Category: Peace Library Reviews

One Big Heart, A Celebration of Being More Alike, than Different

by Linsey Davis, with Beverly Davis; illustrated by Lucy Fleming
review by Carol Smith

With schools opening across the country within the month, One Big Heart combines lyrical rhymes and a whimsical art style that delivers an inspiring message of inclusion and connection within a school classroom. It is a perfect book to share with our younger readers, Pre-K- Grade 2, as it explores how we are more alike than different. 

From skin, hair and eyes in a multitude of colors, to different personalities and interests, we all have something that makes us stand out. Each of these nuances makes us unique. The book speaks to how God has created us uniquely, and we need to appreciate that uniqueness in ourselves and others. Yet, we also have special things in common as well: like sharing fun and laughter on the playground, having a sense  of curiosity, sharing big feelings, and so many other things that show how we are all more alike than we are different.

The author’s use of a rhyming text and the illustrator’s use of colorful, simple pictures are enticing to the younger reader. In that way, ”love your neighbor as thyself” is easy to understand. 

In an interview with the author, she states that the Bible verse “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Mark 12:31 KJV), is “the most essential point we can get across to our kids in this time, and in our current climate.” She goes on to say that “this book can serve as a resource enabling parents to discuss race, diversity and inclusion with their children in a safe way.” “This ugly issue is still pervasive in society,” she says. “It can’t be swept under the rug any longer.” 

 Discussion Questions and Enrichment Activities

1. One child in the story is shown crying. Look at the illustrations that show this scene. Discuss what might have made the child cry and what another child does to help.

2.  All the children have eyes and noses and feet, but what does the author feel is the  body part that matters most? Why is this part so important?

3.  In One Big Heart, the author describes a classroom where the faces “make a rainbow.” The story           highlights how each of us is unique. Have your child use construction paper and crayons to create a self -portrait that depicts the special traits he/she possesses. Make sure to provide multicultural construction paper or crayons for your child to use in creating his/her face, hair, and eye color. Additionally, your child can dictate to you what makes him or her special and unique.  

4. We all have one big heart where “kindness grows and where love gets its start.” Create a map of your child’s heart by outlining a large heart shape. Then have your child illustrate, within the outline, all of the loves that fill his/her heart. What are the most important people, places, and things to your child? Color and label the loves your child draws.

5.  In One Big Heart, the children imagine what they might like to be and do when they are older.                Have your child draw a picture and then dictate a statement about what he or she dreams of doing some day.

Biblical Connections

Discuss The Great Commandment with your child:   Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. Book of Common Prayer What is the message of the Great Commandment?

In Matthew 22:37-39 it is the second part of this commandment that Linsey Davis uses as the basis of her book:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” 

So, there are two parts to Jesus’ great commandment and they both center on LOVE: LOVE for God and LOVE for our neighbor. The two go together. Neither of these commands, by itself, is enough.

For many in the contemporary world, love for our neighbor coincides with a respect of our neighbor’s belief system or lack thereof. By this respect for our neighbor, we carry out the mission of human dignity, which, in turn, represents a love for our Lord.

In closing, John Wesley provides a wonderful description of how one might obey these great commandments: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can”.

A Day for Rememberin’
by Leah Henderson
review by Lillis Ward

A Day for Rememberin’ tells the story of the first Memorial Day celebration from the perspective of a young African American boy whose family has recently been freed following the Civil War. In this picture book written for grades 2-5, Henderson describes the little known events of the 1st Decoration Day which was specifically to honor those who died fighting in the Civil War. The African Americans who led the effort wanted to show their gratitude to the fallen Union soldiers who fought to bring freedom to their families and to end slavery once and for all. The beautifully illustrated pages of the book will capture the reader’s interest and help explain the sequence of events. Even though this is a children’s book, there is plenty to be learned for all ages about the origin of Memorial Day and how it came to be as we know it today. At the end of the book, Henderson includes actual photos from 1865 when 28 newly freed men volunteered to make a final resting place for the fallen Union soldiers. She also includes background information and a timeline of this historical era.

