You're not the only one out there who's wondering about the lack of non-violent RPGs or even non-violent games in general. The people at "Extra Credits" had an episode on their channel about this. It's very informative and gives some ideas for non-violent games, including the changing of RPG mechanics to be non-violent. The link is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QJVGtKPjNc
Caution: There is some mild profanity at the very end of the video, so be sure that your younger kids aren't listening if you don't want them to hear the word he**.
I've actually been trying to create a game where you progress by persuading people to your political standing and you try to improve the corrupt government of the game world. I've just been trying to replace normal battle commands (like Attack, Skill, Defend, Escape, etc) with more appropriate persuasive terms. The political standings may be a little complex for little children to understand though.
P.S. Your idea about making a game like a book for parent/child reading and interaction is an interesting idea. :)
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