“The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace” has music that partners with it!
children’s book award winner has companion music: I STOP for Peace
Peaceful conflict resolution is a critical skill in this world. This particular book is well loved by the children who have it and has excellent Amazon reviews. The music helps children internalize the skills and they get to hear other children doing the steps for conflict resolution so their own work becomes more important. Check it out here. (The music is below the books on that Amazon link.)
Many Children’s Book Awards for these books
Children’s book awards from the 2018 Indie Human Relations Award committee went to both “I Can See Peace,” and “The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace.” The Director’s Choice children’s book awards celebrate books in a variety of categories.
Children’s book awards for “I Can See Peace” include Peace Book of the Year.
The Big Award was for the Peace Book of the Year!
“I Can See Peace” released on September 21, International Day of Peace, in St. Paul, MN (video shows excerpts from that event), was awarded the Indie Human Relations Peace Book of the Year Director’s Choice Award. This award was not just a children’s book award. It was awarded over all submitted books!
“The outstanding children’s book, ‘I Can See Peace’, published by Growing Communities for Peace: Smart Tools for Life was recently selected as the 2018 Human Relations Peace Book of the Year by the Human Relations Indie Book Awards. It was judged against the entries in all categories, not just children’s books. The focus of the Human Relations Indie Book Awards is to recognize outstanding indie authors who write on human relations topics,” stated Susan Peterson, the organization’s representative.
The illustrations, by California illustrator, Jeanine-Jonee Keith, depict multicultural children seeking peace, even when they are struggling with conflict, illness, family arguments, and disability.
Why these books matter
“Peace is always around us,” said Penshorn. “The challenge is that peace is not the only thing that’s around us. In this book, children and families discover that by focusing attention on nature, and the wonderful and peaceful things in their lives, they are building the muscles to see and experience more peace. This is helpful for the mental health of anyone. By starting with young children this approach to life becomes a habit. Today our world provides substantial stress for children and families. These books give families the tools to communicate about important topics supporting mental health and conflict resolution so the entire family can improve its skills.
Childhood trauma affects all children
“Childhood trauma can have lifelong negative impacts, and all children suffer at some point in their lives from a trauma, no matter how much we try to protect them. Some suffer greatly. Our nonprofit, Growing Communities for Peace, created the Smart Tools for Life project to provide memorable and engaging children’s stories. Learning about peace and nonviolence can be a normal activity for families and schools and can be fun and impactful. Since whoever tells the stories creates the culture, our organization seeks to build a culture of peace beginning with children’s stories. We include music because it helps the skills sink into the hearts and minds of children for life,” commented Rebecca Janke, M.Ed., Montessori teacher trainer, and GCFP board member.
Penshorn added, “We spend a lot of time discussing the best ways to protect our children from gun violence in their schools, or strangers on our streets. As important as these discussions are, raising peaceful, compassionate kids is the best way to protect future generations!”
Share information with your friends about these children’s book awards
You can bring these books to more people! Write a review, tell us how your kids, grandkids and students like these books, and share links to this blog and our facebook page. Be sure to “like”the Facebook page.
The book release event was in conjunction with Twin Cities Nonviolent and its Ten Days Free From Violence Campaign. Find out more at www.twincitiesnonviolent.org. #ICanWagePeace.
For information about these events, author visits to your classroom, or accessing these books for your classroom or home contact Julie@smarttoolsforlife.com. The books and music are available on Amazon.
Some New Reviews from Online Book Club for “I Can See Peace”
“What an amazing book geared for children to learn how to calm situations and tells them they have the power to create peace. I liked the drawings and the multicultural aspect of this book.” Online Book reviewer
“Children are the future, and the only way to insure lasting peace is for the children to see it as the only option that makes sense. The cover and title are bright and would appeal to children of all ages. I liked that the synopsis showed that the readers are taught ‘mindful breathing and intentional seeking to learn to deal with their strong emotions and find their way back to peace.’ Peace in the world begins with peace within.” Tiny Turtle
“The pictures are calming e.g. the horses at rest. I like that the pictures show diversity of race. The questions at the end are useful for teachers or parents. I like, in particular, how the book covers peace in all its forms e.g. being sick in hospital. I also like the inclusion of a song at the end.” Laura Bach
Reviews for The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace from Online Book Club
Read a few of many by clicking these links.
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=114&t=86583
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=114&t=64510
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=114&t=63645