BY EMILY MORGAN
If singer Cat Stevens stretched his hand out of the window of a colorful train car and asked me to join him, I’m pretty sure I’d grab hold for the ride of my life. And now, HarperCollins’ new book, Peace Train, combines the lyrics of Cat Stevens with the vivid, saturated colors of Peter H. Reynolds (Ish and The Dot) and invites us to come aboard.
As grandparents, some of us have been riding Cat Stevens’ peace train for most of our lives. With decades of lived experience—political upheaval, wars, recessions, and pandemics—we’ve been on the “edge of darkness” many times. We may have even posed the same questions that Peace 
Train asks: “Why must we go on hating? Why can’t we live in bliss?” Or in some cases, aging has enlightened us and we have climbed on board just recently, joining our grandchildren for the adventure. Either way, we have joyfully rounded the bend for a ride that is chugging towards empathy, hope and love—a direction we are wanting for ourselves, for our families, and for our world.
Peace Train speaks to the yearning we all have for unity and peace. We, like the words in the book, implore the train to “take me home again” to a peaceful time and place where no one is left behind. This book’s invitation—supported by Reynolds’ flourishing flower-power plumes and train cabs of many cultures—is so compelling that it helps us to imagine a world where all the people would hop on the train and enjoy the ride!
C’mon. It’s easy, if you try.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR – EMILY MORGAN
Emily Morgan hosts The Grand Life podcast. Now in its third season, and recently named the top grandparenting podcast by Feedspot, her podcast tackles many topics surrounding the adventure of wholehearted grandparenting.
