The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly.
Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the Day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire.
The Peace Bell was donated by the United Nations Association of Japan in 1954. It has become tradition to ring the bell twice a year: on the first day of spring, at the Vernal Equinox, and on 21 September to celebrate the International Day for Peace.
PHOTO:UN Photo/Manuel Elías
People by
A celebration of diverse world cultures from the brilliant Peter Spier, one of the most beloved children's illustrators of the last fifty years. In this breathtaking tour around the world, young readers can pore over the many details that make each country and culture unique and special--illuminated by Spier's detailed and witty illustrations of festivals and holidays, foods, religions, homes, pets, and clothing. In print since 1980, this classic, boundary-pushing book is a must-have in today's global age--a tribute to the ways in which we as the world's citizens are at once both different and the same. ★ "The Caldecott Medalist has created his most ambitious and impressive picture book so far, with minutely detailed and exquisite paintings of human beings on all four continents."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "A wonderful introduction to a global view that will answer and arouse curiosity in the young and act as an absorbing reminder for any age."--School Library Journal · The Christopher Award · An American Bookseller Pick of the Lists
One Peace by
One Peacecelebrates the "Power of One," and specifically the accomplishments of children from around the globe who have worked to promote world peace. Janet Wilson challenges today's children to strive to make a difference in this beautifully illustrated, fact-filled and fascinating volume of portraits of many "heroes for today." Canadian Craig Kielburger, who started Free the Children to help victims of child labor at the age of twelve, has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. Farlis Calle, forced to identify the body of a young friend--a victim of her country's civil war--started the Columbia Children's Movement for Peace. At age ten, Kimmie Weeks, a refugee from the Liberian civil war, came within a whisper of being buried in a mass grave. Almost miraculously he survived and vowed to make a difference in the lives of other children. At thirteen he established Voices of the Future, Liberia's first child rights advocacy group. Other portraits feature the accomplishments of children from Sarajevo, Japan, the United Kingdom, Cambodia, Afghanistan and the United States. These moving testaments to the courage and initiative of youth will inspire readers young and old.
A Is for Activist by
This bestselling ABC book is written and illustrated for the next generation of progressives- families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and everything else that activists believe in and fight for. A continuous bestseller for Triangle Square, we heard from booksellers around the country who clamored for a large format edition that would appeal to children over the age of 5. This engaging book carries huge messages as it inspires hope for the future, and calls children and parents to action.
Our Rights by
A girl who spoke out against her government for the rights of aboriginal children, a boy who walked across his country to raise awareness of homelessness, and a former child soldier who wants to make music not war. Here are true stories of kids just like you who are standing up for their rights. Read about how they have made a difference. Dylan Mahalingam from the USA started an online charity to raise money to fight child poverty. The bravery of Nujood Ali Mohammed from Yemen inspired other girls who were being forced to marry too young. Anita Khushwaha from India became a beekeeper to pay for school, even though it was considered a job only men could do. All of them are making a difference for children's rights.
The War to End All Wars by
Nonfiction master Russell Freedman illuminates for young readers the complex and rarely discussed subject of World War I. The tangled relationships and alliances of many nations, the introduction of modern weaponry, and top-level military decisions that resulted in thousands upon thousands of casualties all contributed to the "great war," which people hoped and believed would be the only conflict of its kind. In this clear and authoritative account, the Newbery Medal-winning author shows the ways in which the seeds of a second world war were sown in the first. Numerous archival photographs give the often disturbing subject matter a moving visual counterpart. Includes source notes, a bibliography, and an index.
Sachiko by
A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book A National Book Award Longlist Selection Jane Addams Children's Book Award Flora Stieglitz Straus Award A Booklist Editor's Choice "Magnetic and chilling in its simplicity."--The New York Times Book Review August 9, 1945, began like any other day for six-year-old Sachiko. Her country was at war, she didn't have enough to eat. At 11:01 a.m., she was playing outdoors with four other children. Moments later, those children were all dead. An atomic bomb had exploded just half a mile away. In the days and months that followed, Sachiko lost family members, her hair fell out, she woke screaming in the night. When she was finally well enough to start school, other children bullied her. Through it all, she sought to understand what had happened, finding strength in the writings of Helen Keller, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. Based on extensive interviews with Sachiko Yasui, Caren Stelson shares the true story of a young girl who survived the atomic bomb and chronicles her long journey to find peace. Sachiko offers readers a remarkable new perspective on the final moments of World War II--and their aftermath.
