Annotated Peace Resource List

Two brothers grow up learning to care for one another. This relationship carries over into adulthood, when, faced with a severe famine, they still want to share their bounty with the other. It is awonderful story for children, especially for brothers.

Caterina charms the king with her wit and ingenuity, that continue to serve her after she becomes queen with certain limitations set by the king. Generous illustrations set the tale in Tuscany. Another variation of this tale is"Clever Marcela" in the book The Serpent Slayer: And Other Stories of Strong Women, which includes different repartee .

Pete is excited that Crusher, a football hero, is coming to visit. He doesn’t want his younger sister Claire to interfere. But when Crusher arrives he wants to play with Claire. He gives her horseback rides and joins her in a tea party. It shows that tough football players can enjoy being soft and kind. Full-color illustrations.

Multi-cultural dads portrayed in a variety of work settings.

Fictional biographies, based on the biblical accounts, of Abigail, Judith, Zipporah, Huldah, Miriam, the daughters of Zelophehad, and more. (Look them up in a concordance if any are unfamiliar!)

Elizabeth Blackwell steps into the male world of medicine and carves out a place for herself.

Challenges children's sex-role stereotypes.

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.)

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.

"Girl, you're amazing, the things that you know!/How to write stories where fantasies grow,/When to pick pumpkins and how to fly kites, /Just where to search for the sky's satellites." In this upbeat rhyming tribute to girls--that includes cooling a quarrel, swishing a basketball, climbing a tree--readers will get a boost of encouragement and feel their confidence and self-esteem grow page by page. Colorful illustrations.

Little girls discover that they are capable of great things in this book that encourages achievement and celebrates diversity. Showing girls as astronaut, librarian, even president! (Though this doesn't get into the starker realities of unequal pay, compared to men, for positions of similar responsibility(!) Sigh. --amb.)

Listed in Scholastic Parent & Child, February/March 2003,"Teacher's Picks: The Best New Books."

A fascinating look at a seldom-studied topic. The book explores the roles of girls (and women) in Native American society, colonial communities, and up through modern times. Among the girls are pioneers, former slaves , mill workers, children of farmers, and immigrants who often speak for themselves through parts of letters, diary entries, and memories.

Kathleen Odean, chair of the 2002 Newberry Award Committee, has updated this classic reference book for parents and teachers. The 600-plus titles reflect equality between boys and girls. Each listing includes a reading level and synopsis. Includes indexes and a section on parent resources. It is divided into different subjects: fiction, biography, sports fiction, comtemporary life fiction, picture books, folktales and covers books for children ages 2-14.

This book involves a (multicultural) group of girls that forms a club to fix things. Some paint, some build doghouses, and they get satisfaction helping people by working with their hands. Drawings are a little dated, like textbooks drawings of the 60's and 70's, but the spirit is totally modern - it's great to see a children's book where the girls are self-directed and down-to-earth. (Amazon reviewer)

How Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose father wanted another preacher-son, managed to find her own voice despite the lack of legal and social rights for women.

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.)

Christina knows how to responsibly use a hammer and nails, cut kindling with her small saw, fix loose bolts on her bicycle - all with shiny tools from her toolbox - just like her mom! Bilingual edition.