‘First Day’ about peace; ‘Runaway’ an escapade

“The First Day of Peace” by Todd Shuster with Maya Soetoro-Ng, illustrated by Tatiana Gardel (Candlewick Press, Aug. 8), 4-8 years, 32 pages, $18.99 hardcover.

Peace is an abstract concept that seems to grow more and more abstract all the time. Most of the little kids I know are not abstract thinkers, and so the word “peace” can’t sing for them the way it can rouse hope in an adult’s mind.

I remember how terrified I was as a little girl during the Cuban Missile Crisis when we kids saw protesters holding signs that said the world was going to end. My mom’s calm reassurance was the only reason I got any sleep that night. When wars and rumors of wars billow up like storm clouds, it matters that an adult can tell a worried child about peace, how it remains a hopeful possibility wherever there are loving people. And as my mom told me, there are loving people everywhere, even in the places where the world is falling apart.

Stories like Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” present opportunities to help children start to grasp the value we assign to that word, peace. This new picture book from The Peace Studio (thepeacestudio.org) presents another opportunity.

It’s a parable. Two communities live harmoniously as neighbors, one atop a mountain, the other in a valley. Both have good people. The mountain people collect water from a river created by snowmelt. The valley people take their water from a clear lake fed by the mountain river.

Everyone gets along until a blistering hot summer dries up the river. Thirst and crop failures frighten both communities. When some valley people walk uphill in hopes of collecting river water, the mountain people shout them away. And when thirsty mountain people walk down to the lake, the valley people throw rocks.

These encounters create a rift that remains even after winter snow refills the river and lake. But there are no conflicts, because the

people stay apart.

Then a small incident leads to a big confrontation where people come to blows; but nothing is settled. Anger and fear remain.

And then comes an even hotter year with stormy weather. A huge flood all but demolishes the valley people’s homes. From the safety of high ground, a kind little mountain girl sees their suffering. She urges her people to help.

“From house to house, her idea spread. Love catches on.”

As we see as the story unfolds, generosity to suffering enemies creates strong bonds and a warmer understanding of how everyone benefits by working together. And then comes the first day of peace.

★★★

“Runaway Pond” by Nancy Price Graff, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline (Candlewick Press, Nov. 14), 4-8 years, 40 pages, $18.99 hardcover.

This is an adventure story spun from a historic environmental disaster that occurred in rural Vermont in 1810.

Naturalistic, detailed illustrations depict the happy lives of villagers living around a big pond created by a dam. We see the beauty of their world, the fun ways they celebrate the Fourth of July and everyone living well.

And we meet Spencer Chamberlain, a strong runner who always wins the Independence Day footraces beside the pond.

Then comes a rain so heavy it overflows the pond and breaks the dam that created it. The villagers who see the dam breaking know the torrent will drown people living downstream. How can they be warned? Someone thinks of Spencer. Then everyone cries, “Run, Chamberlain, run!” And he does.

Heroically, he runs faster than the water to warn the downstream people. He saves the day.

But the village pond is gone. Life changes in ways that bother folks, but slowly a beautiful marsh replaces the pond. People come to love it.

Clear prose, exciting illustrations and an easy-to-appreciate historical note at the end make this a good book to read aloud.