You, Me, We: A Celebration of Peace and Community

Inspired, per a creators’ note, by the work of Mahatma Gandhi and Maria Montessori, authors Gandhi and Hegedus propose a mind-expanding definition of peace in this gently insistent picture book. Opening lines interrogate the idea (“Where do we find peace?”) before proposing variations: it can be “speaking up” (“Can you please help me with my zipper?”), meditating (“Listening to the silence.// Alone or together”), cleaning up, learning, and more. While the creative team acknowledge the inevitability of conflict (“Peace isn’t always easy to find”), they also suggest that resolution can be found through curious connection (“But if we look at each other,/ ready to discover// peace is always there.”). Landazábal echoes the text’s sunny vision of community with light-infused watercolor, pencil, and gouache imagery depicting children of varied skin tones interacting. It’s a simple and inclusive vision of harmony. Ages 4–6. (June)