Oct
15
Written by:
host
10/15/2009 7:00 AM
We live in a world where wars and acts of violence seem to be ever present in the news. The discovery of the children’s book, Peaceful Heroes by Jonah Winter and illustrated by Sean Addy is a breath of fresh air in such a world. The heroes whose stories are told here provide hope that there are peaceful alternatives; violence does not have to be the way to change the world.
Peaceful Heroes introduces fourteen individuals who have changed the world. Each tale is unique. The lives of these persons have impacted the world in different ways. The common denominator among these people is their commitment to helping others through peace and not violence.
Peaceful Heroes begins with “the world’s original peaceful hero,” Jesus of Nazareth. The book does an excellent job of describing how Jesus is viewed by Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Jews and also discusses the fact that some people do not believe he existed at all. It goes on to say that regardless of which view you hold, the story of Jesus’ life as told in the Bible is “one of the greatest examples ever of how to be a human being.” Jesus taught a message of love and peace that was countercultural then and often seems countercultural now.
In addition to Jesus, the book briefly tells the story of Mahatma Ghandi, Sojourner Truth, Meena Keshwar Kamal and ten other persons whose lives were examples of what can happen when peace is embraced. Some of these heroes will be familiar to many; others are less well-known. All of their stories are powerful and inspiring.
I recommend this book as an addition to any church library. Using this book in children’s ministry will reinforce Jesus’ message of peace and love. This book is one that speaks to all ages. Youth and adults will learn from the book as well, and could then be challenged to discover more information about these peaceful heroes, or to come up with their own list.
I applaud the author of Peaceful Heroes for selecting heroes from many different countries, including India, Rwanda, Burma, Germany and the United States. These heroes are men and women of different ages. The actions of some of these heroes impacted the entire world. Others impacted their corner of the world. This attention to diversity makes the point that anyone can be a hero. Be careful, you might be inspired to be a peaceful hero yourself.
~Sally Hoelscher