Sparking Peace Awareness Tour presented in partnership* with Herald Press and The Children’s Book Review.
Get ready for an extraordinary virtual book tour featuring Sparking Peace, the groundbreaking picture book that shows children how conflict can bloom into friendship and hope can grow from the most challenging moments.
Over the next month, we’ll explore how authors Teresa Kim Pecinovsky and Hannah Rose Martin, along with illustrator Gabhor Utomo, have crafted a gentle yet powerful story that helps families navigate difficult conversations about safety, healing, and peacemaking.
In a world where children face unprecedented challenges, Sparking Peace offers something precious: a roadmap for transformation that shows kids how gardens can grow where conflict once lived.
Don’t miss this chance to be part of a movement that’s reshaping how we talk to children about healing, hope, and the power of peace. Follow along as we discover together how small acts of kindness can forge the tools for a better tomorrow!
AMAZING GIVEAWAY ALERT: Throughout the tour, followers can enter daily 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!
Mark your calendars—this is one book tour that will change hearts and minds AND could put this transformative book right in your hands.
Sparking Peace Virtual Tour Dates
| Wednesday, July 9, 2025 The Children’s Book Review Book Tour Kick-Off |
| Thursday, July 10, 2025 The Starlit Path Book Review of Sparking Peace |
| Friday, July 11, 2025 Deliciously Savvy Book Review of Sparking Peace |
| Monday, July 14, 2025 Country Mamas with Kids Book Review of Sparking Peace |
| Tuesday, July 15, 2025 Crafty Moms Share Book Review of Sparking Peace |
| Wednesday, July 16, 2025 icefairy’s Treasure Chest Book Review of Sparking Peace |
| Thursday, July 17, 2025 Get Outside and Read Book Review of Sparking Peace |
| Friday, July 18, 2025 Q&As with Deborah Kalb Author Interview with Teresa Kim Pecinovsky and Hannah Rose Martin |
| Monday, July 28, 2025 @nissa_the.bookworm Book Review of Sparking Peace |
| Tuesday, July 29, 2025 All Done Monkey Book Review of Sparking Peace |
| Wednesday, July 30, 2025 One More Exclamation Book Review of Sparking Peace |
| Thursday, July 31, 2025 Me Two Books Author Interview with Teresa Kim Pecinovsky and Hannah Rose Martin |
Sparking Peace Book Giveaway
Sparking Peace: Book GiveawayAbout the Book
Sparking Peace
Written by Teresa Kim Pecinovsky and Hannah Rose Martin
Illustrated by Gabhor Utomo
Ages 5+ | 40 Pages
Publisher: Herald Press | ISBN-13: 9781513813707
Publisher’s Book Summary: Broken into beautiful. A story of friendship and healing.
After breaking a neighbor’s window, a young child discovers friendship, transformation, and new beginnings in an unlikely story of peace. Gentle and moving, this poetic tale offers readers a hopeful path in the face of gun violence and despair, showing kids how peacemaking can turn conflict into friendship and new beginnings—and forge guns into garden tools.
Children grow up with lockdowns and gun violence as part of their reality. As parents, caregivers, and educators, how should we respond? Sparking Peace provides a springboard for those seeking to discuss gun violence and trauma with children in a safe way that highlights help rather than harm. This picture book helps children learn about conflict while also carefully addressing gun violence and peacemaking. It includes resources that equip parents and educators to talk about gun violence and trauma, using a story of a broken window to show kids how conflict can be transformed through acts of peace. Suggested reading for ages 5–9.
Buy the Book
About the Authors
Teresa Kim Pecinovsky holds a master of education from the University of Houston and a master of divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School. She is an ordained minister through the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Rev. Teresa is the author of the children’s book Mother God and coauthor of The Peace Table. A healthcare chaplain, she lives with her family in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Hannah Rose Martin has had a passion for children’s education since she was in the 2nd grade, which led to a bachelor’s degree in education. She began teaching in an elementary school and is now a reading interventionist and Mennonite pastor in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is a wife and mother of two energetic children who love books. She was inspired to teach and write because she saw a need for curriculum and books that engage children’s creativity and their role in the community around them. She hopes that Sparking Peace encourages parents and caregivers to have deeper conversations with children and together find that they are just one imaginative idea away from a transformed world.
About the Illustrator
Gabhor Utomo was born in Indonesia. He moved to California in 1997 to pursue a career as an artist. He received his degree from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in spring 2003. Today, he works as a freelance illustrator and has illustrated numerous children’s books. His first children’s book, Kai’s Journey to Gold Mountain, tells the story of a young Chinese immigrant on Angel Island. Gabhor’s work has won awards and recognition from local and national art organizations. His painting of Senator Milton Marks is part of a permanent collection at the California State Building in downtown San Francisco. He also created posters for the Mountain Play, an outdoor theater in Marin County, California. He lives with his wife, Dina, and their twin daughters in Portland, Oregon.
Thanks for following along with us on Herald Press’s Sparking Peace awareness tour!
178 Comments
This looks like fun for all ages. Thanks for sharing
Fabulous cover
Looks like a great book – I really hope I win so I can read it
Sounds like an exciting story.
I’ve learned to stand by my convictions
This looks like a book my Grand Nephew would like
Gonna be a great read – I hope I can win and dive into it!
I’d like to win because it feels good to win things.
This book teaches a good lesson on how to solve conflict without violence.
This looks great
Thanks for this amazing giveaway.
When I was at the store, someone let me skip the line and paid for my groceries – a simple act that truly stuck with me.
A child picked a flower for me, then gave me a hug. Her kindness touched me deeply.
A fascinating book.
Sounds like a book my grandsons would enjoy.
Such an awesome giveaway
Im looking forward to reading this.
Losing one friendship opened the door to another I never anticipated… and it turned out to be exactly what I needed.
I had a broken relationship with one of my parents in my late teen years. I didn’t speak to them for 2 years. We now have a wonderful relationship. Time has a way of healing wounds.
Amazing cover on this book. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds like a fantastic book.
Sounds like a great storyline
I had a stranger search me out this week after getting a certified letter addressed to my deceased mother, which proved to help with some financial issues. He could’ve ignored it and threw it away, but was nice enough to get it to me. Such a nice man!
When one friendship ended (broke)… I stumbled into another I never expected – and it ended up being just what I needed.
Good book, thanks!
The cover is fabulous.
I have an upcoming procedure and have had three people ask if I needed anything. Their act of kindness shines a light in my life right now.
Thank you for hosting this
I’d love to win it for my granddaughter.
We are excited to check this author out.
I hope I win so I can read what looks like an amazing book!
I started talking to a nice woman at a doctor’s office this week. An act of kindness resulted in an immediate connection.
I want to read this to my kids!
My grandsons will enjoy reading this book.
Inside the book must be amazing
I want to share a time when I felt broken and something beautiful came of it. I actually got pregnant by my ex. And was terrified. I’ve since had my son. He is 8 months old. And he is thriving and he is the reason I was supposed to meet my ex. I just know it💙
This sounds like an awesome book! Ty for sharing!
I’d like to win because simply put, I’d really like to look at all the pictures in this book given how much I like the cover for it and how much I like what the author is trying to teach kids who read it. And having a $50 gift card to spend on Amazon would really come in handy as well. Thanks for the fantastic opportunity to win!
A great message! From swords into plowshares.
Last day – I hope I win so I can read the book! If not, I hope whoever wins enjoys it! Good luck to all!