For Parents:
The following link gives guidance to parents about discussing the somber topic of Memorial Day with children so that they understand more about this special holiday: How to Explain Memorial Day to Kids, Plus 5 Traditions to Start

Read more:
Memorial Day Uncovered: Charleston’s ‘Martyrs of the Race Course’

Questions to discuss with your child:

• Before reading the book, ask your child, “What do you know about the holiday called Memorial Day?”
• After reading the book, brainstorm with your child some ways your family can start a tradition for Memorial Day such as flying the flag, visiting a memorial, saying a prayer of thanks, planting flowers, or attending a parade.
• Talk with your child about family members who served in the military. Look at their photos if you have them and talk about what parts of the world they served. Look at a world map to find that region of the world.

Create your own Memorial Day Prayer with your child.
God of the nations, we remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our country who gave their lives for the protection of our freedoms. We especially remember __________________. In Christ’s love, Amen

by Carole Lindstrom, author; and Michaela Goade, illustrator
review by Becky Showalter

We Are Water Protectors, written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela Goade, is a children’s book inspired by the Indigenous-led environmental protests that have been held across the United States for many years. In particular, it tells the story of a little girl taking part in the Standing Rock protests, which our own Bishop Curry took part in in 2016 and 2017.

With stunning colors and artwork, this book received the Caldecott Medal for its illustrations in 2021 — the first time an Indigenous illustrator has done so. We Are Water Protectors is a reminder that each one of us can be the hero in protecting the earth and the water that is so critical to our lives. It shines a light on environmental protests and also the ancient (and current!) role that Indigenous cultures have played in protecting the environment. For Earth Day, this may be the perfect book to initiate discussions with what it means to be an activist for our world! Keep reading for discussion topics and some craft ideas!

Possible Discussion Topics

What happened at Standing Rock (from kellysclassroomonline.com)

Environmental protests similar to the one led by the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota are the inspiration for We Are Water Protectors. In 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a plan to build an oil pipeline (Dakota Access Pipeline… also known as DAPL) from North Dakota, through South Dakota and Iowa, to Illinois. They claimed that building the pipeline would pose no threat to the environment, to communities, or to historical/cultural landmarks.

What the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to mention is that the pipeline would run directly under Lake Oahe… the primary source of water for the people living on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. They also failed to mention that the construction of the pipeline would damage culturally sacred sites on the reservation… a significant violation of the existing treaties between the people of Standing Rock and the United States government.

Later that year, the citizens of Standing Rock and their supporters gathered in protest of the broken treaties and the potential risk to their drinking water and sacred sites. This protest lasted from April 2016 to February 2017.

The Dakota Access Pipeline was completed in April 2017 and became fully operational two months later. There were at least five documented oil leaks in the pipeline in 2017 alone. More leaks and spills have occurred since then. Use the map again to find North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Lake Oahe, and the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. 

What Can We Do?

Talk about the balance between still needing fossil fuels right now and taking care of the environment. Discuss ways that the world is trying to move away from needing fossil fuels. How can our family need less fossil fuels? Have your Kids do this Carbon Footprint Calculator and find out how THEY can make a difference! How can you advocate (talk about what advocate means) for clean energy? Maybe write a letter to your congressman or Senator and ask them to help take care of the earth.

What Happens When Things Don’t Go “Right”?

Even though the Dakota Pipeline was built, do you think the little girl has stopped trying to protect the earth and her tribe? Do we have a responsibility to each other to keep trying to do the right thing? Can you think of examples in your own life?

Craft Ideas and Activities

• Water Sensory Bottle
• Coffee Filter Earth Craft with Hands (fun for all ages)
• Earth Day Coloring Pages

Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

by Mara Rockliff, author; and R.Gregory Christie, illustrator
review by Pete Crow

This tightly-written and well-illustrated book reveals a little-known dimension of the Montgomery Bus Boycott of December, 1955 through December, 1966. No doubt you have heard of the roles played by Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King. But do you know the fascinating story of Georgia Gilmore? Probably not. That’s why adults will enjoy this book as much as the kids they read it to or who read it themselves. Ms. Gilmore refused to ride the bus before Ms. Parks did, and her kitchen-turned-restaurant became a favorite meeting place and fundraiser for MLK and the boycotters. Warning: Be prepared to yearn for some old-time, home-cooked fried chicken. 

Questions to consider

Are there people in your life who do important things, like cooking or cleaning or carrying away our trash, who we don’t appreciate enough? Make a list. How can we show them they matter to us? 

