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Thursday, July 16, 2015

POETRY FRIDAY


If you watch the news at all, you know this has been a hard week in Denver. The trial for the Aurora Theater shootings has been going on for several months. I've tried not to watch very much of it, just because I can't stand that much sadness.  This week, though, I happened to be driving across town when they were doing the closing arguments. Then today, I was in the car again and heard the verdict. I felt so sad for everyone involved. And tonight I keep thinking about James Holmes' parents, probably sitting in a hotel somewhere in Denver, totally alone…

I'm really glad, then, to have a hopeful book to share this week. PAINTING FOR PEACE IN FERGUSON tells the story, in verse, of how the people of Ferguson, Missouri, came together to heal their town after the riots last summer.  Author Carol Swartout Klein starts out with several pages of verse…
In the small town of Ferguson
In 2014
Some people did things that
Were meaner than mean… 
Police were there
And protesters too
People were scared
Didn't know what to do…
But when morning came
Folks took one look around
And said we don't like
The looks of our town.  
After the first few pages, there is less text. The book is illustrated with photographs that show the people of Ferguson, all colors, all ages, all shapes and sizes rallying over the Thanksgiving weekend to reclaim their town by painting over 140 murals on the boarded up buildings. The book carries messages of hope and peace and the power of a caring community. It would be a terrific resource in a unit on peace or advocacy or community.  And not surprisingly, it has been chosen to represent Missouri at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in September.



Read another review and see more of the murals at Kid Lit Review.

Visit the book's website here. You can order the book there and proceeds, aside from printing costs, will provide arts program for the youth of Ferguson and also help businesses in the area.

Visit the Painting for Peace Facebook page here.

The Twitter handle is @PaintPeaceBook

Review copy provided by publisher.

Kimberly is hosting Poetry Friday this week. 

4 comments:

Linda said...

Carol, I'm so glad you shared this book. I'm going to get a copy for my classroom. I hope you're having a wonderful summer!

Linda B said...

Someone, or a group of someones, did a wonderful thing, didn't they? I haven't seen anything about this, Carol. Thank you for sharing.

Donna Smith said...

This sounds like an incredibly powerful book! Thanks for sharing it. I will have to keep my eye out for it now.

Buffy Silverman said...

What a hopeful and remarkable book! Thanks for sharing it.