Posted on: 01/05/2023
Europe Day, held each year on the 9th of May, marks the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration – a commitment to secure long-term peace in post-war Europe. When the war in Ukraine began just over a year ago, none of us could’ve perhaps imagined that the conflict would be ongoing. And yet, living in a war-zone, fighting and surviving has become the reality for so many, and not just the people of Ukraine. Finding peace and creating a sense of unity in our worlds can be very difficult: not only conflict but poverty, natural disasters and the climate crisis affect all of humankind. But there’s also fear around the cost-of-living crisis; discontent, distrust and disaffection of people who give their whole beings to jobs for which they’re not being paid fairly. To safeguard against potential emotional fallout for our children in such a rapidly shifting landscape, we can turn to books that can help us explore conflict and find our way to unity and peace. Exploring conflict in both a literal sense and in the sense of conflict of the mind; helping children to engage with other perspectives and enjoy the simpler things in a more mindful way can all be done through May’s selection of books and, we think, achieve that sense of peace. And if we instil in our children not resilience where ‘they just need to learn to cope’ but the ability to process, adapt, support and better understand each other, then that might just create greater unity for generations to come.
Rory’s Room of Rectangles by Ian Eagleton and illustrated by Jessica Knight (Owlet Press, 18th May 2023)
One of the trickiest relationships that a child might navigate can also be the most joyous and enriching: the relationship with a step-parent. The lack of unity between a child’s parents when they separate can create a division – perceived or otherwise – in loyalty for that child. And with this division can come guilt and a feeling of being ‘torn’. There can be worry about the parent who is single; worry about embracing a step-parent and how that may make the lone parent feel…yet, this new book by Ian Eagleton who never fails to explore difficult feelings has managed to gently and beautifully capture the turmoil that may be experienced. Rory’s schoolteacher is making Father’s Day cards with the class but has reassured all the children that they’re for anyone in their life who takes on the role of a carer or who is in some way important in their lives. For example, the teacher tells his class, he’ll be giving a card to his husband. But Rory doesn't like Father’s Day. He has both his dad – who he sees every weekend – and his mum’s boyfriend Tony in his life so how can he possibly choose? The card he makes is a bright, angry, angst-filled scribble and is eventually ripped to shreds by Rory, such is the anguish that it’s caused. Tony realises that afternoon that something is troubling his stepson and takes Rory to the art gallery. Some of the artwork is joyous; some is dark and frightening but in one particular room – a room filled with huge, rectangular canvases – they sit silently gazing at the paintings: ‘dazzling: full of broad strokes of colour, swishes, flicks and swirls too, just like Rory had made at school!’ Tony finally breaks the silence and tells Rory that this is his favourite room, ‘so full of power and emotion but…also quite sad as well’ and Rory realises that the paintings reflect his ‘own feelings back to him.’ Such a brilliant story, gently approaching what can be a difficult thing to explore but with the comfort of a resolution and peace and unity as Rory realises that there’s room for everyone and that there needs to be no competition between his dad and Tony. From the perspective of my own lived experience, this is one of the most realistic and honest portrayals I’ve seen of the conflicting emotions experienced by children who have parents and stepparents. How refreshing to have such a positive representation of a step-parent! Perfect for children in KS1 and brilliant for children to be able to see their own and others’ realties reflected.
