16th May International Day of Living Together in Peace

The International Day of Living Together in Peace is held on 16th May every year. The UN General Assembly, declared 16 May the International Day of Living Together in Peace, as a means of regularly mobilising the efforts of the international community to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity. The day 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. 

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.

Following the devastation of the Second World War, the United Nations was established to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. One of its purposes is to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems, including by promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.

The declaration came about as a result of the long-held and cherished concept — contained within the Constitution of UNESCO — that "since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed." The Declaration embraces the principle that peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but also requires a positive, dynamic participatory process, in which dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are resolved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation.

Perhaps this year more than ever we need a day like this to focus on what we can do about the plight of Ukrainians. Australia has taken some Ukrainian refugees and so the children we teach may well meet refugee children. When I suggested at school that we did need to ensure that the children we teach had some understanding of what is happening in the world without necessarily scaring them, teachers said the children were too young to know, but I agree with this quote:

‘While children should never have to be in a war, to fail to teach them about the cruelty of warfare and its horrific consequences means that they will be less prepared to make decisions about the wars waged in the future and will be less likely to be empathetic to the innocent victims of war.’

The tricky part of teaching children about war and conflict, of course, is that you want to make sure that the material is not too ‘heavy’ for their age. It is difficult to find age-appropriate books about war for very young children. However, there are several really great books about PEACE that can be used to introduce some of the same concepts and there are picture books which allow young children to empathise with refugees.

If you too are looking, try these:

A simple and colourful book that gets preschoolers and kindergarteners thinking about what peace means in terms they can understand using examples from their daily life, such as, “Peace is sharing a meal.” “Peace is sharing a meal.” “Peace is making new friends.”

A unique book where the author asked children what peace feels like, looks like, sounds like, etc. Answers were gathered from a variety of children and are fun and interesting to read.  

At the beginning, the author ponders what needs to happen in order to bring peace to the world. Through successive pages, filled with poignant quotes from famous peacemakers, the story guides the reader to see how creating peace is a responsibility that we all share.

Like all great picture books, this one is an allegory that can be read on many levels. Superficially, it is about a child who finds a lone plant growing in a war-torn ruin and shows how he nurses it until it covers the barbed wire fence separating him from the other side. For young readers, we can emphasize the message of hope with the vision that one day war ends, and there can be peace. But only if we work at it.

A frog finds a beautiful flower and picks it for himself. When a mouse sees him with it, his jealousy overcomes him, and he swipes it. Frog’s friends come to his aid and chase the mouse away. But before the frogs can celebrate, Mouse’s friends return for a counter-attack. Before long the conflict has devolved into a full-scale frog-mouse war. By the end of it, all either side can ask is: why? This seemingly simple book tackles an important subject and will be an invaluable way to talk to young children about conflict and warfare. 

A young boy discusses the journey he is about to make with his mother. They will leave their town, she explains, and it will be sad but also a little bit exciting. They will have to say goodbye to friends and loved ones, and that will be difficult. They will have to walk and walk and walk, and although they will see many new and interesting things, it will be difficult at times too. A powerful and moving exploration that draws the young reader into each stage of the journey.

A compassionate counting book that captures the power of a welcoming community and teaches children about refugees and how each kindness can help them find a new home. More than half of the world's refugees are children fleeing scary situations in search of a safe place to live. 

Hassan feels out of place in a new cold, grey country. At school, he paints a picture showing his colourful Somalian home, covered with the harsh colours of war from which his family has fled. He tells his teacher about their voyage from Mogadishu to Mombasa, then to the refugee camp and on to England. But gradually things change. 

When a young girl has to travel to a new country and start at a new school, her Fear tells her to be alone and afraid. How can she hope to make friends if she doesn't understand their language? 

15th May International Day of Families 15th - 21st May National Families Week

Each year, over a hundred thousand people and hundreds of organisations celebrate National Families Week, Australia’s annual celebration of families.

National Families Week has been run by Families Australia, with Australian Government support, every year since 2003.

National Families Week is a time to celebrate with family, make contact with extended family and friends, and share in the enjoyment of family activities within the wider community. It is a time to celebrate the meaning of family and to make the most of family life.

National Families Week is held between 15 and 21 May to coincide with the United Nations International Day of Families which is on the 15th May. The United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 47/237 of 20 September 1993, proclaimed that 15 May of every year shall be observed as the International Day of Families.

The United Nations states that “this annual observance reflects the importance which the international community attaches to families as basic units of society as well as its concern regarding their situation around the world..."

Over the time I have been teaching, the structure of the family unit has changed greatly, but family is still an important constant in children's lives. The picture books available for young children now reflect this well. Look for these which are general in nature, not specific. There are some very good books where the family has two mothers, two fathers, an extended family household etc, but these are not listed here.

• The Family Book by Todd Parr

• The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman & Ros Asquith

• Who is in My Family? by Robie H. Harris & Nadine Bernard Westcott

• A  Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O'Leary & Qin Leng

• Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer

• Family Tree by Josh Pyke & Ronojoy Ghosh                               

• All About Families by Felicity Brooks & Mar Ferrero

• We Are Family  by Patricia Hegarty & Ryan Wheatcroft

• Family Forest  by Kim Kane & Lucia Masciullo

• Isla's Family Tree by Katrina McKelvey & Prue Pittock

• Big Book of Families by Catherine & Laurence Anholt

What better way is there to celebrate Families Week than to read together as a family? Any books, not books about other people's families but ones you enjoy!

