16th May International Day of Living Together in Peace

Unesco instigated this Day which aims to uphold the desire to live and act together, united in differences and diversity, in order to build a sustainable world of peace, solidarity and harmony. The Day invites countries to further promote reconciliation to help to ensure peace and sustainable development. 

Living together in peace is all about accepting differences and having the ability to listen to, recognise, respect and appreciate others, as well as living in a peaceful and united way and how pertinent is this for this time during COVID 19 when we begin to be given less imposed constrictions but continue to be asked to practise self distancing, continue to wash hands and be mindful about hygiene and to be careful when in public spaces. Can we all do that? We will have to wait and see.

As school goes back here, being considerate of others, patient with others, tolerant of others and most importantly accepting of others self-imposed limits is going to matter more. Maybe it is time to look at picture books that look at these values and what constitutes living peacefully together.

The Peace Book  by Todd Parr is a good place to start because it is simple and for a very young audience. It  delivers a timely and timeless message about the importance of friendship, caring, and acceptance. 

Peace is an Offering by Annette Le Box  is a warm comforting poem where a group of neighbourhood children find love in everyday things--in sunlight shining through the leaves and cookies shared with friends--and learn that peace is all around, if you just look for it.


A Little Peace by Barbara Kerley is a  book that juxtaposes photographs from around the world with simple, reflective messages about our responsibilities for finding and keeping peace on the planet. 

And at school on Monday perhaps reading these two books will remind students to be accepting of difference, to stand up for each other and yet encourage peaceful problem solving.

One by Kathryn Otoshi. You may recognize Red, the bully of this story, who picks on Blue for looking different; you may recognize the other colours, who stay quiet as red becomes more and more antagonistic. I hope you also recognize One, who finally stands up for Blue, and Blue itself who shows Red kindness and acceptance despite their past actions.

Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall. Here Red is expected to draw fire trucks and strawberries, but he is a blue crayon in a red wrapper,  and everything he draws comes out blue. At first Red is misunderstood, but he is soon accepted and respected for who he really is. This simple story is so heartwarming; it teaches us not to judge by first impressions and expectations, but to accept and respect however a person wants to define themself.