Teresa Kim Pecinovsky, photo by LeAnn Hamby
Teresa Kim Pecinovsky and Hannah Rose Martin are the authors of the new children's picture book Sparking Peace.
Q: What inspired you to write Sparking Peace, and what is your relationship to the organization RAWTools?
HRM: My husband, Mike Martin, started RAWtools in February of 2013 after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. I was a first grade teacher at the time and this tragedy moved us to action. He has been transforming guns into garden tools ever since and has spread that work across this country.
Being able to share about this work in a children’s book is an incredible opportunity to open up pathways for caregivers to talk about gun violence in a way that does not create unnecessary fear or trauma. Helping children find their voice and know they can make a difference in their world through their own gifts and imaginations is what inspired me most to co-write this book.
TKP: I have young children and wanted to share how RAWtools uses the biblical concept of “swords into ploughshares” with them. I am familiar with RAWtools through an event they did with my church when I lived in Houston, Texas.
Hannah Rose Martin
Q: What do you think Gabhor Utomo’s illustrations add to the book?
HRM: Gabhor’s illustrations make the words on the page come to life. The beautifully artistic contrast in colors from light to dark, the expressions on the child’s and Miss Winifred’s faces, the diversity in community around the hot forge; we are forever grateful that Gabhor shares his gifts with the world and accepted to be the illustrator for this project.
I must admit that I sometimes will judge a book by its cover- I am drawn in by a captivating cover and will pick it up off the shelf. Gabhor accomplished that same feeling for me with Miss Winifred taking the bigger hammer than what’s offered and making sparks fly off that hot piece of metal. Thank you, Gabhor!
TKP: I love the layers of emotion Gabhor adds with his evocative watercolors. He matched the feeling of our words with his illustrations, which can be a really challenging thing to do. His illustrations really bring to life the relationship the child has with Miss Winifred.
Q: How did you research the book, and did you learn anything that especially surprised you?
HRM: Working with RAWtools and being married to the executive director *wink*, I have a lot of experience with RAWtools and understanding the systemic and historical ways guns have been a part of society. I have also been able to transform the barrel of a rifle into a mattock and learn the ways the metal changes.
I mostly have learned through this work that it is not just the metal that changes, but our hearts and our relationships. Healing happens in these spaces of transformation and we see this in our Sparking Peace characters and their community.
TKP: As I have done book events and shared more about RAWtools I’ve been honored to know some of the stories of people who bring guns to be transformed into garden tools. There is a lot of trauma, but also hope and healing in these stories, and I hope our book can be a part of someone’s healing process too.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the book about the issue of gun violence?
HRM: I want children to feel inspired. I want them to feel seen and heard; for them to know they have a voice and they have people in their corner, working to make for a better tomorrow. I hope they feel empowered to use their imaginations and transform the things in their world that make them sad or angry or scared.
We do not have to keep doing what we see grown ups doing in our past and present. We can love and offer peace in new ways that are surprising and flourishing. We can start with something that’s broken, like Miss Winifred’s window. We can start with something new like a friendship. We can start.
TKP: I hope our book prompts discussions about how we can address underlying issues that lead to gun violence. Part of our discussion guide includes questions where we invite kids to think about what they can do with feelings of anger, sadness, etc. I also hope kids are inspired to find new ways to transform themselves and their community.
Q: What are you working on now?
HRM: I am working on some intergenerational lessons that coincide with Sparking Peace that will be available for free at the end of summer. I hope to write more children’s books that will be picked up by someone in need of reminding how loved and special they are.
TKP: I’m brainstorming a few ideas but nothing ready to share yet!
Q: Anything else we should know?
HRM: I would like to offer my gratitude to Ms. Sharletta Evans in Denver, Colorado, for being an inspiration of what it means to transform hearts through love and peace. She has taught me what mercy actually looks like and just how much we are connected to each other, even when it’s ugly and hard.
She is a big reason RAWtools and Sparking Peace exist and I hope we can all embody some of that hope she so graciously gives.
TKP: Sparking Peace is the kind of book that can grow with kids. For the very young, it can be a story about friendship. As children age and develop it’s a book that can be a resource as they face difficulties in their communities and world.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. This Q&A was conducted in partnership with Herald Press. Enter this giveaway for a chance to win one of ten signed copies of Sparking Peace! Plus, one lucky grand prize winner will receive a signed copy and a $50 Amazon gift card!
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