30th October World Teachers Day and Halloween

Yesterday it was World Teachers Day in Australia and tomorrow it will be Halloween, two things that involve children, one because there would be far fewer teachers in the world if there weren't children who need teaching and the other because it is something that really revs up the children I teach. They have been full of tales about how they have decorated their homes, what they are wearing and who they are celebrating it with. My children used to love it too, because we had a Canadian neighbour who used to organise the fun for the neighbourhood children in the way she experienced Halloween as a child. Now all of those children are adults, some with children of their own who no doubt will become keen about Halloween in the years to come.

Last night I went to Book Club, which is made up of teacher friends that I have taught with in the past and one of them told us about a young girl in her class who'd given her a card and coffee voucher for WTD and how touched she was because it was from a family who could least afford it. Isn't that always the way? My school shouted us pastries at morning tea which was a first! Given all the remote learning of the last few months they were appreciated. I haven't had lots of time to reflect upon remote learning now that the mayhem of school is on again, but one thing I do know after this week, is that I spent a lot more time planning lessons for remote learning than I have this week for face-to-face. Nevertheless it is great to see the students, interact with them and have them share their thinking with you.

A book I added to the library this week was Ten Delicious Teachers just perfect for WTD and Halloween!

Other great teacher picture books depending upon the age of the children you want to share them with:

                        

The list of Halloween titles is far too great to list here, but I always enjoy reading Miss Smith's wonderful storybooks, by Michael Garland.

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.

18th September Kindness

World Kindness Day is celebrated on the 13th November and there has always been sufficient picture books to cater for each of the thirteen classrooms in my school, but lately every time I step into a bookshop I see another book on 'kindness' and they are not just picture books with kindness as a theme they are much more overt. The word 'kind' or 'kindness' is in the title of the book. Part of me thinks that it is sad that as teachers we are being asked to explicitly teach kindness when it was something that just 'was' and it was taught at home. Nevertheless it has become part of the social skills curriculum and if students do not understand what being kind means, then true empathy will be even harder to teach. One of the teachers at my school suggested I purchase You, Me and Empathy by  Jayneen Sanders for the library and she has been working on kindness with her students.

Along with the many books we have already, here is what has come onto the market recently (and I'm sure I will have missed some) which will supplement that collection.
• Be Kind  by Pat Zietlow Miller and Jen Hill
• I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoet
• Kind by Alison Green
• Be Kind: You can make the world a happier place! by Naomi Shulman and Hsingpin Pan
• Be Kind! by Stephanie Clarkson and Katie Abey
• Kindness Makes Us Strong by Sophie Beer
• Kindness Grows by Britta Teckentrup
• The Kindness Book by Todd Parr
• Superbuns! : Kindness is her Superpower by Diane Kredensor
• A World of Kindness illustrated by Suzanne Del Rizzo et al.

PS I think you can read between the lines here and ascertain what I think about 'message' books, but just in case you need some more on this topic read this.

21st September World Gratitude Day

World Gratitude Day is a day when we should all stop to be grateful for all that is good in our world. At school we do talk to children about what they are thankful for, we talk about bucket filling and being good community members. Many families and teachers have a Blessings Jar or Gratitude Journal. I have just read an adult novel called The Happiness Jar where a girl with cystic fibrosis, despite all her health issues lives life to the fullest and records all the things that she is grateful for in her happiness jar. Perhaps it is something we should do more about with our privileged students at a time when many children still do not have the opportunity to go to school or live in a safe environment. We could do this without scaring them as much of the current refugee news is prone to do with the very young students I teach.  Americans have Thanksgiving, but here in Australia we don't have a specific day to say thank you or express gratitude and perhaps we should. These four books could help you start a discussion with very young children.

 Today is also World Alzheimer's Day. If you are not affected by this awful disease you have another good reason to be grateful. I have written about this day before and while many new books have been published since, such as Phil Cummings' Newspaper Hats and Ellie Royce's Lucas and Jack you still might find these other titles useful.

21st September International Day of Peace

On this day last year I wrote about the authors and illustrators who were having their birthdays on this International Day of Peace, but this year I want to list picture books on the theme of peace that make good additions to any early childhood library. They are:

• Let There Be Peace; Prayers From Around the World by Jeremy Brooks and Jude Daly

• Let There Be Peace on Earth: and Let it Begin With Me by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller

• A Little Peace by Barbara Kerley

• The Peace Book by Todd Parr

• What Does Peace Feel Like? by Vladamir Rudinsky

• Peace Begins With You by Katherine Scholes and Robert Ingpen

9th July Todd Parr (1962)

Todd Parr's books appear deceptively simple. Parents often tell their children when they come to borrow with their child, 'put that back, it's too easy', but usually the child wins and the book goes home with them. Children like the brightly coloured artwork and the fact that they can read them themselves. What the parents need to realise is that Todd's books deal with big issues and ideas. They need to be discussed. They elicit questions and answers and should be their to start meaningful dialogue between adult and child.

Todd Parr has an extensive website and his books feature on television so he has a high profile, but nevertheless his books stand on their own and are well worth reading. I have bought several copies of his book Reading Makes You Feel Good and turned them into one long continuous frieze for my library. I also especially like The Peace Book; The Earth Book; and It's Okay to be Different.