lovelybookshelf
Written on Aug 16, 2013
It is safe to say, Mike Blanc is one of my favorite illustrators of children's books. I see his name on a cover and I don't even care what the book is about; I just want to open it up and let my eyes drink in the images while I ooh and aah over the color, the vibrancy, the movement, the emotion. (Take a peek below, you'll see what I mean.)
The publisher has listed I Came From the Water for children ages 4-8, but I admit I chose not to read it to my very sensitive, just-turned 4-year-old... not yet. (It was one of those "know your child" moments; I'm glad I read the book on my own first.) Moses's story - a moving and true story - involves a number of difficult and terrifying topics: surviving major natural disasters, losing parents or other family members, and fighting disease due to poor water and sanitation conditions.
Vanita Oelschlager handles these themes in an amazingly sensitive and child-friendly manner. She also points out all the people who help others cope and rebuild - including how children join in to help. The final pages contain a bit of background info on Moses; photographs of others who appear in his story; brief, age-appropriate historical information about the disasters; as well as a map of Haiti, illustrated by Blanc.
Compelling and unique, I Came From the Water is the perfect book to supplement geography and social studies learning at school or at home.
Look inside the book here.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.