Youths4Peace Literature

Adler, David A.  Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. Heroes for Civil Rights. Holiday House, 2008.  ISBN:  0823420087.

Following the 1954 ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme court ruled that separate facilities between whites and African Americans "could not be equal." However, segregation continued. Focused in Heroes for Civil Rights are just a few biographies of the many who, following this ruling, adopted nonviolence as a way to fight for the civil rights of all U.S. citizens. Gr. 5 and up.

Bausum, Ann.  Muckrakers: How Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, and Lincoln Steffens Helped Expose Scandal, Inspire Reform, and Invent Investigative Journalism. National Geographic, 2008.  ISBN:  1426301384.

Award-winning author Ann Bausum's sweeping narrative paints a vivid picture of the American news media during the Progressive era, showing how muckrakers created an essential democratic tradition that endures to this day. Gr. 5 and up.

Beah, Ishmael.  A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier  Sarah Crichton Books, 2007.  ISBN:  0374105235.

Ishmael tells his story of what it was like being a boy soldier in Sierra Leone. Included is a great chronology of the political history of Sierra Leone. Riveting and heart-wrenching! 2008 Alex Award. Gr. 9 and up.

Blackmon, Douglas  A.  Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. Doubleday , 2008.  ISBN:  0385506250.

In this groundbreaking historical expose, Douglas A. Blackmon brings to light one of the most shameful chapters in American history - an "Age of Neoslavery" that thrived from the aftermath of the Civil War through the dawn of World War II. Gr. 9 and up.

Bolden, Tonya.  M.L.K.: Journey of a King Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2007.  ISBN:  0810954762.

Filled with unfamiliar yet gripping photographs, this is an incredible biographical account of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s trials and victories in the struggle for Civil Rights! Gr. 7 and up.

Braman, Arlette N.  Illustrated by Jo-Ellen Bosson.  Kids Around the World Create!:  The best crafts and activities from many lands.  John Wiley & Sons, 1999.  ISBN:  047129005X.

Kids Around the World Create! is full of fun crafts and activities that will teach you about the customs of cultures around the world.  Every country has something special to offer, and all the activities in this book help you enjoy and explore this diversity.  All the crafts are easy to do and the supplies are made up of simple household materials.  Have fun as you journey to distant and exciting lands!

Brandt, Nat.  The Town That Started the Civil War. A Laurel Trade Paperback /Division of Del Publishing, 1990.  ISBN:  0440503965.

John Price, a runaway slave, took refuge in Oberlin, Ohio, was kidnapped in 1858 to be sent back to Kentucky, and then rescued by townspeople. Though he was sent off to Canada onto freedom, his rescuers - 37 in all, who by their actions opposed the Fugitive Slave Act, had to face sentencing. This gripping story of a group of people darning to go against the face of injustice, made international news. It is a "must read" to understand a major turn of events that lead to the Civil War. Gr. 9 and up.

Brewster, Hugh.  Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. The Other Mozart: The Life of th Famous Chevalier de Saint-George. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2007.  ISBN:  0810957206.

Born in 1745 to Georges de Bologne-Saint-George, a wealthy plantation owner and Nanon, his slave mother on the French island of Guadeloupe in the West Indies, Joseph's father insisted that he receive the best education. After a few years, George moved his family to France where slavery was outlawed, and where he was appointed an official of the king's court. Now that his family entered into the life of aristocracy, George changed his son's name to Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George. Though Joseph was recognized as one of France's swordsman, he became better known for his musicianship. Composing and performing classical works during the same time period as Mozart and Hayden, very little has been written about him over the years. A fascinating story, this biography includes recommended discs for reader's listening pleasure. Gr. 7 and up.

Brown, Monica.  Illustrated by Raul Colon. My Name is Gabito.  Luna Rising, 2007.  ISBN:  0873589086.

Beautifully illustrated, this magical bilingual story is about the life of one of the greatest storytellers, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who as a writer was a voice for the struggling banana workers. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. 2008 Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor Award. Preschool and up.

Carbone, Elisa.  Night Running: How James Escaped with the Help of His Faithful Dog. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Alfred A. Knopf, 2008.  ISBN:  0375822476.

Based on a true story, Night Running is the story about a young boy, James, and his secret plan to escape Master Graham's farm back in 1838. Though his faithful hunting dog, Zeus, is noisy, James doesn't want him on his trip for fear that his plan will spoil. But in a turn of events, Zeus is the one who helps set him free from slavery. Grade 1 and up.

Demi.  The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2007.  ISBN:  1416912064.

On topics ranging from silence to moderation, from governing to the balance of the earth and heaven, this thoughtful and thought-provoking picture book covers the biography of Lao Tzu, the mysterious philosopher who is said to have been born at the age of eighty-one with snow-white hair.  Yet many credit him with creating the Tao Te Ching, which was written for the good of all humankind.  Twenty of the eighty-one passages of the Tao Te Ching are included here, paired with stunning illustrations by the award-winning artist Demi.  Grade 5 and up.

DeWolf, Thomas Norman.  Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Slave-Trading Dynasty in U.S. History Beacon Press, 2008.  ISBN:  0807072813.

Inheriting the Trade is Tom DeWolf's powerful and disarmingly honest memoir of the journey in which ten family members retraced the steps of their ancestors (from Bristol, Rhode Island Ghana, and Cuba) and uncovered the hidden history of New England and the other northern states. Gr. 9 and up.