Going deeper

What does segregation mean? Is there still racial segregation today? What do you think about that? 

Activity

As a family, try making one of Georgia’s recipes, Cold Oven Pound Cake

Biblical Reflections

Luke 22:7-12 

The Last Supper 

7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” 

9 “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked. 

10 He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, 11 and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 12 He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.’’ 

Once you have read this scripture about the Last Supper with your child, ask who they think prepared the meal for the last supper. How might this scripture reading be like the story of Georgia Gilmore? 

Learn more about Georgia Gilmore 

• New York Times: Overlooked No More: Georgia Gilmore, Who Fed and Funded the Montgomery Bus Boycott
• NPR: Meet The Fearless Cook Who Secretly Fed — And Funded — The Civil Rights Movement

Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins
by Carole Boston Weatherford
review by Beth Crow

YouTube Reading of this book (4:11)

Sixty-three years ago — on February 4, 1960 — African-American students staged a sit-in at a  segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, an act that began  a national movement protesting segregation. Freedom on the Menu recounts the events  of the seven-month protest, told through the perspective of an elementary-age child. 

Often we associate the Greensboro Sit-ins with only the four black college students  from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. Weatherford accurately illustrates how the support and involvement of more than 300 other college and high-school students, as well as people in the community — both at the lunch counter and outside the Woolworth’s — led to the beginning of integration throughout the country. 

Discussion Questions 

• Ask your child if they have ever really wanted something or wanted to do something  but the rules prevented them from doing it. An example might be having to be a  certain height to get on some rides at an amusement park, or not being allowed to  play a sport because of their gender. Ask them how that made them feel. Explain  how 60 years ago, and before, African American people were not allowed to go  many places white people went, even to drink from the same water fountain as white  people. If your child is old enough to understand, tell them this is called segregation  or “Jim Crow” laws. 

• Though Connie was too young to participate in the sit-ins or marches, her sister  found a way she could contribute. What did Connie do to help her sister when she  protested? 

• You might also read Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down 

Go Deeper 

• Connie’s mother told her, “Some rules need to be broken.” What did she mean?  Ask your child if he or she can think of any rules or laws they think need to change.  Discuss with your child how he or she can voice their opinions and concerns. • Ask your child what he or she might write on their protest sign. 

• Ask your child why they think Connie’s sister did not want her father to get her out of jail. 

• The Greensboro Sit-ins helped change unjust laws that had been in place for  hundreds of years, a movement involving more than 300 people, young people who  simply stood and sat in protest without any form of violence on their part. What can  we learn from their examples? (nonviolence, strength in numbers, patience, faith)

• Ask your child if they think the rules would have changed at the Woolworth’s if  it had been just one day with the four male students.  

Spiritual Reflections 

Throughout his ministry, Jesus talked about following the will of God and being discerning about the laws of man. Read the following New Testament Scriptures with your child and talk with them about God’s vision of Beloved Community. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. popularized the term Beloved Community during his lifetime of activism. Fueled by his faith that such a community is possible, he imbued it with new meaning: a community in which everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, hunger, and hate. 

by Michael Hall
review by Emily Phillips

A blue crayon is mislabeled as red. All the other crayons want him to draw things that are red  but he can’t get it right. It says red on his label so that must be right. They tell him he needs to  try harder and keep practicing but he just can’t get it right and feels bad about himself  One crayon asks him to draw water. “Red”doesn’t think he can because he’s red, it says so on  his label. But with some friendly encouragement he tries. He realizes he can draw water. He  starts to draw all kinds of blue things. He is able to be seen for who he really is “blue” no matter  what his label says.  

General thoughts

We all have labels we use to describe ourselves and others. Labels can be helpful in some  situations, but when forcing someone into a label that is not who they are it causes a lot of pain.  Trying to live life in a way that does not feel authentic to who you are is not good for anyone.  Sometimes all it takes is one person to help change the way we view ourselves and others by  “pulling off” the label.  

