Peacemaking Illustrated
We recently read this book together with our kids at Immanuel, highlighting ways that peace can be offered to those around us. It’s a sweet story, featuring a diverse group of children creating peace through listening, turning away from violence, sharing, enjoying nature and family, and extending welcome.
What stood out to me most, however, was the practical applications of what feels like a nebulous idea of peacemaking in terms kids AND adults could imagine.
I didn’t grow up in the Mennonite church. When I married into a Mennonite faith tradition, I had never really heard of peacemaking unless you were talking about reconciling in Rwanda or hostage negotiations in another far away place.
I learned over the years that the Anabaptist vision of peacemaking included not just passive resistance to violence and war but also, a commitment to the ways of Jesus that bring about healing and wholeness and rightness in this world so violence and war aren’t necessary. I love this part of my found faith tradition, but as a parent, sometimes struggle with how to translate it to my children.
The following (including Peace is An Offering above) are some books we have found helpful to flesh out peacemaking concepts, as well as a memory trick for remembering what PEACE can be.
The ending of this book always makes me tear up. This story is a simple, quiet account of two girls developing a friendship during the segregated sixties, coming together when the world says they shouldn’t. The illustrations are beautiful and dreamy, too.
One of my kids favorites (because it includes a giant food fight), this book reads as a mirror of larger adult conflicts that start with small misunderstandings and grow into larger and larger divisions and violence. Friends Salma and Lily accidentally share their dismay at each other’s lunch choices, friends take sides, and eventually, after the explosion comes a vision for a new community of understanding.
With beautiful collage illustrations, this book traces the story of an art teacher who collects bullets from his town in Ukraine and turns them into thank yous for those who fed him and others. A good intro to Mennonite Central Committee and creative ways violence can be transformed.
I absolutely love the phrase “praying with our feet” as an invitation to walking out our beliefs in our community. And I love this celebration of community as tenderly and joyfully standing up for peace instead of an individual commitment to nonviolence alone.
When the adults in the town create a wall to keep out others who could harm them, fear spreads and the world gets smaller. When the children cross the wall, everything changes and there’s hope for genuine connection, exploration and home.
This middle grade or high school read is technically a sequel to The Wednesday Wars but can be read on it’s own. It explores the consequences of war on those who come home, divisions in a small town and what reconcilliation/justice really looks like, and the power of art to heal and connect. A funny narrator and interesting historical fiction are bonuses.
We read this book with our junior youth at Immanuel this spring and found it was a great springboard for discussions about ethical dilemmas, growing up and engaging with the faith of your family, and the cost of pursuing peace when the world is at war. Taking place in Harrisonburg!, this story of how Mennonites grappled with peacemaking in the Civil War is a good introduction to the history of Mennonites and also how their values matter today.
Finally, here’s a way we’re using as a family to remember what peacemaking even means. Maybe it will also work for you and yours, since the language we use rarely makes sense without some sort of expansion and context.
P- racticing the ways of Jesus
E-ven when it’s hard
A- nd helping to repair
C-onnections and right relationships with
E-nemies, friends, ourselves, the world and God
What are your favorite ways to talk about peacemaking in your home? What books, movies, language or memory tools do you find helpful in fleshing out this important concept?
