Reading Partners Featured Books
Children Just Like Me - Book
by Barnabas and Anabel Kindersley in association with UNICEF
Tadesse from Ethiopia, Suchart from Thailand, Celina from Brazil...each of these children has hopes and fears, dreams and beliefs. Their cultures are different, yet in many ways their daily lives are very similar, as are their hopes for the future and their ways of looking at the world.
We Are All Born Free
We Are All Born Free features the work of acclaimed artists and illustrators John Burningham, Korky Paul, Polly Dunbar, Satoshi Kitamura, Jane Ray and Axel Scheffler. Each artist offers a personal interpretation of one of the 30 Articles of the UDHR (The Universal Declaration of Human Rights), making them easy to understand and accessible to young readers and their families.
The Story of Ferdinand
by Munro Leaf
What else can be said about the fabulous Ferdinand? Published more than 50 years ago (and one of the bestselling children's books of all time), this simple story of peace and contentment has withstood the test of many generations. Ferdinand is a little bull who much prefers sitting quietly under a cork tree-- just smelling the flowers--to jumping around, snorting, and butting heads with other bulls. This cow is no coward--he simply has his pacifist priorities clear. As Ferdinand grows big and strong, his temperament remains mellow, until the day he meets with the wrong end of a bee. In a show of bovine irony, the one day Ferdinand is most definitely not sitting quietly under the cork tree (due to a frightful sting), is the selfsame day that five men come to choose the "biggest, fastest, roughest bull" for the bullfights in Madrid.
Ferdinand's day in the arena gives readers not only an education in the historical tradition of bullfighting, but also a lesson in nonviolent tranquility. Robert Lawson's black-and-white drawings are evocative and detailed, with especially sweet renditions of Ferdinand, the serene bull hero. The Story of Ferdinand closes with one of the happiest endings in the history of happy endings--readers of all ages will drift off to a peaceful sleep, dreaming of sweet-smelling flowers and contented cows.
Peace Tales
by Margaret Read Macdonald
MacDonald's collection of folktales, proverbs and fables from diverse cultures is meant to encourage youngsters to think and talk about how certain actions have peaceful consequences, while others lead to conflict. The importance of patience, understanding and working together is the common theme connecting the selections, which include Zen tales, Japanese and Polynesian legends, Mexican fables and Native American stories. The pieces range widely in length and complexity, from rambling legends that youngsters will need help deciphering, to pithy statements whose message is crystal clear ("All the world smiles in the same language"). Though the relevance of some of the more sophisticated entries may elude young readers, this is a well-intentioned, commendable compilation.
Martins Big Words
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tell the life story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in simple words and luminous pictures. It also introduces children to Dr. King's teachings about nonviolence. Throughout the book, key words from Dr. King's teachings appear as part of the art. At the beginning of the story, young Martin is reading a "White Only" sign in his hometown. Martin grows up, becomes a preacher and studies the writing of Mahatma Gandhi. He puts his ideas into practice at the Montgomery bus boycott and other civil rights demonstrations. He speaks to the nation, and more and more people listen to him. The book ends with some of the "big words" for which Dr. King is remembered: peace, love, freedom, together and dream.
Trouble Talk
Maya’s new friend Bailey loves to talk, and everything—including everyone—is fair game. But when Bailey gives hurtful advice, shares others’ information, and spreads harmful rumors, Maya realizes that Bailey is not the kind of friend she needs. And Bailey learns that, in her efforts to establish connection and gain attention, “trouble talk” doesn’t win her lasting friendships.
The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth
What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? The Three Questions is a story about a boy named Nikolai who wants to be the best person he can be, but he is not sure exactly how he would do to accomplish that. He asks some of his friends about it but their answers do not satisfy him. He decides to visit Leo, a wise turtle who lives far up in the mountains. When he gets to Leo he helps the turtle tend his garden, which is difficult for the turtle to do by himself now. A storm blows in and Nikolai saves an injured panda bear from the storm and rescues the panda’s baby a little later. As all of this settles out, the turtle is able to show Nikolai how he has answered the questions for himself.
Peace Begins with You by Katherine Scholes
"Peace is not a gap between times of fighting, or a space where nothing is happening. Peace is something that lives, grows, spreads - and needs to be looked after." This accessible text explains the concept of peace, why conflicts occur, and how they can be avoided or resolved in positive, peaceful ways. The author skillfully addresses peace-keeping on many levels, from personal to global.
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Lonnie Collins Motion has just started a new year at school with a new teacher. The new teacher isn’t supportive of Lonnie’s desire to write poems but he doesn’t let that stop him. He spends his time writing to his sister, who lives in a foster home away from Lonnie. He covers the gamut of his life: making and keeping friends, doing well in school, the ability to keep going despite the deaths of their parents. Lonnie develops a friendship with his foster mother’s son, who comes home from war injured and extremely angry. Their general sadness gives them common ground. Lonnie begins to understand that family can mean a lot of things and a person can have more than one family.
Learn more about Peace, Locomotion
Crow Boy by Taro Yashima
Published in 1955, not too long after World War II, Crow Boy is the story about a Japanese boy who struggles for acceptance, wanting to find someone who understands him. After years of being ignored, a man comes into his life who makes all the difference. It is a story about people’s willingness to open themselves up to someone or something different without prejudging them. It suggests that to accept, enjoy, embrace and respect all that makes up an individual gives us more joy than we can know.
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When I Grow Up, I Will Win the Nobel Peace Prize by Isabel Pin
The boy in this book is having trouble admitting – much less closing – the large gap between his aspirations and his everyday actions. This boy knows that when he’s older he will love his neighbor, but for now he’s all too happy to pick on his sister. This boy even knows that one day he will be given the Nobel Peace Prize: for standing up to bullies, helping the poor, protecting animals and the environment – for all his good deeds. But with his bold claims continually contrasted by pictures that tell a very different story, even this boy eventually has to admit it’s time to stop boasting and take the first step.
With cheeky artwork that offers a great big reality check to the high-minded protagonist, this book uses humor to underscore the importance – and the difficulty – of trying to live up to our own ideals.
Learn more about "When I Grow Up, I Will Win the Nobel Peace Prize" and Men as Peacemakers' Reading Partner program.
The Peace Book by Todd Parr
"The Peace Book" is a timely explanation of the term for young readers living in a sometimes uneasy world. In the neon-hued, cartoon landscape, peace can be anything from "keeping the water blue for all the fish" to "wearing different clothes" (the picture shows two girls, one in funky bellbottoms, the other in a traditional burqa) to "having enough pizza in the world for everyone."
Learn more about "The Peace Book" and Men as Peacemakers' Reading Partner program.
Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz.
Katz takes readers on a bright and colorful journey around the globe to meet some of the children and learn about the many ways to say peace! Karen Katz’s bright and childlike illustrations are the perfect way to introduce the very young to the concept of peace and teach them how to say the word in twenty-two different languages.
Learn more about "Can You Say Peace?" and Men as Peacemakers' Reading Partner program.
The Peace Bell by Margi Preus
"The Peace Bell" is a picture book celebrating peace between nations based on the true story of the American-Japanese Friendship Bell.
Learn more about "The Peace Bell" and Men as Peacemakers' Reading Partner program.