Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz

Goom-jigi.  Kurtuku.  Heiwa. He ping. Peace.  Can You Say Peace? by Karen Katz is a book celebrating International Day of Peace (September 21).  The book has a static plot consisting of children all around the world saying “peace” in their own language.  Each child is accompanied by an illustration depicting life in that country.  The last page brings home the main message of the book that no matter how different people may look or live, everyone wants and needs the same things.  Although this book was very short and did not have much of a plot, I believe it has a very powerful message that all human beings need to be reminded of.   The illustrations had a folk art feel and  were vibrant and gave the book a hopeful, uplifting tone for the reader.  I loved how there were a variety of patterns on the buildings and clothing.  You could spend a lot of time looking at the illustrations because there is a whole bunch going on at once in them. 
            This would be a really great book to use with a kindergarten or first grade class.  I think celebrating the International Day of Peace is a great idea.   Children could create flags from other countries and talk about why peace is important.  I think topics such as “peace” are daunting and a bit abstract to young children unless they are made relevant to their personal lives.  So, I would encourage students to think about t how they can create peace everyday at home, in school, and on the playground.  To address this topic, I would probably split children up into groups of four and five and have them act out a scene where students chose peace or make a poster for peace that could be displayed in the hall.  Another reason I would use this book is because I think children would really enjoy practicing saying “peace” in these other languages.  I think International Day of Peace would be a great time to bring in games or songs that children in other countries enjoy.  I would definitely use this book in my classroom because it shows kids just how big the world is that we live in, yet how similar we all really are.
Year Published: 2006          Awards: Chosen for READ poster art