This book list began with Book by Book: An Annotated Guide to Young People’s Literature with Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution Themes, prepared by Carol Spiegel and published by Educators for Social Responsibility (Cambridge, MA) in 2010. That information is shared with the author’s and publisher’s permission. We have added more recently published books. You will find classics and newer books among the recommendations.
Anywhere Farm
written by Phyllis Root
illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Candlewick Press, 2017
You might think a farm means fields, tractors, and a barnyard full of animals. But you can plant a farm anywhere you like! A box or a bucket, a boot or a pan — almost anything can be turned into a home for green, growing things. Windows, balconies, and front steps all make wonderful spots to start. Who knows what plants you may choose to grow and who will come to see your new garden? Phyllis Root delivers a modern rhyming mantra for anyone hoping to put their green thumbs to good use, while G. Brian Karas’s cheerful urban illustrations sprout from every page. After all, anywhere can be a farm — all it takes is one small seed and someone to plant it.
Barack Obama:
Son of Promise, Child of Hope
written by Nikki Grimes
illustrated by Bryan Collier
Simon & Schuster, 2008
They called him Barry, this son whose story stretched from Kansas to Kenya. Born of a white American mother, and a black African father, Obama’s unique origins and fascinating life experiences form a story that begs to be told. Whether it’s spearfishing with playmates in Hawaii, playing with pet gibbons in Djakarta, or journeying to Kenya to feel the embrace of his father’s family — and his own, Obama’s story is a rich one. And it is still being written. Son of Promise, Child of Hope lays out the path Obama took from student, to organizer, to Senator, to Democratic Nominee for President of the United States of America. The brilliant work of illustrator Bryan Collier is as stunning as Obama’s story itself.
Big Tree Down!
written by Laurie Lawlor
illustrated by David Gordon
Holiday House, 2017
Big Tree is the neighborhood’s biggest landmark. It presides over street games, barbecues, and water fights. But crack! Oh no! Big Tree has been split by lightning!
In this warm and positive book, people from all parts of the community — neighbors, city workers, and children — come together to clean up and remember Big Tree, and to plant Little Tree in its stead. This wonderful story of neighborly coöperation and community engagement will introduce kids to the joys of being involved in the world immediately around them.
Boxes for Katje
written by Candace Fleming
illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen
Farrar, Straus and Girous, 2003
After World War II there is little left in Katje’s town of Olst in Holland. Her family, like most Dutch families, must patch their old worn clothing and go without everyday things like soap and milk. Then one spring morning when the tulips bloom “thick and bright,” Postman Kleinhoonte pedals his bicycle down Katje’s street to deliver a mysterious box — a box from America! Full of soap, socks, and chocolate, the box has been sent by Rosie, an American girl from Mayfield, Indiana. Her package is part of a goodwill effort to help the people of Europe. What’s inside so delights Katje that she sends off a letter of thanks — beginning an exchange that swells with so many surprises that the girls, as well as their townspeople, will never be the same.
This inspiring story, with strikingly original art, is based on the author’s mother’s childhood and will show young readers that they, too, can make a difference.
The Cello of Mr. O
written by Jane Cutler
illustrated by Greg Couch
Dutton, 1999
As the war rages on and times get difficult, Mr. O makes his contribution to the community by playing his cello in the square every Wednesday afternoon, thus as things get even more desperate, all in the community soon begin to realize the meaning behind his special gift. This is an emotionally touching book that will engender good discussions in class or at home.
Chicken Sunday
written and illustrated by
Patricia Polacco
Philomel Books, 1992
After being initiated into a neighbor’s family by a solemn backyard ceremony, a young Russian American girl and her African American brothers’ determine to buy their gramma Eula a beautiful Easter hat. But their good intentions are misunderstood, until they discover just the right way to pay for the hat that Eula’s had her eye on. A loving family story woven from the author’s childhood.
Farmer Eva’s Green Garden Life
written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
illustrated by Christy Martin
Readers to Eaters, 2024
Farmer Eva Sommaripa founded Eva’s Garden in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, a place “so close to the ocean, she can smell the sea, so close to woods she can talk to trees.” More than 50 years later she has grown a big green garden life of friends and neighbors, creatures that crawl, fly and slither, eve microbes that create rich soil in the brown underground. Meet farmer Eva, and share the magic, beauty, and science of life on the farm and caring for the land. Farmer Eva’s Green Garden Life is one of the first book that focuses on a woman farmer. It is also a story connecting farming with nature, ecology, and science.
Going Down Home with Daddy
written by Kelly Starling Lyons
illustrated by Daniel Minter
Peachtree, 2019
Down home is Granny’s house. Down home is where Lil Alan and his parents and sister will gather with great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Down home is where Lil Alan will hear stories of the ancestors and visit the land that has meant so much to all of them. And down home is where all of the children will find their special way to pay tribute to their family history. All the kids have to decide what they’ll share, but what will Lil Alan do? Caldecott Honor Book.