The Dead Eye and the Deep Blue Sea by
Too poor to pay his pregnant wife's hospital bill, Prum Vannak left his village in Cambodia to seek work in Thailand. Men who appeared to be employers on a fishing vessel promised to return him home after a few months at sea, but instead Vannak was hostaged on the vessel for four years of hard labor. Amid violence and cruelty, including frequent beheadings, Vannak survived in large part by honing his ability to tattoo his shipmates--a skill he possessed despite never having been trained in art or having had access to art supplies while growing up. As a means of escape, Vannak and a friend jumped into the water and, hugging empty fish-sauce containers because they could not swim, reached Malaysia in the dark of night. At the harbor, they were taken into a police station . . . then sold by their rescuers to work on a plantation. Vannak was kept as a laborer for over a year before an NGO could secure his return to Cambodia. After five years away, Vannak was finally reunited with his family. Vannak documented his ordeal in raw, colorful, detailed illustrations, first created because he believed that without them no one would believe his story. Indeed, very little is known about what happens to the men and boys who end up working on fishing boats in Asia, and these images are some of the first records. In regional Cambodia, many families still wait for men who have disappeared across the Thai border, and out to sea. The Dead Eye and the Deep Blue Sea is a testament to the lives of these many fishermen who are trapped on boats in the Indian Ocean.
Propaganda in war & peace by
Presents an introduction to propaganda, in both wartime and peace, and provides a discussion of what it is, its key players, and it history.
Our World in Crisis: Terrorism by
What is terrorism? How do terrorists differ from other criminals? What makes some individuals and groups decide to use violence to create terror as a means of achieving their aims? This book looks at the history of terrorism and analyses the motivations for its use. It looks at what is being done to tackle terrorism and asks readers to think about what they can do to help people in countries affected by terrorism, for example by fundraising for organisations supporting victims of terrorist attacks.
A Separate Peace by
Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read. An American classic and great bestseller for over thirty years, A Separate Peace is timeless in its description of adolescence during a period when the entire country was losing its innocence to World War II. Set at a boys' boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world.
An Irish Country Courtship by
After less than a year in Ballybucklebo, Barry Laverty is settling into the village, and with only a few more months to go before he becomes a full partner in Dr. O'Reilly's medical practice, Barry's looking forward to becoming a fixture in the community. But an unexpected romantic reversal gives him second thoughts. As much as Barry enjoys the rough and tumble of life in County Down, is tending to routine coughs and colds in a humble G.P.'s shop all he wants out of life? Doctor Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly is going through personal upheavals as well. After mourning his deceased wife for decades, he's finally allowed a new woman into his life. But this budding courtship is not going over well with Kinky Kincaid, the doctors' housekeeper, who fears having her position usurped by O'Reilly's new flame. Meanwhile, life goes on in Ballybucklebo. From a mysterious outbreak at the local school to a complicated swindle involving an unlucky race horse, the two doctors will need all of their combined wit and compassion to put things right again--just in time for their lives to change forever.
War by
A superb collection of stories about war from acclaimed children's writers, compiled by former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo--now with a brand-new cover look The drama, the cruelty, the courage, and the consequences of war feature in this collection of stories from Joan Aiken, Eva Ibbotson, Jamila Gavin, Elizabeth Laird, Geraldine McCaughrean, Margaret Mahy, Michelle Magorian, Michael Morpurgo, Eleanor Updale, Celia Rees, and other top children's authors. From the Crusades to 1970s Beirut to the Falklands, many aspects of war are explored in a collection of work that speaks powerfully to today's young readers.
After the war by
Summer 1945. The Second World War is finally over and Yossi, Ben and Mordecai are among three hundred children who have arrived in the English Lake District. Having survived the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps, they've finally reached a place of safety and peace, where they can hopefully begin to recover. But Yossi is haunted by thoughts of his missing father and disturbed by terrible nightmares. As he waits desperately for news from home, he fears that Mordecai and Ben - the closest thing to family he has left - will move on without him. Will life by the beautiful shores of Lake Windermere be enough to bring hope back into all their lives?
How War Changed Rondo by
A Kirkus Best Book of 2021: A Best Picture Book for Starting Conversations A USBBY Outstanding International Book of 2022 A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of 2022 War has come to the idyllic town of Rondo. Can three gentle but brave friends stop War's destruction and save their beloved home? Danko, Zirka, and Fabian live peacefully in the small town of Rondo, a magical and joyful place where even the flowers sing! Everything is perfect ... until the fateful day that War arrives. Having never experienced War, the inhabitants don't know what to do. They try to talk to it and fight it, but nothing seems to stop the spread of War's destruction and darkness. Harnessing the power of light, community, and song, Danko, Zirka, and Fabian, along with all their neighbors, must rally together to lead Rondo to victory. How War Changed Rondo reflects the darkness and pain that conflict bring and the wounds that linger long after it's over. This picture book serves as a tribute to peace, resistance, and hope, and was written and illustrated by Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv, a husband-and-wife duo from Ukraine.
Each year the International Day of Peace (IDP) is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. Never has our world needed peace more.
This year’s theme is Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals. It is a call to action that recognizes our individual and collective responsibility to foster peace. Fostering peace contributes to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will create a culture of peace for all.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, "Peace is needed today more than ever. War and conflict are unleashing devastation, poverty, and hunger, and driving tens of millions of people from their homes. Climate chaos is all around. And even peaceful countries are gripped by gaping inequalities and political polarization."