Discussion questions

• What are some “labels” or titles that might describe you? Child, son, daughter, brother, sister,  soccer player, student, piano player, etc.  
• Have you ever been called something that made you uncomfortable? Did you tell the person  or anyone else about this? How do you ask for help when the label you are given doesn’t feel  right? 
• Talk about how our world labels us by our skin color, such as white, brown or black.  Sometimes we are labeled by our cultures such as Native American, African American,  Hispanic. There are times, however, when people use labels to hurt others, like calling  someone fat or ugly and stupid. 
• Have you ever witnessed someone being called bad things; what did you do? 
• How can kids (and adults) help their peers when they see someone being pushed into a label  that doesn’t fit them? 
• As people of faith how can we push past labels and see each individual and their abilities as  being gifts from God with out having to confirm to a preconceived idea of who they should  be.  
• Remind your child that he or she is loved and that during their baptism they were marked as  God’s forever.

Activities with kids

• Place labels on various household items that are wrong. Talk about how calling a table a  couch does not make a good place to sit or a couch does not make a good cabinet to store  dishes.  
  • putting a label on something doesn’t actually change it or it’s abilities
• Give your child a large sheet of drawing paper and a pack of crayons. Ask this to draw on  the paper images or labels that help tell others who your child is. When finished, encourage  them to tell you about what they have drawn. 
• Print the outline of the crayon below and have your child cut the crayon out. They ask them  to turn over the imagine and on the inside rectangle write all they want to tell who they are  (drawings for younger children can been done.) Then turn the paper back over, fold the  crayon label so that the words are now covered with the label. Discuss with your child how  most of the time people don’t see who we really are until we open up and share. Point out  also, that even if others place a label on you that makes you uncomfortable, you know who  you are on the inside and that is the true you.

by William Kamkwamba
review by Becky Showalter

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is the inspiring true story of a boy in Malawi who designs and builds a windmill to power his home in famine-stricken Malawi. William Kamkwamba is forced to leave school at 11 years old because his family cannot pay his school fees.  Instead of giving up on his education, William reads every book he can in the small, donated library in his village.  It is there that he falls in love with science and comes up with the idea to help his family by building a windmill that will produce electricity – what he calls “electric wind”.  While it is very much a story of William Kamkwamba’s determination and perseverance during a terrible time, it is also introducing young readers to the idea there is great poverty and hardship in our world even still.  What I liked most about this book is that it skillfully builds a bridge from the reader to William and his village – he is a young person you can imagine knowing.  His words make you smile, and his tenacity reminds the reader that hard things are possible.  If William can do this, we can make a difference too.

Going Deeper:

How did the supplies Gilbert bought made William’s work possible at crucial points in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind? When has someone done something small for you that had a huge impact? Have you ever done that for someone else? How can we find these opportunities to help?

What obstacles to education and progress exist where you live? What can be done to address those obstacles?

What other books have you read about people who have changed the world in big or small ways?

Can you find Malawi on the map?  Can you find William’s village of Wimbe?  What is William Kamkwamba doing now?

Going Deeper in Faith:

Genesis 1:28 ESV “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””

Some scholars would translate “dominion” for “stewardship” or “being responsible for.”  The title, Harnessing the Wind, is an interesting one, isn’t it? That phrase often fits with environmental causes. Is the title an environmental message in this book? Consider how Genesis talks about God’s giving us the responsibility to care for creation. What lessons does the book have about caring for creation?

Micah 6:8 ESV “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

The Bible speaks often of people living in poverty. It also talks about simplicity. How does the villagers’ absence of electricity, telephones, or most of the modern conveniences we have to connect with biblical teachings about what is important? 

Activity Suggestions:

William and his friends were able to recycle all sorts of things to make toys, games . . . and the windmill.  Try these:

• Balloon Powered Milk Carton Car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wkU1msp6bI
• Make a soccer bag out of plastic bags https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0GQZFlO4tM&feature=youtu.be
• Gather a bunch of garbage and junk lying around the house and create anything. 

This book is all about creating something with the materials you have. Be creative! Start to save some of your garbage and when you have a good stockpile, let your kids imagination go to town.  Or go to the Scrap Exchange in Durham and let your imagination go crazy!

Learn how to play bawo (bao)

• African men playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adj562Mb03M
• Young person explaining how to playhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxTW4ss6ml8&t=2s

Make Nsima and Greens like William and his family ate

• https://honestcooking.com/six-traditional-malawian-dishes/

Buy a kit and build a Electricity Producing Windmill!  https://www.amazon.com/4M-Science-Windmill-Generator-Packaging/dp/B0016PBH9Qb

by Amy Littlesugar and Floyd Cooper
review by Stephanie Sumner

History comes alive in Freedom School, Yes! By Amy Littlesugar and Floyd Cooper in this story about a volunteer teacher who risked her life to bring education to a group of people who had been denied their civil rights.

