Sparking Peace Blog Tour: Review and Prize Pack Giveaway

Gun violence is a disturbing topic that many parents may find difficult to discuss with their children. Sparking Peace suggests an age appropriate approach to starting that must-have conversation. Learn more about this unique picture book by Teresa Kim Pecinovsky and Hannah Rose Martin and enter to win a signed copy, along with a $50 Amazon gift card!

My Review:

Inspired by the innovative work of RAWtools, a nonprofit that advocates for nonviolence by turning guns into garden tools, Sparking Peace crafts a gentle and thought-provoking tale regarding trauma, grief, gun violence, healing and hope.

A little boy accidentally breaks the window of his neighbor Miss Winifred. As a remedy, he is asked to help clear out the lady's messy backyard and start growing a garden in the newly available space. To the boy's surprise, he sees Miss Winifred at an unusual community event, where people with sad faces gather around a forge and follow a blacksmith's lead to hit a hot piece of metal one by one. What is the purpose of this gathering? Where does the metal piece come from? What is it forged into?

Told from an innocent little boy's point of view, the story develops with an element of suspense that keeps readers wondering what the young protagonist can't fully understand while searching for clues in the pictures that accompany the narrative. With no explicit reference to gun or violence in the main body, it treats the sensitive subject with subtlety, letting parents or educators to decide the depth of discussion they desire based on their children's age and emotional capacity. The book concludes with a brief introduction to RAWtools, advice about how to talk with children about gun violence, and a discussion guide to help readers get the most out of this touching tale.

The delightful transformation of Miss Winifred's backyard from a junkyard to a garden, along with the implicit transformation of a gun part into a garden tool, inspires young readers to make amends for their mistakes, to seek creative solutions to a problem, and to resolve conflicts without the use of violence. Besides, the story showcases the beauty and healing power of friendship and kindness. The illustrations artfully capture the transformative processes through contrasting scenes and changing expressions. Meanwhile, they supplement the text with useful details that help evoke the readers' empathy and deepen their understanding of the underlying message.

Engaging and enlightening, Sparking Peace makes an impactful read for both children and adults, offering great tools and resources to address growing concerns over the prevalence of firearm violence in the country.

About the Book:

Ages 5+ | 40 Pages
Publisher: Herald Press | ISBN-13: 9781513813707

Broken into beautiful. A story of friendship and healing.

After breaking a neighbor’s window, a young child discovers friendship, transformation, and new beginnings in an unlikely story of peace. Gentle and moving, this poetic tale offers readers a hopeful path in the face of gun violence and despair, showing kids how peacemaking can turn conflict into friendship and new beginnings—and forge guns into garden tools.

Children grow up with lockdowns and gun violence as part of their reality. As parents, caregivers, and educators, how should we respond? Sparking Peace provides a springboard for those seeking to discuss gun violence and trauma with children in a safe way that highlights help rather than harm. This picture book helps children learn about conflict while also carefully addressing gun violence and peacemaking. It includes resources that equip parents and educators to talk about gun violence and trauma, using a story of a broken window to show kids how conflict can be transformed through acts of peace. Suggested reading for ages 5–9.

Purchase links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org

About the Authors:

Teresa Kim Pecinovsky holds a master of education from the University of Houston and a master of divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School. She is an ordained minister through the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Rev. Teresa is the author of the children’s book Mother God and coauthor of The Peace Table. A healthcare chaplain, she lives with her family in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Hannah Rose Martin has had a passion for children’s education since she was in the 2nd grade, which led to a bachelor’s degree in education. She began teaching in an elementary school and is now a reading interventionist and Mennonite pastor in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is a wife and mother of two energetic children who love books. She was inspired to teach and write because she saw a need for curriculum and books that engage children’s creativity and their role in the community around them. She hopes that Sparking Peace encourages parents and caregivers to have deeper conversations with children and together find that they are just one imaginative idea away from a transformed world.

About the Illustrator:

Gabhor Utomo was born in Indonesia. He moved to California in 1997 to pursue a career as an artist. He received his degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in spring 2003. Today, he works as a freelance illustrator and has illustrated numerous children’s books. His first children’s book, Kai’s Journey to Gold Mountain, tells the story of a young Chinese immigrant on Angel Island. Gabhor’s work has won awards and recognition from local and national art organizations. His painting of Senator Milton Marks is part of a permanent collection at the California State Building in downtown San Francisco. He also created posters for the Mountain Play, an outdoor theater in Marin County, California. He lives with his wife, Dina, and their twin daughters in Portland, Oregon.

One lucky Grand Prize winner will receive a signed copy of Sparking Peace and a $50 Amazon gift card!

Nine additional winners will each receive a signed copy of Sparking Peace!

Giveaway ends 8/9. Open to US only. Please enter below. Good luck!

Sparking Peace: Book Giveaway

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Herald Press. All views and opinions expressed are my own. icefairy's Treasure Chest is not responsible for winner selection or prize fulfillment.