The Wheel of Peace

Serious about spreading the message of peace to children, filmmaker Diane Paloma Eskenazi's The Wheel of Peace features a variety of young participants offering their takes on 12 different peacemaking suggestions: “Do Onto Others,” “Find the Common Ground,” “Talk About It,” “Breathe,” “Cool Down,” “Get Some Space,” “Apologize,” “Love, Don't Hate,” “Compromise,” “Think Before You Act,” “Laugh,” and “Dream Peace.” The comments from children and teens from various cultures are intercut with clips of kids playing, dancing, and singing. Backed by a hip-hop/world music soundtrack (including a couple of homemade harmonious raps), and featuring sobering statistics on war and a somewhat melodramatic candlelit “prayers” segment, the topics covered here are ultimately rather broad and touched on only briefly. Still, the input from the children is definitely cute (though possibly, at times, scripted), if obviously naïve (yes, it would be nice if world leaders would count to 10, admit they're wrong, and just get along, but…). Given the good intentions and bargain price, this is a strong optional purchase. Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)