Until the Road Ends by Phil Earle (Anderson Press, June 1st 2023)
It’s a fine book that, when a talking pigeon offers such beautifully put advice to a friend (who happens to be a dog), reduces an adult to near-tears but this is what this beautifully woven story achieves (in a good way!) A tale of love, loss and fighting battles that are worth fighting sees the extraordinary lengths that a trio of unlikely friends go to, to be with the children they’ve been separated from. Told through the eyes of Beau - once a street dog and then taken in by gentle, caring Peggy; Mabel - an acerbic cat who at times we wonder why loyal Beau persists in trying to save and Bomber - proud pigeon just waiting to be called to arms (or, maybe, wings) and contribute to the war effort, the novel is set in World War Il. And what’s so incredibly special is that the fact that this is a story of war told through the eyes of animals does in no way cheapen the narrative or dilute the message that we think the author is trying to convey: that war is devastating no matter who you are. But the other message, the other theme, is that you must keep going until a road ends. Roads have oft been used to represent life’s journeys and although this is about a journey in the literal sense, the characters’ understanding of self and others shift so profoundly that unity is found at the most unlikely time, amongst the most unlikely group. Perfect for children in Upper KS2
People Power: Peaceful Protests That Changed The World by Rebecca June and Ximo Abadia (Prestel Publishing Ltd, May 2nd 2023)
This is one of those non-fiction books that the minute a copy is in your hands, you just know it’s going to be something you want to read; to have upon your shelves and to gift. And what words of wisdom! In the introduction, June talks about it feeling impossible to stand up when faced with injustice. The antidote? ‘Laying out a plan of action and insisting that our voices be heard – in a peaceful but forceful way – will make you feel better, even if, in the end, you don't achieve everything you’d hoped for.’ Arranged chronologically, from the 1907 Mud March, campaigning for suffrage for all in Victorian United Kingdom to more recent, global protests such as Greta’s Fridays for Future campaign and Black Lives Matter, there huge diversity in the people, the protests and the geography. The common thread that binds all of these recounts of real change-making is simple: people have to take action if change is to be made. Perhaps the series of strikes, picketing and marches that some public sector workers are currently participating in might feature in a similar book in years to come? But the golden thread is that through the startling depiction of life with the Berlin wall, grey and bleak to the East; through the brave women in Liberia who took Mass Action for Peace, so devasting had the 14-year long civil war been; and through the 28-day long protest in Tunisia in 2011 that saw citizens campaigning for equity in standards of living and eradication of poverty (and culminated in the fleeing of President Ben Ali), people came together, united, and peacefully stood their ground for their and others’ futures. Stunning artwork with vibrant use of colour and impactful spreads showing people power plus effectively presented information makes this a book that every school should purchase at least one copy of!
The Big Book of Nature Art by Yuval Zommer (Thames and Hudson Ltd, April 27th 2023)
Each book in Yuval Zommer’s ‘The Big Book of…’ series is a stunning work of non-fiction art and his latest book is not only a work of art but also a project book for creating art. In his introduction, he references Pablo Picasso in the belief that Every child is a (nature) artist. And the intentions are simple: every activity has just 4 steps; children are to be given choice over how they carry out tasks and they are to have fun. This first bit cleverly serves as a reminder to give children agency and learn for themselves when it comes to art: as educators and/or parents, many of us will have had the experience of a child enthusiastically wielding a paintbrush; wildly slopping glue or liberally sprinkling adornments such as glitter in their creative flow whilst we struggle not to intervene in some way (because the child is not, to our minds, doing it ‘right’). The first section – a double-page spread entitled, ‘Nature’s Treasure’ is a lovely starting point where readers are encouraged to ‘discover the joy of foraging’ but that this foraging needn’t just take place in nature but also in the home too: reusing and recycling. Zommer’s use of photography with a bird’s eye view of treasures from nature; art supplies; objects found at home and the hands of adults and children holding completed works of art is so clever and serves as a powerful visual invitation to join in. Then follows each mini-project including Forest Owls; Cardboard Cacti and (a personal favourite!) Woodimals: everyday wooden items given life through the magic that is some paint, some dried seaweed and googly eyes! But the project that brings us back to this month’s themes of peace and unity is the final one: Peace on Earth. A book that has simple enough projects using materials found in nature as well as everyday objects; lots of tips and lovely additions such as how to set up a gallery and advice for care of any creatures made, such as remembering to close the curtains to simulate night-time before children take their Forest Owls for a flight! Perfect for finding peace in doing something absorbing and gentle either in class or with children at home. Just gorgeous!
Posted in: Literature Review
