Burying the Moon

Juvenile fiction in verse 

     What was the first thing you did when you got out of bed this morning?  Chances are you headed for the bathroom.  Chances are also that you never give the incredible privilege of indoor plumbing a thought.  "Privilege?," you may be thinking, "How can something so basic be a privilege?"  Author Andree Poulin and illustrator Sonali Zohra show younger readers in their poignant and powerful Burying The Moon.

     Every night Latika and the other girls and women in her village carry out an errand that shames them in a field where nothing is able to grow.  Her grandmother is bedridden with an illness that she can't shake.  Her aunt is grieving the loss of a very young son.  Her sister has had to drop out of school at the age of twelve...

     ...as Latika herself will soon have to.

     ...it's all because the village has no toilets.  Out of shame the adults don't bring this problem to the attention of anyone who can solve it.  So nothing changes...

     ...until one day an engineer visits the village.  When Latika learns that engineers build useful things she has an idea.

     At the end of the book readers learn that around the world over 600 million people around the world have no option other than relieving themselves outside with disastrous consequences for their health, safety, and ability to get decent educations.

     Don't you think that's about 600 million too many.

On a purrrsonal note, I am a huge fan of Engineers Without Borders, a group that creates ways for communities to have basics like toilets and clean water.  If you share my life that these are basic human rights, learn about them and support them or spread the word about their good work.

A great big shout out goes out to Engineers Without Borders.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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