Tag Archives: Nature

A Prayer For World Peace

Leave a reply

Jane Goodall, world-renowned anthropologist and conservationist, speaks out against greed, slave labor, animal abuse, bullying and torture, harm to the natural world, and more in this “family book” for adults to read along with their children. She asks for generosity to the living world and justice for all humankind in this nondenominational prayer for peace and equality. Beautiful double-page spreads of birds, animals, flowers, and humans are set on glowing, mysterious abstract patterns. Back matter includes a message from Jane Goodall as the UN Ambassador of Peace, notes about the Jane Goodall Institute and her Roots and Shoots organization, and a biography of the illustrator. mjw

Title: A Prayer For World Peace Author: Jane Goodall Illustrator: Feeroozeh Golmohammadi Publisher: Michael Neugebauer Publishing, Minedition Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-988-8240-49-4 Hardcover pages: 48 Age range:  7 up Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: British Author’s residence: England Illustrator’s ethnicity: Iranian Illustrator’s residence: Tehran, Iran Subjects: Hope, Justice, Peace, Prayers, Values

The Never Snowy Christmas

Leave a reply

A young boy living in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands wishes for snow on his island and comes up with ingenious and impetuous ways to get it. He asks a policeman. He saves his money to buy a snow maker he saw in an electronics magazine. He has a friend in Belgium send some snow. And he even puts flour in the freezer and then throws it in the air, only to get “grounded until he’s old.”  Cartoon-like illustrations showing US Virgin Islands architecture and landscapes accompany the rhyming text.  A note about the US Virgin Islands and information about the story and author are included. mjw

Title: The Never Snowy Christmas Author: Zenzi Hodge Illustrator: Jonathan Brown Publisher: Sandscript Publishing, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-9905662-8-1 Hardcover pages: 36 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Book setting: St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands Author’s ethnicity: Born in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands Author’s residence: St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands Illustrator’s residence: Utah, USA Subjects: Christmas, Dreams, Snow, Tropics

The Message Of The Birds

Leave a reply

The wise owl begins telling the Christmas story, with its message of peace, to a gathering of birds. The young robin asks why the birds don’t sing the story anymore and the partridge explains that people don’t listen. When the lark offers that perhaps people don’t understand the language, the inventive robin suggests that children listen with their hearts and they understand. And so, the birds fly far and wide singing the song of peace. The tale is not a traditional Christmas book. It is a universal story of peace that brings people together. The book ends with “Let there be peace. Peace on Earth!” and the word peace in over 60 different languages. The rich, soft, and realistic watercolor illustrations in wintry colors awaken warm emotions in readers and complement the text beautifully. mjw

Title: The Message Of The Birds Author: Kate Westerlund Illustrator: Feridun Oral Publisher: Michael Neugebauer Publishing Ltd.  Minedition Copyright: 2014 North American edition Original Language: German, French Original Title: Doe Botschaft der Vogel, Le Message des Oiseaux Original Copyright: 2011 ISBN: 978-988-8240-55-5 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 3-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Born in Florida, USA  Author’s residence: Salzburg, Austria Illustrator’s ethnicity: Turkish Illustrator’s residence: Istanbul, Turkey Subjects: Birds, Christmas stories, Peace