War Is Over!

Gr 1-4–Based on the song by John Lennon and Yoko Ono and the Academy Award-winning short animated film, this is a story of war and finding hope in common ground through messages delivered by a carrier pigeon and a game of chess. Two fictional armies, designated by color rather than nationality, are fighting for unknown reasons during the holidays. Two men who have never met from opposing sides are waging their own friendly war over a chessboard with the help of Julia, the carrier pigeon, who bravely takes their chess moves back and forth over the lines. The selected color palette of the illustrations helps to soften the content and make it more digestible for young readers. In a time of division, even children will be reminded or made aware that we share more similarities than we think. Trigger warning: One death is shown. Julia the pigeon, dies delivering her final message.