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Children's Hope in Times of Trouble
By Nicole Jones
Nov 21, 2001 -- Out of War: True Stories from the Front Lines of the Children's Movement for Peace in Colombia, Sara Cameron, Scholastic Press, 2001, ages 10-18, 185 pages (*****)Sara Cameron, in cooperation with UNICEF, travels to war-torn Colombia to research the Children's Movement for Peace, nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. Skeptical that children can change the circumstances of a nation entrenched in civil war for over forty years, she interviews more than 150 children who are part of a movement dedicated to enforcing Colombian children's right to safety. Deeply affected by the stories she hears, her initial report to the Nobel Committee evolves into this book documenting the personal tragedies and triumphs of nine children involved in the movement. Although the children appearing in the book are teenagers, nearly all of them became part of the movement when they were as young as five years old.
The neighborhoods of Bogota are dangerous; the national militia and independent military guerrillas force families from their homes without reason, conscript young boys to become part of their gangs, and mass unemployment causes many to rob and plunder anyone with anything of value. Massacres regularly occur and millions of people are terrorized and displaced to other equally ravaged barrios. Families are ruined both by the violence they are surrounded by and also the violence within many of their homes. There is a low standard of education, and many children are unable to attend school at all because they must work to support their families. Many people are murdered by local gangs, mistaken as sympathetic toward a rival gang.
The Children's Movement for Peace was born out of the concern that groups like the Catholic Church, the Colombian Scouts, Red Cross, Redepaz, and the Federal Way-based organization World Vision had for Colombian children. They enter schools and put on programs, provided after-school fun activities, and train youth to reach out to their peers in order to educate them of their rights and hopefully save the lives of some that might accept the violent guerrillas' invitations to join them in order to have protection and money.
The children's informal narratives, only minimally stilted by translation, effectively enhance the poignancy of the already powerful stories. Readers will be inspired by the proof of genuine influence that others their age have had, both over peers and adults. These Colombian children actively recruit hundreds more children who will then train to do the same. They organized the Children's Mandate which most adults criticized and attempted to stop. Readers should be motivated to look for ways to improve the conditions of their own homes, neighborhoods, and communities. At the end of the book, Cameron provides the Web sites and addresses of many organizations directly involved in the Children's Movement for Peace that can give more information about the movement and how to help.
The singing dragon from The Night the Dragon Sang Me to Sleep. Illustration by Guillermo Becerra. |
Each year Half Price Books sponsors the Bedtime Story Contest. The winning submissions are used to create a book whose proceeds are donated to national literacy organizations like the A, E, I, O & You Project. This year, three local writers appear in the short story and poetry collection: Heather Mauhl (Woodinville), Daniel Barnes (Snoqualmie), and Eric Hickam (Snoqualmie). From the simple topic of autumn to the lament of a chicken about his "polka dots," a variety of lessons and stories are told. Some are humorous depictions, like Grandma Ninja, a few are folk tales, like Why the Oak Holds onto Her Leaves, while others are poignant, like Young William Xavier McKay.
The lessons will edify young readers as well as adults. Children will enjoy the anthropomorphistic stories of animals and inanimate objects in nature. They will also relate to the stories of children misunderstood by their parents, like Amanda McQueen who is the only one in her family to see exotic animals in her backyard, or Holly McPolly McDolly McBean who ignores her mother's plea to stop rolling in the grass and eventually convinces her mother to join in the fun of turning green like celery stalks. Multiculturism, family cohesiveness, and imagination are common threads tying all the stories and poems together.
The illustrations accompanying each piece are eclectic and apropos. They range from the child-like drawings of Astroboy and Armed but not Dangerous to modern, like in The Piano Recital. Children who don't read yet will benefit from the creativity that each detailed illustration inspires; more stories are sure to emerge.
Reader Comments
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| Juan Matheu De Paz | Dec 03, 2004 | Guatemala | 5'th grade student |
| I am making a power point presentation on my favorite author and if it is'nt to much to ask I would like to know where can I find information on Sara Cameron.I also enjoy Cameron's novels like her award winnig book '"Natural Enemies" and "Out of War" | |||
