In 2011-2012, a group of students from Earlham College and I set out to create an annotated bibliography of children’s books that address peace and social justice issues as part of two Ford/Knight courses on children’s literature. We called the course–and the list–Picturing Peace.

The result was a list of books that touch on a myriad of themes such as the environment, immigration, bullying, peaceful responses to violence, as well as specific turbulent periods in U.S. history. Several of the books in our bibliography are bilingual, in Spanish and English, and contribute to a thoughtful dialogue regarding the Latino immigration experience. Two themes that surfaced for several students were those of home and belonging–and how these narratives supported feelings of inner-peace and self-actualization.

As part of the course, students also created art projects in response to what they read–and shared these project with the community in Richmond, Indiana. Some wrote and illustrated books, others collaborated with children in their art projects. One wrote music, another a play. Their creative projects are included as part of the picturing peace blog. Please explore them while remembering they are the copyrighted property of the individual owners. If you would like to reuse any of the images or sound found here, you must first get permission of the creator(s).

For their annotations, both groups of students drew on summaries from CIP or their own readings and give a suggested age range. They then added a “peace perspective” for each book. When relevant, prominent award information is also provided.

Please visit our website to read about approximately 450 children’s books related to peace and social justice issues.

Happy Reading!

Jennie