This was a very inspirational book about someone from history that I didn't previously know about, Peace Pilgrim. It is a great non-fiction picture book to teach children about her life, as well as energize them to live a life that has meaning and purpose. How amazing that she abandoned all of her material possessions to influence the world, and that she walked so many thousands of miles! The text is straightforward and the illustrations are engaging, and a biography page about Peace Pilgrim is included at the back of the book.

A beautiful true story about the power of one woman's voice and her commitment to spreading peace. I hadn't heard of Peace Pilgrim, but I always enjoy reading the stories of little-known women doing good and this story of kindness feels relevant now. Annie Bowler's illustrations colorfully bring her story to life.

Beautiful story about the peace pilgrim. I loved the illustrations and the way the book was written. I especially liked the end telling more about the peace pilgrim.

What a wonderful story of commitment and caring. The story of Peace Pilgrim needs to be remembered!

I shared this book with my Girl Scout troop on World Thinking Day. The theme of the event was "Peacebuilding" and one of the activities was to be inspired by a Peacebuilder. This was the perfect book for the girls to hear at this event. It sparked many conversations!

The author presents the story of Peace Pilgrim, who following WWII gave up the life she knew to walk across the U.S. talking about peace. She relied on the kindness of others in the community for her food and shelter. Her activism is inspiring and may reach young people to think about their impact in the world.

Acclaimed and prolific children’s author Kathleen Krull didn’t live to see the release of her final work, a picture book about Peace Pilgrim, a woman who crossed the United States seven times, even travelling to Canada and Mexico. (The book—at least the edition I read—comes out on March 23, and Krull died in January 2021.) The copyright page identifies the intended audience as children in kindergarten to grade one, but I think this picture-book biography would be better suited to students in grades two to four, as they have a basic understanding of geography and some notion of war and its human cost. Having said that, I will note that Krull’s book is extremely general, presenting only the vaguest outline of the story of Peace Pilgrim (born Mildred Lizette Norman in 1908). In that regard, it does seem geared to the youngest school-aged kids.

According to Krull’s telling, the woman who changed her name to Peace Pilgrim, was once a lover of fancy shoes and clothes. One evening, she was taking a walk in a moonlit forest when she had a sort of epiphany: the way she’d been living her life lacked meaning. She had a brainwave about walking 25,000 miles to spread a message of peace; she would challenge people to reconsider their view of war as just an ordinary part of life. She prepared herself for fifteen years, regularly walking long distances and learning how to survive in the natural landscape. Her first “pilgrimage” began at the Rose Parade in Pasadena California on a New Year’s Day. Krull identifies no dates in this book. Peace Pilgrim is depicted as an older woman in the illustrations, and the images of the cars give a young audience clues that the woman’s journey(s) occurred some years ago. Readers learn a few of the places Peace Pilgrim travelled, that she often spoke at schools and houses of worship, and that she made many friends. People she met along the way generously offered her meals and places to sleep. Other times she slept on beaches, in forests, and, in fact, anywhere that offered shelter.

At the end of the book, Krull provides a very short biographical note, which answers a few questions about this unusual woman. The author also lists two sources for further reading. Although attractively accompanied by artist Annie Bowler’s bright but gentle pastel-coloured illustrations, many with circular motifs, the text is a bit too sketchy to be satisfying. I imagine that teachers might find this book useful for presenting and practising the reading strategy of questioning, as there is so much missing from Krull’s account of Peace Pilgrim’s life, including Mildred Norman’s motivation for taking up her itinerant life. This is certainly not my favourite work by Krull. It’s too vague, and, though clearly intended to inspire, the character of the central figure doesn’t really come across on the page.

For anyone interested in reading a bit more about Norman’s life, storyteller and archeologist Debra Eve’s website, Later Bloomer, is helpful. There’s a nice piece there about Peace Pilgrim, complete with photographs and her last radio interview:
https://laterbloomer.com/peace-pilgrim/

Peace Pilgrim..... I had never heard of her until this book. The story of this lady is quite remarkable and I found the illustrations to be beautiful. The books is a great reminder of the impact one person can have in the world. Giving your comfortable life up to walk around the country and spread the word of peace and love.

Thank you Flyaway books and NetGalley for the ARC of Walking toward Peace. This is a wonderful read and perfect for our current times and Women's History Month. Kathleen Krull does a wonderful job of sharing about Peace Pilgrim's mission and purpose. It is a story that I had never heard and felt it was told wonderfully with beautiful illustrations by Annie Bowler.

Stories of pacifists are not always told in a way that captures the interest of young readers. This picture book uses details like Peace Pilgrim's goal of walking twenty-five thousand miles, preparing for her trip by learning to forage for food, and the fact that she never carried any money to arouse curiosity. The illustration of a giant crayon tracing a path across the United States is the perfect image to show how she visualized her journey. The ways she immersed herself in "good thoughts and good actions every day" offer examples for others to follow. Illustrations of the areas she traveled through and the people she met help to show how large and varied our country is. The diversity of the children and families she visits also help to underscore the universality of her message.

Great for classes looking for positive role models, or parents looking for strong female heroes.

