A nice endorsement from and important organization in the world of Children's books: Beatrice’s Dream
Karen Lynn Williams, photog. Wendy Stone, London: Frances Lincoln Children’s
Books, hb. 978 1 8478 0019 0, £11.99, 2011, 32pp.
A heart-warming and down-to-earth look at the life of Beatrice from the Kibera slum in
Nairobi, Kenya.
The matter-of-fact tone of the book enables readers to be grateful for their own style of
living and at the same time admire Beatrice’s determination to better her life and give
back to her community. Issues that affect children the world over are handled in a
sensitive manner, enabling teachers and children to explore their own feelings. We were
surprised at the insightful and thoughtful comments the children made as a result of
sharing the book together. The gentle humour in the book made us smile.
The photographs encourage the reader to be curious and to want to learn more about
Kibera. Children can easily draw the parallels between their lives and that of Beatrice,
the similarities and differences. Unlike Beatrice’ s description of parallel lines ‘never
meeting even if you follow them up to Heaven’, in this book there is a sense of hope that
we can work towards a future where our parallel lives do meet through education, both
in the Kenyan slums and around the world.
An uplifting, sensitive and thought-provoking book much enjoyed by Years 4 and 6.
Vicki Willingham
Karen Lynn Williams, photog. Wendy Stone, London: Frances Lincoln Children’s
Books, hb. 978 1 8478 0019 0, £11.99, 2011, 32pp.
A heart-warming and down-to-earth look at the life of Beatrice from the Kibera slum in
Nairobi, Kenya.
The matter-of-fact tone of the book enables readers to be grateful for their own style of
living and at the same time admire Beatrice’s determination to better her life and give
back to her community. Issues that affect children the world over are handled in a
sensitive manner, enabling teachers and children to explore their own feelings. We were
surprised at the insightful and thoughtful comments the children made as a result of
sharing the book together. The gentle humour in the book made us smile.
The photographs encourage the reader to be curious and to want to learn more about
Kibera. Children can easily draw the parallels between their lives and that of Beatrice,
the similarities and differences. Unlike Beatrice’ s description of parallel lines ‘never
meeting even if you follow them up to Heaven’, in this book there is a sense of hope that
we can work towards a future where our parallel lives do meet through education, both
in the Kenyan slums and around the world.
An uplifting, sensitive and thought-provoking book much enjoyed by Years 4 and 6.
Vicki Willingham
This is the International Board on Books for Young people. Check out the site: http://www.ibby.org/
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