Program Overview

Designed for all learning environments, the Start with a Story program ties the works of New York Times best-selling author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds to hands-on SEL, literacy and STEAM activities. Each lesson pack focuses on one book and includes five or more lessons to inspire creative learning and story activation for students in grades k-5. While teachers can begin with any lesson, we encourage instructors to start with a book reading and an SEL activity and/or the team-building activity before moving onto animation, engineering, and/or journaling.

About Start with a Story: Peace Train

Glide on the peace train! Peace Train was originally a song released by Cat Stevens in 1971. Fifty years later he felt the message of the song was still just as important and asked Peter H. Reynolds to collaborate to turn it into a storybook.

This book beautifully illustrates the message that there is hope for peace in the world. Start with a Story: Peace Train encourages students to think about what peace means to them and how they can create peace in their lives. It also invites students to connect with each other and, through animation and engineering, create their own peace trains.

Note: Licenses to Animation-ish and FabMaker Studio are recommended for two of the lessons. If you would like to purchase autographed books by Peter H. Reynolds visit his online bookshop, The Dot Central.

Annual Access to Curriculum = $50