A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story
ISBN: 9780547577319
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
Ages: 10 – 12 years
A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985.
The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the “lost boys” of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.
“Awesome book! This book is great for kids ages 9 and up and even adults. It’s a gripping novel, and you won’t be able to put it down. Must read!” — Kids Reviews, Common Sense Media
Parched (eBook)
by Melanie Crowder
E-ISBN: 9780547975887-029
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Ages: 10 – 12 years
A mesmerizing debut about a girl, a boy, and a dog struggling to survive in a parched and barren land.
Sarel is a girl with secrets. She knows which tree roots reach down deep to pools of precious water. But now she must learn how to keep herself and her dogs alive. Nandi is the leader of those dogs. She knows they can’t last long without water—and she knows, too, that a boy is coming; a boy with the water song inside him.
Musa is that boy. His talent for finding water got him kidnapped by brutal men, yet he’s escaped, running away across the thirsty land that nearly claims his life. And so Sarel, Musa, and the dogs come together in what might be their last hope of survival.
“This book left me hungry. Hungry for more details about the main characters and the world the story took place in. For me it ended too soon.” — Akoss, Good Reads
The Water Princess
ISBN: 9780399172588
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Ages: 5 – 8 years
With its wide sky and warm earth, Princess Gie Gie’s kingdom is a beautiful land. But clean drinking water is scarce in her small African village. And try as she might, Gie Gie cannot bring the water closer; she cannot make it run clearer. Every morning, she rises before the sun to make the long journey to the well. Instead of a crown, she wears a heavy pot on her head to collect the water. After the voyage home, after boiling the water to drink and clean with, Gie Gie thinks of the trip that tomorrow will bring. And she dreams. She dreams of a day when her village will have cool, crystal-clear water of its own.
Inspired by the childhood of African–born model Georgie Badiel, acclaimed author Susan Verde and award-winning author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds have come together to tell this moving story. As a child in Burkina Faso, Georgie and the other girls in her village had to walk for miles each day to collect water. This vibrant, engaging picture book sheds light on this struggle that continues all over the world today, instilling hope for a future when all children will have access to clean drinking water.
“This timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Find out more about the Georgie Badiel Foundation here.
Buy this book here.
Rain (Rise and Shine)
by
Manya Stojic
ISBN: 9780385737296
Publisher: Dragonfly Books
Ages: 3 – 7 years
When rain comes to the parched African savanna, the animals use all their senses to track the storm. The porcupine smells rain in the air. The zebras see lightning. The baboons hear thunder. The rhino feels the first drops. And the lion tastes the cool water. For a time, the grasslands abound with new green leaves, juicy fruits, and fresh pools of water. But soon the hot sun dries out the land, and the animals must again wait for the next big rain.
Manya Stojic’s picture book debut is as satisfying and refreshing as the rain she describes. With paintings that are exuberant and saturated with color and a simple text that rolls off the tongue with pleasure and ease, here is a book parents and teachers will enjoy sharing again and again.
“An evocative depiction of the rain cycle in the African savannah marks Stojic’s debut as writer and illustrator.” — Kirkus Review
Buy this book here.
One Big Rain: Poems for Rainy Days
ISBN: 9781570917172
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Ages: 7 – 10 years
Rita Gray has compiled twenty poems about precipitation, each written by well-known poets such as Kyoshi, Eve Merriam, Lilian Moore, and Carl Sandburg.
Divided into poems written about rain within each of the four seasons, this compilation offers the reader a chance to revel in the beauty of precipitation and the poetry it inspires.
The variety of poems opens the door for discussion of poetic styles, while Ryan O’Rourke’s playful yet sophisticated illustrations will appeal to readers of all ages.
“This attractive collection offers a delightful introduction to nature poetry.”
—School Library Journal
The Rain Stomper
By Addie Boswell
ISBN: 9780761453932
Publisher: Amazon Children’s Publishing
Ages: 4 – 8 years
A baton twirler fights the rain to save her neighborhood parade.Today is the day of the big neighborhood parade. Baton twirler Jazmin is ready to lead the way for the dogs and kids, music and fun. But then the clouds crowd in. The sky darkens. Thunder roars. And the rain begins. . . . SLAP clatter clatter SLAP SLAP.
Is Jazmin’s parade ruined?
Or can she use her spirit, her fearless energy, and her mighty baton to save the day?
Award-winning illustrator Eric Velasquez‘s artwork in oil paint on watercolor paper is a perfect complement to debut author Addie Boswell’s lyrical, rhythmic words.
“I liked the part where she stomped higher and higher. I love your story. It was the best I’ve ever read. You should write more books.” —from Taylor
“The Rain Stomper had so many onomatopoeias. I liked the part of the story where all the people kept coming outside and how they kept flooding the streets. I am a really good rain stomper.” — 2nd grader
Exodus
By Julie Bertagna
ISBN:
Publisher:
Ages: 13 – 18
The fifteenth anniversary edition of Exodus, a startling, thrilling novel set in a dystopian future ravaged by global warming.
It is 2099 – and the world is gradually drowning, as mighty Arctic ice floes melt, the seas rise and land disappears forever beneath storm-tossed waves. For fifteen-year-old Mara, her family and community, huddled on the fast-disappearing island of Wing, the new century brings flight. Packed into tiny boats, a terrifying journey begins to a bizarre city that rises into the sky, built on the drowned remains of the ancient city of Glasgow. But even here there is no safety, and, shut out of the city, Mara realizes they are asylum-seekers in a world torn between high-tech wizardry and the most primitive injustice. To save her people, Mara must not only find a way into the city, but also search for a new land and a new home . . .
This new edition celebrates the 15th Anniversary of Exodus featuring a new foreword from the author.
“A miracle of a novel… a book you will remember for the rest of your life.” — The Guardian
Buy this book here.
