In September of 2019, the United Nations adopted a resolution to designate 2021 as the International Year of Peace & Trust. The UN’s resolution “underlined that the International Year constitutes a means of mobilizing international efforts to promote peace and trust among nations on the basis of political dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation in order to build sustainable peace, solidarity and harmony.”
In that spirit, we have created a list of reads that are related to the topics of peace and trust. You’ll find that this diverse list touches on an array of topics and a few are intended for younger audiences, but can be enjoyed by all. Each month we will highlight books from this list in the pages of our Books & Beyond magazine. All of the titles we’ve selected are available for checkout through Orange County Library System.
The Dog Who Lost His Bark by Eion Colfer, illustrated by P.J. Lynch
This month in our Read to Understand: Peace & Trust book series we explore a title for young audiences that has lessons for any age.
The Dog Who Lost His Bark is an uplifting story of a boy named Patrick who adopts a rescue dog. Oz, as Patrick names the puppy, has had a rough go of it in his short life and Patrick must work to gain his trust, which takes patience, ingenuity and, as it turns out, the healing power of music. Their budding relationship helps Patrick deal with challenges in his own life, as he struggles to understand why his father is distancing himself from the family.
The book is a first-time collaboration between two Irish Children’s Laureates. Readers will no doubt recognize Colfer as the best-selling author of the Artemis Fowl series. Lynch is perhaps best known for his award-winning illustrations in The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski.
