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Peace & Equality Book Collection:
Peace & Equality Book Collection
10 Teams. 4 Weeks. 2 Words.
1 Incredible book collection.
The Peace & Equality Book Collection brought together diverse writers and illustrators from the United States to create 10 books in just four weeks. The books, aimed at children ages 3-8, explore themes related to creating a more peaceful and just world, with the goal of recognizing the work we must continue to do as a society to create social, political, economic, and cultural systems grounded in peace and equality.
Moving forward, Room to Read will continue to encourage innovative models of publishing and to support diversity in creative talent, to challenge established models of creation, distribution, and representation.
Watch the Peace & Equality Book Collection videos here:
Explore the Collection
Two children stuck in quarantine because of the COVID-19 pandemic struggle with distance learning. A pen pal assignment leads them to write a story together by sending each other letters and drawings through physical mail, ultimately using their imaginations to transcend their situations.
Editor: Kate Jacobs
Art Director: Elizabeth Gómez
How do we build peace? Letter by letter! See how four young activists find ways to stand up for others and for the planet—and how we can, too.
Editor: Carol Burrell
Art Director: Bárbara Astrini
My Elastical Fantastical Bubble
Hong-Yee loves her bubble. Most of the time she likes to be in her bubble with just her. But what will happen if she changes her bubble? Will it pop? Can she still be herself?
Editor: Archaa Shrivastav
Art Director: Elizabeth Gómez
Young Nia learns a lesson from her Aunt Geneva about the importance of the U.S. Census. She is reminded of the importance of the values of her community. Her aunt teaches her that being counted is a key way to make the community values of justice, freedom, and equality come alive.
Editor: Amy Maranville
Art Director: Kristine Brogno
Follow a friendly squirrel as she explores a charming forest and gathers acorns for her neighbors. Young children will delight in this sweet tale of friends with tails and how they help, and accept, every animal in their forest community.
Editor: Sally Little
Art Director: Semadar Megged
Izzy is eccentric and stands out from her classmates. Kofi is new to school and wants to fit in. When he gets an invitation to Izzy’s party, he’s not so sure he should go.
Editor: Erum Khan
Art Director: Indya McGuffin
Dré is sad that he didn’t learn about any African American inventors during a lesson on inventions at school. But when he and Daddy prepare for Mommy’s birthday party, Daddy shows him all the helpful, everyday items African Americans invented.
Editor: Catherine Karp
Art Director: Semadar Megged
Omar, an immigrant Palestinian child who grew up in Jericho and just arrived in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, U.S., makes his first wonderful friendship, and discovers that he does not have to lose a home to have a new home.
Editor: Stephanie Seales
Art Director: Kristine Brogno
Explore the concept of peace through lyrical text and warm, whimsical illustrations. Readers are invited to look at peace from various perspectives, to consider the different facets of peace, and to reflect on what peace means to them.
Editor: Danielle Sunshine
Art Director: Christy Hale
Yă’s Backyard Jungle is a story about a young second-generation Montagnard-American girl who lives with her younger sister, her hard-working parents, and her grandparents who take care of her and her sister while her parents work. When their grandparents suddenly move into a house of their own, the girls have to adjust to a life without seeing them every day.
Editor: Natasha Yglesias
Art Director: Kate Apostolou
More than just a library — enjoy other books from our projects around the world on Literacy Cloud!
Stay Connected
The Peace & Equality Book Collection is Room to Read’s first endeavor in developing children’s books within the United States. Our learnings and successes through this project have sparked an exploration of independent publishing in the U.S. as we aim to deliver physical copies of these books to young readers in communities who need them most. If you are interested in being notified when this book collection becomes available in print, sign up to stay in touch: