Peace Train by Cat Stevens, Peter H. Reynolds
Published by HarperCollins on May 11, 2021
ISBN: 0063053993
Pages: 40
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

A young child, accompanied by their guitar, their cat, and two birds hop aboard the Peace Train as it travels the land, picking up a diverse group of people as it goes while spreading a message of hope and world peace.

This is a picture book adaptation of Cat Stevens’ song, “Peace Train”, recorded in the 1970’s. One line of the song graces each page along with the vibrant illustrations typical of Reynolds. The illustrations complement the lyrics as they start off as a purple-blue hue that gradually turns from early morning into a bright blazing yellow day. There is a shift back to darkness when the lyrics about sadness and hate come into play, but as the lyrics turn back to hope, we return to a brighter, rainbow pallet.

The humans were drawn to show diversity in race and culture, though I found the attempts at physical ability diversity to be lacking. Between the cover and the pages, I located six people in wheelchairs and one person with a single crutch. I think that representation could stand to be stronger.

Includes an author’s note from Cat Stevens.

There is a sweet message here that would likely make a bigger impact when paired with the audio. Ages 4-8.

 

Kerrie Lattari, York Middle School, York