Perfect for common core, this story based on the true events of a young girl's transition from the poverty of Ethiopia to life in America will be an inspiration for young readers
Alemitu lives with her mother in a poor village in Ethiopia, where she must walk miles for water and hunger roars in her belly. Even though life is difficult, she dreams of someday knowing more about the world. When her mother has no choice but to leave her at an orphanage to give her a chance at a better life, an American family adopts Alemitu. She becomes Eva in her new home in America, and although her life there is better in so many ways, she'll never forget her homeland and the mother who gave up so much for her. Told through the lens that water connects all people everywhere, this eye-opening, emotional story will get readers thinking about the world beyond their own.
Review:
Tears, rain, puddles: water keeps Eva Alemitu connected to Emaye, the mother she left behind in Ethiopia, as Eva adjusts to her new life in the U.S. In this hauntingly bittersweet tale, inspired partly by the author’s own life, Ieronimo imagines the heartbreak of a mother and daughter forced apart by hunger and poverty. The result is bleakly realistic, and readers will be drawn to Eva’s conflicting feelings of longing for her biological mother, and security with her adoptive family in America. Velasquez’s light-infused illustrations capture the quiet dignity of Emaye’s grief and Eva’s tentative acceptance, and perfectly complement the tender tone of the text. Perceptive readers will be too moved to be satisfied with the happy conclusion and will appreciate the story for its complexity rather than its plot. This book can be read as one of a growing number of immigration stories. An author’s note provides context and prompts for kids to take action. Grades 4-6. --Amina Chaudhri