The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Building Bridges: Peace, Salaam, Shalom by Callie Metler, Shirin Rahman, and Melissa Stoller, illustrated by Kate Talbot Spork (imprint of Clear Fork Publishing), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Suzanne Grossman Buy at Bookshop.org This sequel to Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom highlights the cooperative efforts of three girls, best friends of different faiths. In the earlier book, the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim friends planted a tree together in Peace Park. In the sequel, the bridge leading to the park has become unsafe and the children rally their community to raise money for its restoration, using brainstorming and teamwork.  The clear text is accompanied by graphic artwork that is color drenched and engaging. Jewish Hannah and Christian Molly present as white, while Muslim Savera has dark skin. Their classmates have a variety of skin tones and one child is in a wheelchair. The three authors represent the three religious backgrounds of the main characters. In

Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom by Callie Metler, Shirin Rahman, and Melissa Stoller, illustrated by Kate Talbot Clear Fork Publishing Category: Picture Book Reviewer: Cynthia Levinson Buy at Bookshop.org Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom by Callie Metler, Shirin Rahman, and Melissa Stoller tells the interlocking stories of three girls—Molly, who is Catholic, Savera, who is Muslim, and Hannah, who is Jewish. The girls are neighbors and elementary school classmates. Anxious on the first day of school, each child is fortunate to have a grownup who provides comfort through words and a necklace—a cross for Molly, a prayer for Savera, and a Mogen David for Hannah—which they notice on each other as soon as they meet. Their teacher shows them how to plant seeds. When the girls’ efforts are not immediately successful, they help each other replant. Through the winter, the colorful illustrations show the girls’ friendship blossoming as they play at each other’s homes. In