Can You Say Peace?

by Karen Katz

International Peace Day is September 21st. On this day and every day throughout the year, children all over the world wish for peace. Karen Katz takes readers on a bright and colorful journey around the globe to meet some of these children and learn about the many ways to say peace!

Karen Katz's bright and childlike illustrations are the perfect way to introduce the very young to the concept of peace and this annual day to celebrate it.

Genres: Picture Books, Cultural, Childrens, Storytime, Multicultural Literature, Geography, Language

32 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 2006

About the author

Karen Katz has written and illustrated many books for children, including The Colors of Us, Can You Say Peace, My First Ramadan, Counting Kisses and Where is Baby's Belly Button. Long inspired by folk art from around the world, she was inspired to write her first book, Over the Moon, when she and her husband adopted their daughter from Guatemala, and she wanted to tell the story of welcoming Lena into their lives. Katz loves to paint and experiment with texture, color, collage and pattern. Besides an author and illustrator, she has been a costume designer, quilt maker, fabric artist and graphic designer. Katz and her family divide their time between New York City and Saugerties, New York.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/karenkatz

Reviews

[AleJandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creo que la idea principal de este libro es positiva y el autor tenía la mejor de las intenciones.
El libro nos muestra diferentes partes del mundo, nos presenta a un niñ@ que vive en ese lugar y nos cuentan como dicen Paz en su idioma.

Pero las imágenes se pasan de estereotípicas.
Por ejemplo, a USA lo representan como una moderna y ajetreada ciudad, a Paris con una imagen de la Torre Fiel, pero a México lo representan con un ambiente lleno de burros y gallinas. A Australia por su puesto les pusieron Canguros y en Japón otro pueblito comiendo arroz.

Buena idea, mal ejecutada.

[Lara · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author should have made sure all of the words for peace were correct before misrepresenting certain cultures and languages. The word for peace in Farsi is not correct. In an effort to make a multicultural book about peace, the author instead perpetuate's stereotypes. The illustrations representing Japan bothered me the most. It's disappointing that there are still books being published today that continue to take a "tourist approach" to teaching & learning about other cultures.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Katz is one of my favorite authors to choose for storytime! We celebrated diversity today in storytime by practicing saying the word "peace" in many different languages. This book is especially wonderful because there are pronunciations throughout the story. I felt confident reading it out loud to the kids because of it, and the kids all had fun practicing saying the words out loud.

[Nadia Sh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am an Iranian English teacher. I usually try to introduce other cultures and ways of living to my students. Today a friend of mine sent me this book as a recommendation to use as visual aids.

It was so shocking and painful for me to see such flagrant ignorance and misinformation in an international book meant to advertise peace.

The word peace in Persian is "Solh", in the book it is spelled "sohl" which doesn't mean anything in Persian. I am sure that this page has passed through multiple passes and should have been checked but alas it still ended up wrong which shows moreso the ignorance of the editors than their carelessness.

The illustration is even worse. It depicts people living in tents in the middle of the desert. That's how you chose to represent the very first picture a kid sees of my country. The American way of showing people from that part of the world living a basic life has been used as a systemic and deliberate tool to corrupt the minds of the youth to think less of people of other races and cultures and by printing such ignorant images you have contributed to that.

A quick google search would have shown you that there are more than 10 different races living in iran. Iranian people come in all different skin tones and eye colours. Even though all these races have their own traditions, languages and clothes, people wear normal attire in their day-to-day life.

You could have picked from the many famous symbols which represent Persia and help spread a positive and inclusive message of peace. Instead you chose to go the cheap and easy way of painting the whole middle east in the same brush and demeaning the point of your book. I hope you consider the implications that they have on the world. These kids are going to grow up with ideas embedded in their heads based on some pictures that you were too lazy to do your job and present properly.

[Alondra Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Can you say Peace?" written and illustrated by Karen Katz is a fictional book about peace(as indicated in the title). In it, it covers how to say peace in 11+ languages, and stresses the importance of peace no matter what your color or creed, and introduces the problem that there isn't enough peace in the world. It insinuates that people seem to ignore the idea of peace and instead show animosity towards one another or disregard others' feelings. Consequently, it leaves people unsafe and unhappy. I feel the target audience of young children was properly reached in this book. The language is simple and broken down into sentences that can be easily digested by the reader, and the images are colorful and appealing enough to draw children in. Personally, I feel that the illustrations are cohesive with the text, because the main idea of the book is peace among everyone no matter where you come from, so they have proper cultural characters representing different parts of the world and their languages. My main focus as a future educator is appreciation of cultures and diversity and I feel this book aims for what I hope to instill in future students. It introduces a variety of cultures and people that the children can identify with and see themselves in. It's not limiting whatsoever. Therefore, it would require them to open their minds to other cultures and people aside from their own .

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

2006, fiction. Teaches how children all over the world say "peace" and what that looks like for them. Multi-cultural. Shows students that it looks different for various people.

[Samantha Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

teaches you how to say peace in different langue

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a simple read. It is great if you are doing a study of the world 🌎 with early readers.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gathered this wonderful title for story time on Monday, September 22, 2025, the day after the International Day of Peace, Sunday, September 21, 2025.
On each page, we see a painting of a child in a country and how they would say "peace" in their languge. Very helpful that pronunciation is right next to each word.

[Marissa Flavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: Students travel around the world and learn how to say peace in different languages.

Characteristics That Support the Genre: The story’s colorful illustrations help exemplify different countries, so students have a better look at the variety lifestyles across the globe. It is also a wonderful way to introduce multiculturalism and the concept of peace to young children, especially since the story takes place on September 21st, International Peace Day. Giving readers the opportunity to practice multiple ways of saying peace in different languages is fun and engaging.

