it’s all arbitrary — you can start over, declare a new year, set new intentions, wipe the slate clean at any time, any day of the year. I think there is magic in releasing, in choosing to go forward with open hands, but that has nothing whatsoever to do with January 1st, and the power is always — always, always, always — in the present moment. (And: you are the ultimate magic.)

Onwards.

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• The Moon Ribbon and Other Tales by Jane Yolen

• Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 2 by Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli

• Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

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Mini issue + micro review

As I was planning out some early 2024 content for this newsletter, it occurred to me: what better way to kick off a new year, especially in these times, than with a mini issue focusing on peace?

I have also found, over time, that my desire to share the idea of peace with my children has been repeatedly stymied by my inability to explain it adequately. Enter, of course, picture books.

(As always, I cannot and do not know of every book ever, so if you have additions, please let us know in the comments.)

• Let There Be Peace: Prayers From Around the World by Jeremy Brooks

• The Big Book of Peace ed. by Ann Durell and Marilyn Sachs

• All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon (I reviewed this in issue No. 11)

• Peace by Wendy Anderson Halperin

• Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts by Anna Grossnickle Hines (poetry)

• Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz

• A Little Peace by Barbara Kerley

• Peace is an Offering by Annette LeBox (issue No. 37)

• Peace Tales by Margaret Read MacDonald

• World Pizza by Cece Meng

• The Peace Book by Todd Parr

• Palie Pastrami Achieves World Peace by James Proimos

• What Does Peace Feel Like? by Vladimir Radunsky

• A Bowl Full of Peace: A True Story by Caren Stelson

• Peace Train by Cat Stevens (a singing book)

• The Forgiveness Garden by Lauren Thompson

• The Laughing River: A Folktale for Peace by Elizabeth H. Vega

• I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness by Susan Verde

Biographies about peace

• Malala Yousafzai: Warrior With Words by Karen Leggett Abouraya

• Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli

• Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson

• One Peace: True Stories of Young Activists by Janet Wilson

• Wangari’s Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter

• Peaceful Heroes by Jonah Winter

• Paths to Peace: People Who Changed the World by Jane Breskin Zalben

Do you and your family have any favorite books about peace? Tell us about them!

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Micro review: Peace by Baptiste Paul and Miranda Paul, illustrated by Estelí Meza (2024)

I received a copy of this book from NorthSouth Books — opinions are my own.

This is a straightforward, rhyming concept book, but don’t let its simplicity fool you: it’s a lovely and clear explanation of the esoteric concept of “peace” for toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary kiddos.

Meza’s soft digital illustrations show children in various situations, beautifully defined by Baptiste and Miranda Paul’s poetic exploration of peace, which ranges from saying hello and smiling, to pronouncing someone’s name correctly, to apologizing, to giving more than you take.

My favorite part about this title is its emphasis on actions big and small, with a focus on us as individuals — the idea that we can each, even as only one person, let peace begin with us. (Can I get an amen?)

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Read good books and take good care 😘
Sarah

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