Engle, Margarita.  Illustrated by Sean Qualls. The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano.  Henry Holt and Co., 2006.  ISBN:  0805077063.

Juan Francisco Manzano has never known any other life.  Born into the household of a wealthy slave owner in Cuba in 1797, he spent his early years by the side of a woman who made him call her Mama, even though he had a mama of his own.  Denied and education, young Juan still showed an exceptional talent for poetry.  His verses reflect the beauty of his world, but they also expose its hideous cruelty. In powerful, haunting verses of her own, Margarita Engle evokes the voice of the Poet Slave of Cuba. 2008 Pura Belpre Author Medal.  Gr. 7 and up.

Evans, Kristina.  Illustrated by Bryan Collier Cherish Today: A Celebration of Life's Moments.  Jump At the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, 2007.  ISBN:  0786808182.

Encouragement for young people to pursue higher goals of achievement for themselves, but in the process not to set one's goals so high that they overlook the realities of life - that we're human and make mistakes, and especially to remember to cherish each day.  Gr. 3 & up.

Fradin, Judith Bloom and Dennis Brindell Fradin.  Jane Addams: Champion of Democracy.  Clarion Books, 2006.  ISBN:  0618504367.

Humanitarian, ardent suffragist (for women's rights), civil rights activist, and pacifist, Judith Bloom Fradin and Dennis Brindell Fradin offer an inspiring portrait of this remarkable woman, whose very way of life made her an American icon; Gr. 6 & up.

Hamanaka, Sheila.  Peace Crane.  Morrow Junior Books, 1995.  ISBN:  0688138152.

After learning about the Peace Crane, created by Sadako, a survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima, a young African American girl wishes it would carry her away from the violence of her own world.        Gr. 1-2.

Haskins, James and Kathleen Benson with Virginia Schomp.  The Rise of Jim Crow. (book 6 from the Drama of African American History Series).  Marshall Cavendish, 2008.  ISBN:  0761426400.

This book in the series provides a history of the decades of poverty, oppression, and terror that African Americans suffered under the system of segregation in the United States, from the end of the Reconstruction era through the early decades of the twentieth century. Gr. 5 and up.

Hopkinson, Deborah .  Illustrated by Leonard Jenkins. Sweet Land of Liberty.  Peachtree Publishers, 2007.  ISBN:  1561453955.

On Easter Sunday, 1939, Marian Anderson performed at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial in front of a crowd of over 75,000 people. The person largely responsible for putting her there was a white man, Oscar Chapman, Assistant Secretary of the Interior under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This book unfolds his story with Civil Rights. Gr. 4 and up.

Johnson, Dolores with Virginia Schomp. The Harlem Renaissance.  (book 7 of the Drama of African-American History Series). Marshall Cavendish, 2008.  ISBN:  0761426417.

Focusing on the events that took place in and the important people that came out of Harlem, New York, The Harlem Renaissance presents an excellent historical account of the time period just after WWI. Gr. 5 and up.

Johnston, Tony. Illustrated by Susan Guevara. Voices from Afar: Poems of Peace. Holiday House, Inc., 2008.  ISBN:  0823420124.

From Belfast, from Cairo, and from the other side of the world come the voices of ordinary people experiencing the devastation of war. The twenty-six poems here speak in sorrow, in numb horror, in hope, and in cautious joy - all yearning for an end to armed conflicts. Gr. 5 and up.

Judge, Lita.    One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II.   Hyperion Books for Children, 2007.  ISBN:  1423100089.

When author-illustrator Lita Judge discovered hundreds of tracings of feet in her grandparents' attic, she was intrigues and inspired to share the story behind it. In the aftermath of World War II, many Europeans were homeless and starving. This is the story of one American family's triumphant effort to relieve their suffering. Gr. 3 & up.

Kay, Verla.  Rough, Tough Charley. Illustrated by Adam Gustavson. Tricycle Press, 2007.  ISBN:  1582461847.

True story about one person's survival: Charley Darkey Parkhurst!  As a runaway from an orphanage, Charley hid in stables, found work caring for horses.  In the mid-1850's Charley was hired by various companies in California as a stagecoach driver.  Considered as one of the most respected drivers in the Old West, Charley also kept one of the biggest secrets to survival anyone could keep:  Charley was a woman, and wasn't discovered until her death. Preschool & up.

Kerley, Barbara.  A Little Peace.  National Geographic Society, 2007.  ISBN:  1426300868.

Using photographs taken around the globe A Little Peace graphically describes that the seeds of peace are all over the world - in a shared smile, a helping hand, a compassionate voice. From a soccer game in Iraq to children holding hands in New Mexico, from dancing monks in Bhutan to old friends laughing in Afghanistan, peace, powerful, and infectious, is ready to grow. Preschool & up.

Kivel, Paul.  Illustrated by Nancy Gorrell.  I Can Make My World A Safer Place:  A Kid's Book About Stopping Violence.  Hunter House, 2001.  ISBN:  0897932919.

Through simple text, eye-catching drawings, and activities such as mazes, crosswords, and word searches, this book encourages kids to think about and act to promote peace at home, in their communities, and in the world. Harriet Tubman, Cesar Chavez and Julia Butterfly are among those profiled as positive activists. The book differentiates public danger (gangs, drug-related violence) from private (sexual assault, domestic violence) and provides ways to stay safe and get help when necessary.

Literature

PAGE 2 in progress