Peace

by Miranda Paul, Baptiste Paul, Estelí Meza (Illustrator)

Overview

Peace is on purpose. Peace is a choice. Peace lets the smallest of us have a voice.

From a hello and pronouncing your friend’s name correctly to giving more than you take and saying I’m sorry, this simple concept book explores definitions of peace and actions small and big that foster it.

Award-winning authors, Baptiste Paul and Miranda Paul, have teamed up with illustrator Estelí Meza—winner of the ‘A la Orilla del Viento’ the premier Picture Book Contest Award in Mexico—to create an inspiring look at things we can all do to bring peace into our lives and world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735844490
Publisher:	NorthSouth Books
Publication date:	03/02/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,140,861
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Miranda Paul is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books for children, including Little Libraries, Big Heroes, illustrated by John Parra. She is a founding member of the organization We Need Diverse Books, and lives with her family in Green Bay, Wisconsin


Baptiste Paul is a children’s picture book author. His first book for NorthSouth, The Field, received 3 starred reviews and won the Sonia Lynn Sadler Award, was a Junior Library Guild selection, and also appeared on the Horn Book Fanfare Best of 2018, the School Library Journal Best of 2018, and the CCBC 2018 Choices lists. Baptiste loves sports, likes to roast his own coffee, and grills. He lives in Wisconsin with his family.

Estelí Meza grew up surrounded by books, and her love for illustration began when she attended la Feria del Libro Infantil y Juvenil with her father. In 2018, Estelí was awarded A la Orilla del Viento, the premier picture book award in Mexico. Finding Home is her author-illustrator debut in the United States, published by Scholastic. She has also illustrated books published in Mexico, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates. Estelí spends her days drawing in her neighborhood in Mexico City and is always happiest with her notebook and pencil, and a chocolate pastry and cafecito. Visit her at estelimeza.com

Editorial Reviews

2020-12-25
A visually splendid primer on peace.

“Peace is on purpose. / Peace is a choice. / Peace lets the smallest of us / have a voice.” In this attractive package, lyrical, rhyming text explores various forms of peace. A few usual laundry-list suspects are included: “Peace is a hello, / a smile, / a hug.” But the co-authors manage to slip in emotive twists: “Peace can be bold / or quiet and snug.” Extra attention is paid to inclusivity: “Peace is pronouncing / your friend’s name correctly. // Peace means we talk / to each other directly.” This imperative is found in the illustrations as well, in which a multiracial cast of children includes two who wear eyeglasses and one who walks with forearm crutches. Luscious scenes in warm, comforting hues show the children mixing with plump, pillowy animals in a variety of habitats (in one scene a snoozing lion acts as a literal pillow); an authors’ note takes an extra step: Peace means humans living in harmony with one another and living in balance with nature too. During war and conflict, wildlife is also affected. That note also explains that animals from Mozambique—war torn but recovering—grace the pages along with other national symbols of peace. The Pauls offer strong, bold words, hoping they’ll land in the hearts of children everywhere. The lulling text will work well to soothe young activists, but the tricky concept of peace requires an older understanding. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 15.8% of actual size.)

Poignant, broad strokes invite a deep delve. (Picture book. 3-10)

Kirkus Reviews