Peace
Title: Peace
Author: Wendy Anderson Halperin
Illustrator(s): Wendy Anderson Halperin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Atheneum Books for Young Readers
ISBN#:978-0-689-82552-1
Audience: Ages 4 and up
Summary: This book explores how we can achieve peace in the world. It suggests that all aspects of our world (our hearts, homes, neighborhoods, schools, cities, countries) are so interrelated that only when we all act as peacemakers can we make peace happen. Ending with an Apache blessing, the book celebrates various cultures and viewpoints while entreating readers through words and illustrations to work together on this common goal.
Literary elements at work in Story: The beautiful illustrations will appeal to many age groups. There is so much to see on each page! Quotations from a variety of political and religious leaders, educators, writers, etc. work to teach children different perspectives as to how to achieve a peaceful world.
How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story?: The story shows, in illustrations and words, how our world is interrelated and richly diverse. Many cultures, ethnicities, races, and ages are represented. The book thus achieves, textually, what it promotes: peaceful and beautiful integration of differences.
Theological conversation partners: The world is rich and diverse, a wonderful mix of God’s children and their varying ways of living. Through examining ourselves and our world, and by setting a common goal of achieving peace, we can be better neighbors to each other, and better stewards of our environment. The book uses language from many faith backgrounds, but readers can apply the book’s themes to Christian discipleship.
Faith Talk Questions:
- What does a peaceful world look like? Which illustration do you think best shows a peaceful world?
- Which illustration best shows why we don’t have a peaceful world?
- What does the phrase “Blessed are the peacemakers” mean?
- Draw your own picture of a peacemaker.
This review is written by Union Presbyterian Seminary Alum Anne Rankowitz
Peace by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
