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Sean
the Veggie Man: A Children's Book about Gardens and Peace Can a children’s book help create a more peaceful world? What if we could raise a generation of young people who would not even consider war as an option for resolving conflict? There are many people and organizations working towards that goal, teaching concepts like Non-violent Conflict Resolution and Compassionate Listening |
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The Mother-to-Mother for Peace and Non-violence Program, a project of Global Coalition for Peace, is encouraging mothers in different parts of the world to form partnerships to support each other in raising their children in the ways of non-violence. Rose Lord, director of the Mother-to-Mother program, has written a book for young children that tells the story of a boy who wanted to make gardens instead of war. The story was inspired by a conversation with her three-year-old grandson that occurred one afternoon while he was helping her plant her garden. Sometimes
the effort to make a subject understandable to a young child can bring the light
of understanding to what seems like a very complex subject.
Sean’s questions helped his grandmother to see the simple truth behind
the seemingly complicated and un-resolvable issue of war.
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But as the book strives to
point out, the Earth offers an abundance of the things we need and if we just
stop being afraid and learn to share, there will be no need for war. Beautifully
illustrated by Rebecca Rose, “Sean the Veggie Man,” starts out with an
introduction from Max the dinosaur, who’s worried about the state of things on
planet Earth. Max tells us the story of
his friend, Sean, who as a little boy learned about gardening from his
father and grandmother.
He grows up with a love for gardening and for teaching other people this
joyous pastime. When, as a young
man, Sean is drafted into the army of an unnamed country, he is determined that
he will make gardens instead of war.
Children
of today have a steady diet of violence, on TV, in movies, on the news, in the
schools, in toys and video games and unfortunately, all too often, in their
homes.
Although the subject of violence is rarely discussed until some horrific
event occurs, there is all too much evidence of how it is affecting our
children. It is the hope of the
author and the illustrator that this book will be used to encourage children to
talk about their feelings about war and the themes of this story: that people
are the same all over the world; that the Earth offers an abundance of the
things we really need and that violence can be prevented by sharing what we have
with one another. If
we don’t want to create a world that is as uninhabitable for people as it is
for dinosaurs like Max, we will have to start somewhere to raise a generation of
children who will not even consider war as an option for resolving conflict About the Author, Rose Lord Rose
Lord is a wife, mother, grandmother, nurse, and entrepreneur.
While raising her family she operated a homebased medical transcription
business and founded the Home Business Association in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Her involvement in micro-enterprise included several years on the board of
directors of Pittsburgh’s Micro-Enterprise Assistance Program as well as
teaching a course in Homebased Business for the local community college. A
profound interest in diet and nutrition inspired Lord to go back to school to
study vegetarian nutrition. She has
been practicing organic and intensive gardening techniques for the past seven
years and has developed an all-natural baking mix which she currently produces
and sells along with a line of all-natural cookies.
Lord
is a co-founder with Victor and Linnette Landa of Global Coalition for Peace, a
non-profit organization incorporated in the state of Maryland. In
her work with Global Coalition for Peace she initiated and directs the
Mother-to-Mother for Peace and Nonviolence program. This project creates
partnerships between mothers in different parts of the world for the purpose of
supporting each other in their decision to raise their children in the ways of
nonviolence. Lord
is also the director of the Women’s Self Reliance Program, a GCFP program
whose purpose is to bring to women in economically depressed areas information
and courses of action which, when used in conjunction with their own skills and
knowledge, can help them to provide a healthier and more comfortable life for
themselves and their families. Information in the areas of nutrition, intensive
gardening and micro-enterprise are offered.
She has been implementing this program in the Peten region of Guatemala
since January, 2005. Lord has
been studying the relationship between food and peace since 1991 and is the
author of What I’ve Learned About Food and Peace. She also edits the
newsletter, Food for Peace and (R)evolution. About the Illustrator, Rebecca Rose
Rebecca Rose is mainly a self-taught artist who has
been drawing and creating art for as long as she can remember. Rose works out
of her studio, as she calls it, 'Rose Studios', outside of Pittsburgh, PA.
Rose is originally from Maryland and has been painting for over ten years. She
has created artworks that can be seen as far west as Alaska and as far east as
London.
Rose has spent several years working for nonprofits
and served two years in AmeriCorps (often known as, the domestic Peace Corps).
"Sean the Veggie Man," was a great delight for her to illustrate, as
she believes in the story's positivie message.
Rose's work can be seen online at
www.rrosestudios.com and www.myspace.com/rrosestudios. Please feel free to
email her at rrosepaintings@yahoo.com or call 724-431-6300.
Hear
the book being read
Orders and donations will be billed
through our sister web site Cornucopia Baking Company
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