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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Peaceful Heroes, written by Jonah Winter and illustrated by Sean Addy. Scholastic, 2009. $22.99 ages 8 and up


"They would die for their cause, but they would not kill for their cause. They are the modern heroes. There are the peaceful heroes. This book contains just one list of such heroes. There are dozens of lists that could be written. And they are many peaceful heroes among us - parents, friends, and others who have risked their own lives to help other people. Perhaps you could come up with your own list of peaceful heroes..."

Now, there is another one of those invitations that are hard to refuse.

Jonah Winter begins with Jesus of Nazareth, the 'world's original peaceful hero'. His story is one of helping all people, and of living his life for love and peace. His story provides a model for the peaceful heroes to follow.

Each four page entry provides the time in which the hero lived, information about their life, a mixed media collage illustration of the person being portrayed and some of the events that describe their peaceful ways. They are men and women to be immortalized and honored for the differences that they made in the their time and for our time.

Some are known to many, while others are not. Mahatma Gandhi is here, as are Martin Luther King and Clara Barton. Oscar Romero is honored, along with Meena Keshwar Kamal and William Feehan. Each is a 'peaceful hero' and a citizen of the world worth honoring for their spirit, their bravery and their work to make life better for all.
Bravo to Jonah Winter for bringing them honor in this wonderful book!

Who is your peaceful hero?

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