The Jane Addams Peace Association’s mission is to deepen understanding of peace and justice for children and their adults through reflection, dialogue, and social action.

Through our Books in Their Hands program, we bring authors and illustrators to schools with marginalized populations nationally to share their Jane Addams award-winning books and to speak directly with the students and teachers in the community. We also donate Jane Addams Children’s Book Award commended titles into the hands of children.

Want free books and an author visit to your school? 

Mrs. Tina Franklin-Bertrand, the Primary Years Programme (PYP) Coordinator at Bouchet International School in Chicago, IL, shared how our Book in the Their Hands visit in 2023 was very transformative for their students. “I wish that I could bottle the enthusiasm that the students had when we introduced the possibility of authors coming to visit,” she stated. “All of the teachers encouraged the students to do some research to find out more about the authors, and in their exploration, they found a mirror image of themselves, and I think that’s very important for them as they continue to explore these culturally relevant texts.”

“I remember one student in particular, holding the book very tightly, she asked if they would get to keep the books and I said, ‘Yes, you get to keep the books. The Jane Addams Peace Association made it possible for you to receive these books.’ She just held the book and said, ‘Wow, this is so wonderful. I have a Shirley Chisholm inside of me.’”