My Heart Will Not Sit Down

November 14, 2011
Inspired by a true incident, Rockliff’s (The Busiest Street in Town) story demonstrates what real generosity looks like. It takes place in a Cameroon village, where an American teacher tells his students that the Great Depression is worsening in his country, “far away across the great salt river.” His news that children were starving deeply affects Kedi, who knows hunger firsthand, and the girl’s “heart stood up for them in sympathy.” When she asks her mother and other villagers for money to send to America, they respond that they have none to spare, yet Kedi’s “heart would not sit down.” The narrative conveys a keen sense of Kedi’s compassion and determination to help, which, as the conclusion proves, is contagious. Rendered in watercolor, pen-and-ink, and oils, Tanksley’s (The Six Fools) pared-down, childlike pictures provide a sketch of Cameroon village life, their electric hues of orange, magenta, and scarlet jumping from the pages. An author’s note, which puts the story in real-life context and spotlights others who, despite their own need, have aided the hungry, offers a useful springboard for discussion. Agent: Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Ages 5–8.

December 1, 2011
A moment of communal compassion is remembered in this fictionalized retelling of a too-little-known tale. When little Kedi learns from her Cameroon village's teacher that the people of New York are starving thanks to the Great Depression, she can't get the problem out of her head. Determined to help the hungry children overseas, Kedi appeals to all the people of her village, only to be rebuffed. No one has enough money to pay the colonial head tax, let alone spare riches for an unknown poor. Downcast, Kedi returns to school, only to discover that her efforts to open the hearts of her neighbors have worked beyond her wildest hopes. Rockliff's recap of this true 1931 incident taps into the wonder of altruism toward total strangers. An author's note explaining not just the story's background but also similar historical incidents proves to be almost more fascinating than the book itself. All this is accompanied by Tanksley's lush, vibrantly colored paintings, which take seemingly simple images and render them big, beautiful and bold. They make what might otherwise be a rote story lush. The human capacity to reach out to those who suffer is lovingly and inspiringly rendered. (Picture book. 4-8)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2012

Gr 2-4-When a girl in Cameroon learns from her American teacher that people are starving in New York City because of the Great Depression, she asks her mother and neighbors for money for people across the "great salt river," but everyone is so poor that no one can help. Nevertheless, the next day, though she hasn't enough to pay the head tax, Kedi's mother gives her a single coin. The child is embarrassed to give so little to her teacher until the villagers arrive with their coins as well-and they collect a total of $3.77. From the brilliant title spread in which water extends across the page separating Cameroon villagers from the Manhattan skyline, the folk-art illustrations, rendered in watercolor, pen and ink, and oils, evoke life and vegetation in Kedi's village in contrast to the city's crowded sidewalks. A depiction of Kedi stirring soup "with fou-fou and a bit of meat and greens" appears opposite an image of New Yorkers on a breadline. An author's note reveals that Kedi's story is based on a true event; describes the market crash of 1929 and its effects; details life in Cameroon; and provides examples of other poor communities that have helped those without food. Sharing this inspiring story, along with Carmen Agra Deedy's 14 Cows for America (Peachtree, 2009), in which the 9/11 attacks "burned a hole" in a Maasai boy's heart, may motivate youngsters to find their own ways to help people in need.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2012
Preschool-G Far from the usual generic stereotypes of poor children in Africa, this picture book, based on a true story, tells of one child, Kedi, in 1931 Cameroon, who hears from her white teacher about hungry people in New York City during the Great Depression. True to a local expression, Kedi's heart stands up and will not sit down, and she inspires her village to send help across the great salt river. The brightly colored pictures, in watercolor with thick ink lines, root the story in daily village life: an uncle weaves baskets, women pound cassava, girls carry water from the river, and old men talk together in the palaver house. At first, everyone refuses to join Kedi's cause; with life so hard, they cannot find money to send away. But Kedi's heart will not sit down, and neither will the hearts of the others in her community, and, finally, everyone donates a coin for the hungry overseas. A long note fills in more about this title, which will make a terrific choice for cross-curricular sharing and discussion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)