by Kathleen Pelley illustrated by Maurie J Manning (Child and Family Press Washington DC 2003)

contact information: Kathleen Pelley

ktpelley@aol.com

peace with ourselves-peace with each other

Kathleen delivered an incredibly beautiful and intoxicating message in her magical tale of hope. Dreamers like Kathleen's hero Rabbie can magically transform our worlds if we listen carefully to what they have to say. Rabbie does more than merely imagine in his dreaming. Believing that a giant can be more than he presents, in fact, believing he can become a king if he is treated like one is the recipe involved with this giant's transformation. This wonderful story is one for all ages to enjoy and share together and it contains many of the following peace-building elements:

• happy endings

• everyone winning

• nonviolent resolution

• imaginative and creative

• challenges existing stereotyping

• faith and hope

• peace with the environment

•     finding personal peace

•     …..an element that supports the idea that peace is possible

Rabbie works from his heart and carves "not what it is but what it can be". In a town far from his own village he finds that people are overwhelmed by the presence of a destructive and fearsome giant. The desperate towns people who are seeking help are encouraged by Rabbie to treat the giant as if he were a king.

Peace finally prevails as Rabbie's and the towns folk's belief transforms the giant, who becomes a sympathetic and generous king.

Fear and despair can be very debilitating breeding hopelessness and even more despair and helplessness.

"Love thine enemies" are precious words that profoundly echo from Biblical texts but our fear often feeds a different response from us when we are faced with danger and hopelessness.

Bringing the best out in others.....believing in each other's innate goodness is the powerful learning we can gain from this very special peace-building story.

Love is empowering and transformative and is the best peace-building tool we can create.

Critical questions to explore with children

• What was Rabbie good at doing?
• What did Rabbie discover hiding inside the wood he carved?
• Why were the villagers afraid of the giant?
• What did Rabbie offer as a solution to their problem?
• What changes occurred in the way the giant behaved?
• Does the story have a happy win-win ending?

Creative questions to explore with children

• What can you do to bring out the best in your friends?
• Are some people basically good while others are basically bad?
• How do kings behave?
• Who else can behave like a king can?
• Do you know of any stories about bad kings?
• How else could the story have ended with win-win?

©Teaching and Learning for Peace Foundation February 2005

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