Wars
rage across the world, but rarely is
there talk of the efforts undertaken by ordinary people to promote peace. Sandra Moore and Kazumi Wilds tell the story
of one such effort in their picture book The Peace Tree from Hiroshima
(Tuttle, ages 8 and up). This little
bonsai was owned by the Yamaki family in Japan for almost 400 years, and it
survived the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. In 1976, the family and
the Japanese government gave the little tree to the United States, as a gift of
friendship. Moore, the American author, and Wilds, the Japanese illustrator, talk
about their bookmaking process in a KidsPost
interview for the Washington Post.
REACHING
OUT/EXPLORING PEACE
Discussion: Read and talk about the book and the idea of
two enemies giving and accepting gifts.
Writing: Ask students to write in their journals about
a time when they may have been angry with or hurt by a friend. Were they able to become friends again? What did they do to help heal the
friendship?
Sharing: As a class, talk about moving past anger and
fear to peace and friendship. World Peace Day is celebrated on September
21 every year. It gives people around the world a chance to reflect on
peace and do something to promote it, either as individuals or as a group. This guide
includes activities, from simple to complex, that might be done in the
classroom. Ask students to jot down
ideas of what they might do as an individual to promote peace. How about as a group of several friends or a
classroom? And there’s no need to wait
till September 21 to help promote peace; a new
year offers a perfect opportunity to do something, whether big or small.
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