Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi
Skylight Press, 2002
This non-fiction picture book provides 10 biographies of individuals who have worked for peace and justice throughout the world. Each bio is 2-3 pages in length and is beautifully illustrated by Stephen Marchesi.
Dinner Party: Ask students to investigate someone who has made a significant contribution to their community by promoting peace and justice. Ask each student to write a bio sheet for that person as well as 6-10 clues that would allow others to guess who the famous person might be. Host a lunch (dinner) for your class and ask the students to come as the famous person they chose. The teacher will choose one card with the 6-10 clues on it and see if the audience can guest who their famous guest is. When the students have guessed or identified the person invite that guest to come to the front and read the biography.
Time Magazine Cover: Bring in the Time Person of the year edition and tell the kids what its all about. Discuss the people who have become the Person of the year and what they did to receive that particular honor. Imagine that you were voted to be Person of the Year by Time Magazine in the year 2050. Draw your self-portrait and make it like the cover of the Magazine. Write an article that describes what you did to become Time Magazine’s person of the year. How did you contribute to peace and justice in the world? What significant contribution did you make?
Poem: Create poems for the individuals that appear in the book and for others that have contributed to peace and justice.
Investigate: Find out who are the activists in your community that work for peace and justice. Interview them and write their bio. Create your own local Ten Amazing People Book and then host an evening to honor the 10 people featured in your class book. Honor them with a poem, a song, a story about their lives and thank them for their contribution to peace and justice.
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Book review by Kevin McGee