A thirst for home : a story of water across the world

by Ieronimo, Christine,

Format: Print Book 2014
Availability: Available at 8 Libraries 8 of 8 copies
Available (8)
Location Collection Call #
CLP - Allegheny Children's Picture Books qj FICTION Ieronimo
Location  CLP - Allegheny
 
Collection  Children's Picture Books
 
Call Number  qj FICTION Ieronimo
 
 
CLP - Carrick Children's Picture Books qj FICTION Ieronimo
Location  CLP - Carrick
 
Collection  Children's Picture Books
 
Call Number  qj FICTION Ieronimo
 
 
CLP - East Liberty Children's Picture Books qj FICTION Ieronimo
Location  CLP - East Liberty
 
Collection  Children's Picture Books
 
Call Number  qj FICTION Ieronimo
 
 
CLP - Hill District Children's Picture Books qj FICTION Ieronimo
Location  CLP - Hill District
 
Collection  Children's Picture Books
 
Call Number  qj FICTION Ieronimo
 
 
CLP - Main Library First Floor Children's Department - Picture Books qj FICTION Ieronimo
Location  CLP - Main Library
 
Collection  First Floor Children's Department - Picture Books
 
Call Number  qj FICTION Ieronimo
 
 
CLP - Mt. Washington Children's Picture Books qj FICTION Ieronimo
Location  CLP - Mt. Washington
 
Collection  Children's Picture Books
 
Call Number  qj FICTION Ieronimo
 
 
CLP - Sheraden Children's Picture Books qj FICTION Ieronimo
Location  CLP - Sheraden
 
Collection  Children's Picture Books
 
Call Number  qj FICTION Ieronimo
 
 
CLP - Squirrel Hill Children's Picture Books qj FICTION Ieronimo
Location  CLP - Squirrel Hill
 
Collection  Children's Picture Books
 
Call Number  qj FICTION Ieronimo
 
 
Summary

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.

Published Reviews
Booklist 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.--Chaudhri, Amina Copyright 2014 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "First-time author Ieronimo draws from personal experience (in 2008, she traveled to Ethiopia to adopt a daughter) in this story that aims to draw attention to the need for access to clean water. An Ethiopian girl named Alemitu narrates, describing arduous trips to a watering hole with her emaye (mother) and obliquely referencing her near-constant hunger, described as a lion in her belly. Ieromino is similarly coy when it comes to Alemitu's eventual adoption: the girl and her mother share a tearful goodbye, and several weeks later a "lady the color of the moon" visits Alemitu and becomes her "new emaye." In America, Alemitu takes the name Eva, as she gains a large adoptive family and access to food, water, clothing, and an education. Velasquez's mixed-media paintings have a lush realism, though as the story moves to America they become more static and posed. While an endnote briefly discusses the scarcity of water and other problems facing many Ethiopians, the book tiptoes around the very issues it seeks to address, and is likely to leave readers with many lingering questions about Alemitu's journey. Ages 4-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Subjects Water-supply -- Juvenile fiction.
Intercountry adoption -- Juvenile fiction.
Adoption -- Juvenile fiction.
Water supply -- Fiction.
Intercountry adoption -- Fiction.
Adoption -- Fiction.
Ethiopia -- Juvenile fiction.
Ethiopia -- Fiction.
Publisher New York :Walker Books for Young Readers,2014
Contributors Velasquez, Eric, illustrator.
Language English
Description 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm
ISBN 9780802723079 (hardback)
0802723071 (hardback)
9780802723086 (library edition)
080272308X (library edition)
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