In March, 2026, World BEYOND War will be holding a weekly discussion
each of four weeks of four powerful antiwar picture books for all ages
with the author Kathy Beckwith.
When you register for the club, Kathy will send you four signed books!
One book will be discussed each of the four weeks.
We'll let you know the Zoom details to access the discussions when you sign up here.
When:
For one hour on Tuesday March 3, 10, 17, and 24, 2026, beginning at
UTC 00:00, which is 2 p.m. in Honolulu, 4 p.m. in Los Angeles, 6 p.m. in
Mexico City, and 7 p.m. in New York, and . . .
. . . the next day, Wednesday, at 8 a.m. in Beijing, 9 a.m. in Tokyo, 11 a.m. in Sydney, and 1 p.m. in Auckland.
Where: Zoom (details to be shared upon registration).
This is a small group series with limited space of up to
approximately 18 people. Sign up to reserve your spot. We look forward
to reading and discussing these important books with you!
About the Books:
Four picture books will be featured, one book per week. Conversation
will spring from the week’s book selection, including questions about
using picture books for transforming habits, bringing hope, challenging
the status quo, creating empathy and understanding, and just for
inspiration and fun. Time will be made during the four sessions for
participants’ report on their own most impactful picture book, and for
Kathy’s description of other picture books she has found to be absolute
treasures to share with children. Kathy’s own four featured books are:
Week 1: Diddlysquat
Diddlysquat is a little story about 1 orange, 2 people
desperate to have it, 3 geese, and a court jester with all the answers.
Or not. When the jester takes over and insists on the one and only
perfect solution, the geese (and the readers) realize that a little
pause and a little problem-solving could have done wonders. DIDDLYSQUAT
is both whimsical and full of wisdom, a picture book that shows the
benefits of communicating before jumping to conclusions or making
demands. It is an inspiration for learning conflict resolution skills,
ways of friendship, and skills of leadership. It is written to delight
the young child, but is equally meaningful to youth and adults who
experience an ah-ha moment over the surprise ending.
Week 2: If You Choose Not to Hit
Conflict is a part of life. That's true for all of us, including
kids. When children realize they can resolve conflict in positive ways
that really work, and when they CHOOSE not to hit, fight, name-call, or
hurt back in other ways (and they certainly don't have to ignore the
problem!) they become powerful SOLVERS. Delightful illustrations,
rollicking rhyme, and a cast of charming animal characters join the kids
we meet, who are facing real-life challenging scenarios, and bring us a
book that can inspire and change lives. (It’s a great toolbox for
adults too.)
Week 3: The Mediators
Kathy says that one of life’s greatest gifts to her has been the
opportunity to work as a school mediation trainer and volunteer as a
school mediation coach for 33 years. This book tells of 4 ½ real
mediations, from the many hundreds that she has seen during her work.
And the threat that opens the way for that ½ mediation, is worth the
whole book! She believes in the power youth have to help themselves and
others by being good problem-solvers, and notes that peer mediation is
one of the best ways for youth to experience and learn life-long skills
at the same time their real-life problems at school get worked out. Yet
mediation programs in schools are becoming fewer and farther between.
Can the power of these stories impact that situation? Do kids deserve to
experience the skills of problem-solving through mediation, just as
they experience reading skills, for example?
Week 4: Playing War
This 2020 paperback edition of the original 2005 Playing War is
Kathy’s favorite. It includes author reflections on how the book came
to be and even a new ending. She says: Our world needs smart
problem-solvers who are curious, empathetic, understanding, and fair.
Childhood is the time to begin to learn those skills – in the backyard,
on the playground, in the classroom and living room, and in the pages of
a book like Playing War.” When a new boy in the neighborhood
doesn’t want to play war, and the children learn why, things change.
Children’s Literature said, “No elementary school classroom should be
without this book.” Diane Levin, Ph.D. and author of The War Play Dilemma, says, “Playing War
does what no children’s book before it has done. It provides the forum
adults and children need to feel safe talking about the real human
impacts of war.” You will hear how this book came to be, what country
the publisher thought it was about, and what country Kathy thought it
was about, and why. Kathy wants your ideas: When is the time to
introduce books that are sad, but perhaps essential to developing
empathy and understanding?
About the Author:
Kathy Beckwith is author of A MIGHTY CASE AGAINST WAR: What America Missed in U.S. History Class and What We (All) Can Do Now and the novel ENCOUNTER: When Religions Become Classmates – From Oregon to India and Back,
as well as training materials for mediation and conflict resolution and
the picture books listed. She lives on a small farm in Oregon with her
husband Wayne (and his mules – which she describes in her TEDx Talk “It Is Time to Abandon War”.
She enjoys reading picture books with her grandkids, looking for
“singing places” and heart-shaped rocks, and walking on the country road
near their home, in most any kind of weather. She has trained student
mediators in the U.S. and in India, and has volunteered with Friendly
Water for the World in Kenya, Uganda, India, and the U.S.
World BEYOND War is a global network of volunteers, chapters, and affiliated organizations advocating for the abolition of the institution of war.
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