Serafina's Promise

Serafina's Promise

Juvenile fiction
"One day, I'll go to school
and learn to read
so I can become a doctor.
I won't forget you, Granpe.
I promise to find a way
to follow your dream.
I promise to make you proud.
Serafina, protagonist of Ann E. Berg's Serafina's Promise, has
big dreams. She wants to be a doctor so she can keep her people
healthy and prevent babies from dying like her little brother did. As
the book starts even the most basic literacy education is out of reach
for her. There is no money for uniforms and expenses. There is
barely enough for food. Her again pregnant mother has endless chores
for her. She has to hike to a ravine twice a day to get water, gather
wood and charcoal, and help her mother and grandmother bundle herbs to
sell. She feels angry feelings buzz in her like bees. All her mom
seems to care about is work.
Growing up in Haiti, Serafina faces even more obstacles than
extreme poverty. A flood sweeps her home away and forces her family
to relocate and start all over. And then there is a devastating
earthquake.
Told in beautifully flowing free form verse, liberally seasoned
with colorful sayings, Serafina's Promise is a loving tribute to
children who struggle to get even the basics of education most of us
in the United States take for granted and families who manage to
persevere when the little they have is wrenched from their grasp. A
saying toward the end of the book says it best.
"Life is hard,
but no matter what happens,
we beat the drum
and we dance again."
On a personal note, this is why in September I plan to celebrate my
birthday with an event to raise money so that girls like Serafina can
go to school.
A great big shout out goes out to all the children who face huge
obstacles to getting the education they dream of.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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