Walking for Water: How One Boy Stood Up for Gender Equality (CitizenKid)

by Susan Hughes (Author) Nicole Miles (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Series: CitizenKid

In this inspiring story of individual activism, a boy recognizes gender inequality when his sister must stop attending school --- and decides to do something about it. Victor is very close to his twin sister, Linesi. But now that they have turned eight years old, she no longer goes to school with him. Instead, Linesi, like the other older girls in their community, walks to the river to get water five times a day, to give their mother more time for farming. Victor knows this is the way it has always been. But he has begun learning about equality at school, and his teacher has asked the class to consider whether boys and girls are treated equally. Though he never thought about it before, Victor realizes they're not. And it's not fair to his sister. So Victor comes up with a plan to help.

Based on a true story of a Malawian boy, award-winning author Susan Hughes's inspiring book celebrates how one person can make a big difference in the lives of others. It's a perfect starting point for children to explore themes of gender inequality and unequal access to education, as well as the lack of clean water in some parts of the world.

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Publishers Weekly

Despite being twins, eight-year-olds Victor and Linesi experience life differently in their small village in Malawi. While Victor attends school, his sister must drop out to collect water every day for their family's needs: "Five walks to the river and five walks home." When an engaging new teacher, Mr. Tambala, describes gender equality and asks the class to consider their own lives, Victor decides to alternate water-collecting responsibilities and lessons with Linesi. Hughes uses straightforward prose to explain the gendered cultural norms, while debut creator Miles digitally sketches dynamic Black characters with a range of skin tones, employing a desertlike color palette for landscapes. Inset scenes and speech bubbles bolster the narrative flow of this activism-encouraging picture book, inspired by a photo essay by journalist Tyler Riewer. Back matter includes an author's note, resources, and a Chichewa-English glossary with pronunciations. Ages 7-10. (June)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Susan Hughes
Susan Hughes an award-winning author, whose books for children include Case Closed?, No Girls Allowed, Earth to Audrey and Maggie McGillicuddy's Eye for Trouble. Susan lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781525302497
Lexile Measure
620
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Kids Can Press
Publication date
June 20, 2021
Series
CitizenKid
BISAC categories
JNF038010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | Africa
JNF023000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Girls & Women
JNF019070 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Family | Siblings
Library of Congress categories
-

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