Ruth Early of Bluffton (left in photo) spoke with Lisa Weaver (right) and Amanda Huston, the author and illustrator, respectively, of “Swords to Plowshares,” a children’s book newly published by The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center of Bluffton University.

The Lion and Lamb hosted a book launch and reception on October 4 during Homecoming.  The book tells a true story through the eyes of a fictional boy in 1920s Ukraine, where art teacher John P. Klassen—later a Bluffton art professor—collected bullets scattered throughout his village, melted them down and molded them into a lead medallion. The medallion was then presented to Mennonite Central Committee workers as a token of appreciation for sending food and relief supplies to the village following the Russian civil war.

Weaver, the author, is a Bluffton native, while Huston is a 2013 graduate of the university. Copies of the book are available for purchase online at www.bluffton.edu/lionlamb.