Someday by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Someday is a lovely picture book in which a mom talks to her daughter about many of the life events the daughter will someday go through.  When I first read this sweet book with tenderhearted illustrations, I cried as I imagined my own daughter growing up and becoming her own person in the world.  My daughter, on the other hand, had a very different reaction to the book.  She was fascinated by the illustrations and the characters' actions.  She 'read' it many times and took it to bed with her as she worked out in her mind how the little girl became a big girl and then a woman.  I am not sure she has figured out that the woman becomes older and older.  But Someday helped introduce the idea of change and growth.

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

In A Long Walk to Water author Linda Sue Park tells two stories of hardship that take place at two different time periods in Southern Sudan.  Salva's story, based on a true story, begins in 1985 when as a schoolboy he is separated from his family because of the war between the Islamic government and the Southern Sudanese.  He begins his long journey to escape the violent conflict and to be reunited with his family again.

The second story begins in 2008.  It is the story of a girl who has not known life without the hardships of fetching water from a distant source.  Not only are Nya's own education and life possibilities limited due to her responsibility for securing the family's water, but also the life of her brother is almost lost to water-born disease.

A Long Walk to Water reminds us how lucky we are to have easy access to water.  It also shows us how we can be part of the solution in bringing about a better world.  The lives of many can be easily saved by making small donations to Salva's www.waterforsudan.org or other organizations like www.wateraid.org or www.water.org.  My students were certainly inspired and got involved in being part of the solution.