Annotated Peace Resource List

Perpetual calendar filled with a great collection of quotes: "A pacifist believes there is always an alternative to war." -Jeannette Rankin, the lone U.S. Congress member who voted against entering WWII. "There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less." -G. K. Chesterton. "Victory can be achieved by various means. It can be gained with tanks and missiles, but I think that one wins better with truth, honesty, and logic. This is a new weapon." -Lech Walesa.

The wisdom of peace and the absurdity of fighting are demonstrated in 17 stories and poems by outstanding authors of today.

Each page of this book is brilliantly illustrated, including prayers for morning, mealtime, New Year, bedtime, etc. and a book list at the end on festivals, world religions, prayers, and blessings. Note that there are prayers from many religious traditions included (Jewish, Native American, etc.).

Seventeen stories from various places and among different faiths, of people who "overcome evil with good."

New versions of old rhymes.
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick.
Jill be nimble, jump it too; if Jack can do it, so can you.

Some work better than others, a couple are a tad didactic. (Forget it if you don't like changes made to the Mother Goose "canon"-- though change through time is part of all such folklore we have received!) One of the best parts of the book is the full-color, full-page illustrations where you can search for the characters in the poems on that spread.

"The women in this book do brave things. They fight monsters, outwit giants and save lives, yet they they have traditional feminine qualities such as patience, devotion and ompassion, and a soft spot for babies. The tales in this anthology are as diverse and varied as the women they represent. They come from all around the world and cross all cultural lines. To help readers understand the cultural context, the author has included her notes at the end of each tale expressing her personal reactions and the cultural background. I liked reading her remarks, and enjoyed the way they helped put the tales in context." --Amazon reader review.

Fiesta Femenina portrays the courage and resilience of the feminine spirit through the stories of eight extraordinary Mexican women. From a goddess whose very being is the earth we walk on in "The Hungry Goddess," to a clever female personification of the moon in "Why the Moon is Free," these stories show how the feminine spirit touches many parts of Mexican culture, from the soil to the stars. Beginning with Maya and Aztec stories, Gerson also relates folktales of Mixtec, Yaqui, and Euro-Mexican origin.

Fiesta Femenina was awarded The Aesop Prize for 2001 by the American Folklore Society (the most outstanding book incorporating folklore published in English for children and young adults, both fiction and nonfiction); was acknowledged by Parents' Choice as a Recommended Winner (of the 2000+ products submitted, less than 9% earned any level of recommendation) and received a "starred review" in the American Library Association's Booklist magazine. (Taken from Amazon reviews.)

Folktales from three cultures: West African, native American, and Appalachian. Taken from the book, Peace Tales.

Folktales from Wales, Zimbabwe, and the Marshall Islands.

Coming out of the PBS documentary "A Force More Powerful," this book has twelve chapters that detail the rich history of nonviolent movements that overthrew dictators, obstructed military invaders, and secured human rights. Sections on Russia (1905); India; Poland; the Ruhrkampf (1923); Scandinavia (WWII); El Salvador (1944); Argentina and Chile; U.S. Civil Rights; South Africa; Philippines; the Intifada (1980s); China, Eastern Europe and Mongolia. Includes maps and photographs.
The accompanying website, www.pbs.org/weta/forcemorepowerful/ , was developed to support the documentary. It also shares background information on the film and 13 specific historical examples. Discusses what constitutes nonviolent action (as well as what it is not: passive, only for saints, dependent on the good will of others...).

A number of stories, poems, and songs that demonstrate that people aren't bound by society's definitions of what they can do and who they can be.

Virginia Hamilton, who previously won a Newbery Medal and a MacArthur Foundation, tells 17 stories, drawn from a variety of sources, of pugnacious and heroic female characters in a collection that demonstrates the breadth of African-American cultural tradition. Her Stories won the 1996 Coretta Scott King Award. The heroines are strong, competent, and sometimes bigger than life, like the "coal black and tree tall" Annie Christmas. The tales in Her Stories have been crafted to blend together smoothly while remaining true to their original tone.

The book is divided into five sections: (1) Her Animal Tales, (2) Her Fairy Tales, (3) Her Supernatural, (4) Her Folkways and Legends, and (5) Her True Tales. Each section contains an average of four stories, accompanied by informative and entertaining background historical data. (Adapted from Amazon reviews.)

These volumes include a short biography and sketch of heroes/heroines, along with three different episodes from their lives (each two-three pages). After each episode there is a saying related to a value, a scripture, and some questions for you to think about together.
Fascinating glimpses into the lives of people who were taking their faith seriously.
Vol. 1: Gladys Aylward (missionary to China), William and Catherine Booth (Salvation Army founders), David Livingston, Martin Luther, Menno Simons, Mary Slessor (missionary to Calabar--southern Nigeria), William Tyndale, Harriet Tubman, and more.
Vol. 2: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Elizabeth Fry (Friend ministering in prisons), Festo Kivengere (Uganda), Eric Liddell, Watchman Nee (China), John Newton, John Perkins, Amanda Smith (African-American ministering in England, India, and the U.S.), Corrie ten Boom, David Zeisberger (minister among Native Americans), and more.
Vol. 3: Mary McLeod Bethune (African-American educator), William Bradford, George Washington Carver, Betty Greene (missionary pilot), Lottie Moon (China), Luis Palau (South America), St. Patrick, Rochunga Pudaite (India), Mother Teresa, and more.
Vol. 4: Ricky and Sherialyn Byrdsong, Ben Carson (African-American surgeon), Eliza Davis George (Liberia), C. S. Lewis, Samson Occom (Native American), Panditi Ramabai (India), Joy Ridderhof (Gospel Recordings), Romulo Saune (Peru), John and Betty Stam (China), and more.

Great storytelling of the lives of Sojourner Truth, Biddy Mason, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Ella Josephine Baker, Mary McLeod Bethune, Dorothy Irene Height, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Shirley Chisolm.

Stories of courage and nonviolence, the power of love, acts of loving service, fairness and equality, and belonging and care of the earth, from a Quaker perspective. Some fictional.

From the intro: "for the longest time boys didn't know that being a hero was more than whomping and stomping the bad guy. They didn't understand that brains trump brawn almost every time; that being smart makes the battle shorter, ... and the triumph greater....Hero is a word for winner, not whipper; for smarty, not smarty-pants; for holding on, not holding back. Hero is about being clever, learning from your mistakes, being kind and compassionate, and finding good friends. Picking up a sword doesn't make you a hero--sticking to your word does....The true heroes are the ones who solve their problems---and the problems of the world--without ever having to resort to force..." At the end, the author describes the history of each tale, along with what she added in her versions.

A dramatic collection of children's visions of peace.

Thirteen stories from around the world. They use their brains, but also brawn as well, which warrants a warning for this shalom-searching audience. The editor writes: "In it are folktales about heroes--regular sword-wielding, spear-throwing, villain-stomping, rescuing-type heroes who happen to be women...We need this book to remind ourselves that girl heroes have always been around, hidden away.... And boys need to read it, too. Because while we know girls can be heroes, the boys need to know it even more." The first chapter includes mention of various actual women warriors from history--who may actually not be the role models we wish for our daughters. See the interesting reviewer dialog on this point on the Amazon website: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0152020470/qid%3D1058220150/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/104-8294615-0171923
Stories that rely less on brawn and more on brain are included in "Tatterhood", "Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters", "Her Stories", "The Book of Princesses", among others.

Famous authors and illustrators present writings that explore aspects of peace, from personal to international.