As part of the 1964 Summer Project, nineteen-year-old Annie is taken in by the only family in Chicken Creek willing to house the white teacher. Young Jolie, is scared to have this stranger in her house and rightly so, as threats and vandalism ensure shortly after the teacher arrives. She watches Annie and her community overcome large obstacles to open Freedom School. She learns stories of people like her who changed the world and the injustices that befall those without fair skin. It lights a fire inside of her and she’s transformed from a frightened victim to a brave fighter.

Discussion Questions

• Ask your child(ren) if he or she has had children with different color skin in their classes. Ask he or her is they are treated differently because of the color of their skin.

Deeper Drive

• Why do you think some people in Mississippi didn’t want Freedom School in their
  community?
• What would you say to the people who threw the brick or burned the church if you’d had the chance?
• Describe a time you went from scared to brave? Which feeling did you like better? What sparked that change?

Spiritual Reflections

• Discuss with your child(ren) how important music was during the Civil Rights Movement and that children learned many of these songs and were encouraged to help lead groups during large gatherings. One song often sung was,.” This Little Light of Mine.”
• Play this version of “This Little Light of Mine ,” by Freedom Signers and encourage your child to sing along with the music (Click here for the lyrics.
• Discuss what might be the meaning behind these words.
• Read Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” 

Activities

• Read more about the song’s meaning
• Retell the story from Annie’s point of view. What would you have done?
• Draw a picture of Jolie in ten years.
• Make a courage jar. On strips of paper, write things you would tell a friend who was feeling afraid of something. When you need a dose of bravery, pull one out and read it to yourself.
• Learn more about the Mississippi Summer Project by watching the PBS film Freedom Summer. (Excellent documentary for background information about Freedom Summer. Go to 50:53-55:30 on the video to watch section on the Freedom Schools.)

by Kevin Henkes
review by Carol Smith

As children get ready for school, some for the very first time, this book, Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes, is a great discussion starter for families, K-3 children and teachers.

Chrysanthemum is the name given to a little girl mouse at her birth. Her parents thought it was the perfect name for their new baby. As Chrysanthemum grew, she too, loved her name. She loved the way it sounded and looked written out on paper.

She was looking forward to the day she would start kindergarten. That feeling soon changed when she was confronted with teasing and unkind remarks about her name were made by her classmates. From the length of the name, and the fact that it was a flower, to other unkind words, it made Chrysanthemum feel horrible. She wanted a shorter name and a different name. She no longer loved her name …. until the class met the new music teacher. The students loved this teacher and were surprised to learn that she also had a flower name. This discovery made things change for Chrysanthemum, and school life became much more enjoyable.

Discussion Possibilities
Talk about respect for others and how unkind teasing can hurt other people’s feelings. Discuss that when we appreciate others, everyone feels accepted and happier.
Point out that we are all different, but we all bring special ideas and uniqueness to a classroom. There is no need to tease or hurt others because of how they may look, sound, or act differently.
Help your child think of ways they could respond if a classmate is being teased. What can they do or say, and then what would they do next to help that friend.?

Scriptural Reflection
Read the following scripture with your child, with emphasis on the bold section. Discuss how God loves all people and asks that we do the same.

Romans 12:10-16
New International Version
10  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  11  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  12  Be joyful in
hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  13  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  15  Rejoice with those who
rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not beproud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. [a]  Do not be conceited.

Activities
Cut a large paper heart for your child from thinner paper. Reread the book again having your child crumple part of the heart each time Chrysanthemum’s feelings are hurt by something mean the students say or do. At the end of the story, when the heart is completely crumpled, have your child try to smooth out the wrinkles. Note how the heart looks now. Suggest it is like when someone says something mean or hurts another’s feeling and it hurts his or her heart, meaning it makes that person
feel sad.
Make paper tube binoculars. Decorate them and label them “respect seekers.” Have your child use them to watch for acts or words that show respect for others. Use them around home, while watching TV, reading another book, or in the neighborhood.