The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can

August 1, 2015
The dream of education comes true for a girl from Zimbabwe.Born in what was then Rhodesia, she's given a Shona name meaning "listen to the word of the spirit." She grows up working hard at her chores and tending cattle but yearns to attend school with her brother. He agrees to teach her in secret and does it "the Shona way, through song." She is finally admitted to the local school even as war forces the men in the village to travel to work. They bring back transistor radios, however, and listening to the radio leads to a further dream-visiting other countries. The girl grows into a wife and mother and shares her thoughts with an American woman visiting the village, who encourages her path. But first, according to local belief, she must write down her dreams on a piece of paper and bury it, including one that will enrich her home. Trent relates her own story of great achievements in the third person, filling it with dialogue meant to inspire young readers with her love for learning and mission to provide educational opportunities for girls. Gilchrist's soft-toned watercolor art provides a positive picture of a southern African village. An inspirational look at one woman's journey from ambition and vision to the reality of schooling and schools. (author's note, afterword, color photographs) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)

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August 1, 2015

K-Gr 3-Trent, who is now changing lives by advocating for the importance of literacy and education, tells the story of her childhood in Zimbabwe in this eye-catching picture book. Though girls in her village were prevented from attending school because they were needed to cook, clean, and fetch water, as a child, Trent (unnamed in the story) thirsted for an education. Her grandmother acknowledged the need for "a young woman to be our eyes, to read and write for us," and her brother secretly taught her to read and write. The text sketches out traditional life through small details that are lyrically described. Soft watercolor paintings across spreads make Shona village life accessible enough for both group and individual use, depicting the author reading to her grazing cattle, attending school with her brother, and growing up and sending her own children to school. Eventually, with the support of the entire village, Trent achieved her dream of traveling to America, successfully earning multiple degrees, and establishing a foundation to improve the lives of children in rural Africa. In her author's note, Trent explains how school and books showed her another world, "a magical place where malnutrition and violence were not part of daily reality."Compare and contrast with Suneby Razia's Ray of Hope: One Girl's Dream of an Education (Kids Can, 2013) and Jeanette Winter's Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan/Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan: Two Stories of Bravery (S.&S., 2014) for other picture books that address the struggle to ensure that girls receive an education. VERDICT A wonderful selection for discussing the importance of education.-Toby Rajput, National Louis University, Skokie, IL

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September 15, 2015
Grades 1-3 Trent describes both her connection to her homeland (once Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe) and her dream of education in this moving piece of autobiography. As a child, she longs to learn, but girls don't go to school. Her brother does, though, and he teaches her. As an adult, she meets an aid worker who comes to her village and helps her further reach her goals. Gilchrist's soft watercolor illustrations root this book in Africa, beginning with end pages that evoke traditional fabric. The landscape is lush and lovely, and there is a rainbow swirl of dreams as one girl's education begins, but the depictions of the women reflect a sense of determination in the face of a culture that does not educate them. The title refers to the local custom of burying a dream beneath the ground to be nurtured by Mother Earthbut Trent creates a universal heroine by referring to her protagonist as the young girl or she. The author's note tells how her story became known worldwide (in part because of Oprah). The inspiring story of how one person can overcome difficulties and make a difference.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)