Mentor Writing Traits:
Idea- The story has interesting details for young readers, such as learning how to say the word peace in different languages and these readers want to keep reading the story to learn these different ways.
Presentation- The illustrations in the story are vibrant, colored patterns completed with representations of different countries characteristics. Students gain a better understanding of each of the countries lifestyles, landmarks, people, and culture.

Classroom Integration: This would be the perfect text to use on September 21st, which is is declared by the United Nations as International Day of Peace. Students could write about how they could promote peace in the world.

Other Suggestions: I also really like that the text states the word peace written in different languages, and then has the pronunciations in parenthesis after. Giving students this extra information on each page helps them correctly say the word and may spark their interest in learning more words in different languages or learning more about the countries because the illustrations stood out to them.

Book Level: 3.0, Lower Grades

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katz. K. (2006). Can You say Peace? New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Lively, colorful illustrations of boys and girls around the world, each saying peace in their native tongue. The last few pages clearly define what peace means to children, and offer even more ways to say it in other languages.

Although clearly different in dress and details, the charming sameness of all of Katz’s characters subtly remind the reader that we are all not so different. The illustrations are rich with patterns and each has its own unique ethnic flavor. A friendly book for primary children.

2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was geared to kindergarten students. Katz showed children of many ethnicities saying "peace". The theme of this book was children wishing, hoping, and asking to live in peace. It was neat because children will find how the word peace is said in different languages. They will also realize that children in different parts of the world do the same thing American children do (exp. go to school, play outside, walk in their town). Younger students will be able to relate to the experiences and have meaningful discussion about the differences/similarities in our world.

[White House Public Library]

An easy read with the exception of pronouncing the words in different foreign languages. Luckily, it comes with a handy pronunciation guide for each language featured in the book. This is a great way to teach kids not only about what peace is but how it is said and celebrated in other cultures around the world. The simple text makes it easy to read. At the end of the book, it repeats "peace" in every language over again so kids can practice saying each language over and over again.

[Jasmine Stocker]

On International Day of Peace and every day throughout the Year, children all over the world wish for peace. Karen Katz takes readers on a bright and colorful journey around the globe to meet some of these children and learn about the many ways to say “Peace”. This book is great for the young language developing minds. It also shows diversity which is great to introduce to students at a young age so they can start understanding the differences and similarities.

[Megan Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is absolutely fantastic! It discusses how people all around the world want peace and how peace say/pronounce the word peace. This book would be absolutely perfect for a lesson on introductions to other cultures. You could also explain that many of the freedoms that we are blessed with here in the United States are not allowed in other parts of the world. It is fantastic for lessons on friendships, other cultures, love, kindness, and obviously peace.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written for the UN's International Day of Peace. It talks about how children around the world want to live and love and play in peace. Readers learn how to say peace from children around the world, including--India, America, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Iran, Russia, China, France, Ghana, and Bolivia.

Collage and mixed media illustrate the diverse children from across the world.

[JoEllen Mccarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Multicultural text showing many ways to say hello and peace. I loved her previous book, The Colors of Us demonstrating the diversity in one neighborhood. In that text there is more beautiful language, but students will enjoy the vivid illustrations of characters though similar engaging illustrations.

[Zara Younus]

This well-illustrated book would be a great way to teach children of how children from other parts of the world say the word 'peace'. This book presents different languages, countries, and cultures. Students would write about how they could help promote peace in the world. I would love to do this lesson on International Peace Day (Sept. 21)

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely picture book about how kids all over the world ask for peace. I especially appreciate the pronunciations provided so that kids can Lear new ways of saying peace in different language. I think this makes this book great for a read aloud. The beautiful illustrations showcase the variety of the communities around the world.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this picture book suitable for children of all ages, we meet children from all over the globe and are taught how they say "peace."

At the end it shares a few lines of what these children want. It had me crying as I read it to my children. We all want to be safe and at peace.

Beautiful illustrations with bold colors and shapes accentuate the message.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be a great resource to teach children about different cultures. You could use the pictures to have students compare the different cultures. The illustrations are really cool to look at because they are so bright and colorful! I read this to a group of third grade students and they thought it was pretty awesome!

[Burbank Library Children's Department · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, simple picture book for little ones that not only helps them learn how to say "peace" in different languages but also helps explain the concept in child friendly terms. A new storytime favorite!

[Rosanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations of this book! Each page had a different child from around the world saying peace n their language. The children's face were adorable, and I liked the pictures showing the different landmarks of the countries.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is good for students to be able to learn about diversity. It is important for a teacher to have diversity available for students to learn about in the classroom, so I would include it on my bookshelf. It was a good read because of its content.

[Gianni Llano · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved how the pronunciation was provided for the different ways peace is said. I believe the author added this extra part in order to familiarize the children with various languages all around the world.

[Kelsey Ruggirello · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book teaches everyone that no matter where you are from in the world, everyone is a lot alike and want peace. They want to feel safe and be able to play outside, this teaches students that people from different parts of the world are a lot like them.

[Jamie]

All around the world children want peace. This story has several different countries with different children with how they say 'Peace' in their language. A great multicultural short story to share with younger children on the differences of the countries.

[Kristin Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to teach children how to say the word peace in many different languages. The illustrations are very bright, colorful, and perfect for younger children. This book can be used around International Peace Day (Sept. 21) to teach the concept of peace and why it is celebrated.

[Tricia Gleason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Promotes international-mindedness and awareness of International Day of Peace. I like that it includes the word for peace in a number of different languages on every populated continent. It is accessible to young learners as well.

[Sierra Dirksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about children from different countries all saying 'peace" in their own language. This book is simple and cute. It would be fun to share with a child to show them different ways to say one world. However, the different ways to say "peace" were sometimes difficult to pronounce.