Harlem at Four
written by Dr. Michael Datcher
illustrated by Frank Morrison
Random House Studio, 2023
In this beautiful picture book in two parts, meet Harlem: the girl and the neighborhood. Part one follows the adventures of a little girl named Harlem and her single father as they go on a museum “playdate” with painters Romare Bearden and Jean-Michel Basquiat, listen to John Coltrane records, and conduct science experiments in their apartment (“The volcano erupts /Red lava on Valentine’s Day!”).
Part two takes us back to the fourth year of the twentieth century in Harlem the neighborhood. Here, we are introduced to Philip A. Payton Jr., aka Papa Payton, whose Afro-American Realty Company gave birth to the Black housing explosion, helping to start America’s Great Black Migration. Because of Papa Peyton, Black families — like Harlem and her father a century later — could move to Harlem and thrive and flourish.
This beautiful book weaves together the lives of a modern Black family and a historically Black neighborhood in New York City.
Jayden’s Impossible Garden
written by Mélina Mangal
illustrated by Ken Daley
Free Spirit Publishing, 2021
Amidst all the buildings, people, and traffic in his neighborhood, Jayden sees nature everywhere: the squirrels scrounging, the cardinals calling, and the dandelions growing. But Mama doesn’t believe there’s nature in the city. So Jayden sets out to help Mama see what he sees. With the help of his friend Mr. Curtis, Jayden plants the seeds of a community garden and brings together his neighbors — and Mama — to show them the magic of nature in the middle of the city.
Timeless and vibrant, this story highlights the beauty of intergenerational relationships and the power of imagination and perseverance in bringing the vision of a community garden to life. Jayden’s love of nature will inspire readers to see their environment and surroundings as bursting with opportunities for growth and connection. At the back of the book, readers will find activities to make items found in the book, such as the milk jug bird feeder.
Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq
written and illustrated by
Jeanette Winters
Clarion Books, 2005
In the Spring of 2003, Alia Muhammad Baker was the city of Basra’s real-life librarian. She was the keeper of cherished books and her library was a haven for community gatherings. But with war imminent in Basra, Iraq, what could this lone woman do to save her precious books? With lyrical, spare text and beautiful acrylic illustrations, Jeanette Winter shows how well she understands her young audience. This true story of one librarian’s remarkable bravery reminds us all how, throughout the world, the love of literature and the respect for knowledge knows no boundaries.
My Rows and Piles of Coins
written by Tololwa M. Mollel
illustrated by E.B. Lewis
Clarion Books, 1999
“I emptied my secret money box, arranged the coins in piles and the piles in rows …” The market is full of wonderful things, but Saruni is saving his precious coins for a red and blue bicycle. How happy he will be when he can help his mother carry heavy loads to market on his very own bicycle — and how disappointed he is to discover that he hasn’t saved nearly enough! Determination and generosity are at the heart of this satisfying tale, set in Tanzania and illustrated with glowing watercolors that capture the warmth of Saruni’s family and the excitement of market day.
One Million Men and Me
written by Kelly Starling Lyons
illustrated by Peter Ambush
Just Us Books, 2007
On October 16, 1995, Black men of all ages, religions and backgrounds gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. They were there on a mission — to mobilize and motivate, as part of what would become the largest event of its kind in U.S. history: the Million Man March. The Million Man March was a movement like no other. It brought together Black men who were committed to inspiring and empowering themselves and each other to make positive and lasting changes in their families and communities. The March was widely covered by news media across the country and the world. Now, this book shares the story of the March in a new light: through the eyes of a little girl who was with her father the day Black men made history.
Planting the Trees of Kenya:
The Story of Wangari Maathai
written and illustrated by
Claire A. Nivola
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008
Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Green Belt Movement, grew up in the highlands of Kenya, where fig trees cloaked the hills, fish filled the streams, and the people tended their bountiful gardens. But over many years, as more and more land was cleared, Kenya was transformed. When Wangari returned home from college in America, she found the village gardens dry, the people malnourished, and the trees gone. How could she alone bring back the trees and restore the gardens and the people? This is the remarkable story of one woman’s effort to change the fate of her land by teaching many to care for it.
Small Places, Close to Home:
A Child’s Declaration of Rights:
Inspired by the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights
written by Deborah Hopkinson
illustrated by Kate Gardiner
Balzer & Bray, 2023
In backyards and city parks, in school and at home — wherever and however we move through this world, we have certain inalienable rights — and it’s up to each one of us to ensure those rights for others, too.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drafted by Eleanor Roosevelt and signed on December 10, 1948, marked the first time that countries agreed on a comprehensive statement of inalienable human rights. This gorgeous adaptation for children reminds us that universal rights begin in small places, close to home.
We Belong
written by Laura Purdie Salas
illustrated by Carlos Vélez Aguilera
Carolrhoda Books, 2022
Explore and celebrate who you are and who others are too! Rhyming verse by Laura Purdie Salas invites others to notice the diversity of our world and affirm that we all belong, just as we are. Bright illustrations by Carlos Vélez Aquilera feature a diverse group of children, playing and learning in an urban setting.