Beautiful pictures accompany straight forward text about Peace Pilgrim and her life story. Obviously, as a short picture book, this is just an introduction to her, but it paints a nice picture of her efforts and adventures. There's an author's note in the back with more information, including dates and her real name. This is an age appropriate introduction to social activism, even if it's not realistic for most of us to leave our lives and just walk all over the country without money or connections.A solid offering and conversation starter for ages 5+.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Walking Toward Peace by Kathleen Krull is a children’s nonfiction read aloud book. The story is about a woman who called herself, Peace Pilgrim. In 1953, Mildred Norman started to walk for peace. She considered war the greatest evil of the time. She walked across the country stopping when asked to speak at churches, schools or other places. She carried no money and survived on the charity of people, sleeping wherever she could and sharing her message.

The story of Mildred Norman as shared in this children’s book is wonderful. The Annie Bowler’s illustrations simply stated the message, showing a woman who walked everyday with everyone she encountered. Twenty five thousand miles of walking, speaking with people, asking all for peace. Even after her death, her message lived on. She was a 2019 honoree of the National Women’s History Alliance as a Visionary Woman: Champions of Peace and Nonviolence.

Walking Toward Peace by Kathleen Krull is a wonderful read aloud book to add to everyone’s library.

I had never heard of the Peace Pilgrim and it is certainly always nice to earn about past activists. My grumble: I do wish there was a timeline to show where she was, how long it took, etc. I think that span of time would be very impactful.

A Woman by the name of Peace Pilgrim wanted peace in the world of war and Chaos. She journeyed miles and miles to talk with people about peace. She had a purpose in life. I really enjoyed the artwork. The illustrations were on point and went with the storyline. The message was making peace, not war. That was this is a true story, and the real story is in the back of the book. I recommend this to all readers. I give it five stars

I love Kathleen Krull's books, and I enjoyed this one. The message of individual action and strong, simple commitment to peace is very powerful. I think this book would be a valuable addition to a biography collection, and a good choice for Women's History Month and for discussions of social activism and work for peace.

I did not find this book as vibrant and enjoyable as many of Ms. Krull's other works, however. I think it is a life story well worth telling, but I'm not sure it would come across well as a read-aloud. I found myself wishing for more specific detail and some dialogue. The Krull book I most recently taught in a library class was Starstruck, the elementary grade biography of Neil deGrasse Tyson. To me, Starstruck presents as a more engaging and lively book. The two subjects are quite different, and direct comparison is not really productive, but I did notice a difference in tone and feeling between Peace Pilgrim and many of Krull's other books.

I love when a children's book can teach children about an important historical event or person in a way that is accessible to them. This story of Peace Pilgrim teaches children that you don't need to have a lot to spread messages of peace and that small acts of kindness along the way goes a long way. The illustrations were beautiful and connected big concepts to the story. This would be worth reading to classrooms as well as at home.

I received a copy from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I had not heard of Peace Pilgrim before reading this book. I consider myself a promoter of peace and when I saw the title I knew I needed to read the book. Peace Pilgrim used walking to keep her connected with people. I wondered how she could accomplish her goals without any money. Food, shoes, personal necessities, and her postage were all dependent on the kindness of strangers. Without social media, she was dependent on papers and TV to carry her message. Peace Pilgrim is someone that everyone should meet. Kathleen Krull researched and shared her knowledge in a picture book. Other resources are available. The publisher has a worksheet available also to readers. I highly recommend Walking Towards Peace for every public and school library.

I received an electronic ARC from Flyaway Books through NetGalley.
Krull offers a biography of Peace Pilgrim for elementary level readers. At the beginning, readers see her life prior to her decision to make pilgrimages across the United States. She committed to walking cross country to share her message of peace. Peace Pilgrim chose to speak to anyone who was willing to listen and made several journeys around the US as well as spending some time in Canada and Mexico. She was still journeying when she was killed in a car accident. The illustrations offer glimpses into her life. The text is simple to follow for younger readers.
A great read aloud to begin dialogue about passion and commitment to a cause as well as discussions about changing world situations.

This is an extremely moving story about a woman who decides to leave behind her possessions to walk across America to promote peace to the nation. I loved the soothing illustrations that beautifully portrayed the message of hope and unity, and I thoroughly recommend this inspiring story to everyone!

This book is the life story of a woman who walked her way to happiness. She even changed her name to Peace Pilgrim and began to just walk. While walking she would help people wherever she met them. She also was able to sleep and eat with others that she had helped. She was well known throughout the world. This would be a wonderful read aloud book or just a bedtime story for you and your child to read together.

This gives a touching insight into journey of the peace pilgrim Mildred Lisette Norman.

This book makes the pilgrimage really accessible to children, describing Mildred’s thoughts and feelings and the reasons behind her pilgrimage.

The text highlights many acts of kindness from strangers which has remained with me long after finishing the book giving a heartwarming and wholesome feel to the book.

There’s a section at the end that details further information about the pilgrimage such as Mildred being arrested on more than one occasion and how her voice added momentum to movements across America.

Many thanks to Flyaway books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this lovely book.