7 books to start conversations about peace with children

1. Grotti by Leonie Lord

Hannah writes, "Rowan (age 2) loves Grotti. It's the story of a soldier who swaps all his weapons for food and clothes for a baby monster who adopts him. He gives the Bodge Troll his shield in exchange for a push chair, and the Scrap Dragon his helmet for a sandwich toaster! In the end, they all live happily ever after."

2. Azzi in between by Sarah Garland

Izzy, our peace education manager, told us: "Idris really loved Azzi in between at about age 8. It's in a comic strip style about a family that have to leave their home because of war, and about kindness and planting beans."

3. The silver sword by Ian Serraillier

Tanya, who leads on our climate justice work, loved The silver sword growing up. "It made a very powerful impression on me. It's about refugee children travelling across Europe at the end of WWII." It's a story for slightly older children, perhaps 9-11 year olds. She also notes that Ian Seraillier, the author, was a Quaker who worshipped in Chichester meeting.

4. Counting on community by Innosanto Nagara

Hannah says, "This is a really fun board book where you can spy a duck on each page! And it teaches us about living in community and sharing what we have." It's for kids aged 1-99 😊

5. The boy and the wall/ Y bachgen a'r wal by Amahl Bishara and Nidal al-Azraq

Ailish, our Faith in Action coordinator says: "The boy and the wall/ Y bachgen a'r wal is in Arabic, Welsh and English and tells the story of a boy who imagines creative, magical and nonviolent ways to break down the wall around his home in a refugee camp which he worries is going to stop his dreams reaching Jerusalem (and stop the turtles coming to play)."

6. The chimpanzees' happy tree by Giles Andreae

Ben, who works on peer mediation in schools, says, "This book tells the story of a chimpanzee who plants a seed in a town that is grey, drab and unhappy. His seed grows, causes the overthrow of an oppressive mayor and releases residents to express themselves more fully and freely. From this small seed, great change occurs."

7. Three little wolves and the big bad pig by Eugene Trivizas

Ailish says, "Three little wolves and the big bad pig makes a very good argument for conflict transformation through beauty, rather than 'safety' through militarised security. The reinforced concrete house the little wolves build themselves just spurs the big bad pig to get a jackhammer, but he has a change of heart when they make their walls from sweet-smelling flowers."

You can buy most of these books from our bookshop.org storefront, and some (including Azzi in between and other relevant titles, such as Peace on Earth by Michael Morpurgo) directly from the Quaker bookshop. The boy and the wall/ Y bachgen a'r wal can be ordered from Sgema, who published it.

More resources for sharing ideas about peace with children can be found in this blog on pacifism and conscientious objection in children's literature and on our page on peace education.