Hope for Haiti - Hardcover

Watson, Jesse Joshua

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399255478 ISBN 13: 9780399255472

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2010

Synopsis

As the dust settled on Port-au-Prince, hope was the last thing anybody could see.

When the earth shook, his whole neighborhood disappeared. Now a boy and his mother are living in the soccer stadium, in a shelter made of tin and bedsheets, with long lines for food and water. But even with so much sorrow all around, he finds a child playing with a soccer ball made of rags. Soon many children are caught up in the magic of the game that transports them out of their bleak surroundings and into a world where anything is possible.

Then the kids are given a truly wonderful gift. A soccer ball might seem simple, but really it's a powerful link between a heartbroken country's past and its hopes for the future. Jesse Joshua Watson has created an inspiring testament to the strength of the Haitian people and the promise of children.

About this title

About the Author

Jesse Joshua Watson lives in Port Townsend, Washington, with his wife and their two sons. In addition to writing and illustrating books, exhibiting fine art, and teaching art to kids, Jesse plays soccer religiously, music occasionally, and surfs the chilly waters of the Northwest as often as he can.

Reviews

K-Gr 3-The young boy who narrates this story lives in a neighborhood that was destroyed by the 2010 earthquake. His family joins several others to set up makeshift housing in a soccer stadium. Before long, the children start playing soccer with a ball made of rags. Their high spirits in the face of disaster are rewarded when a man offers them a real soccer ball signed by Manno Sanon, a beloved Haitian player. Using concise but rhythmic language, this inspiring tale is told in a simple and straightforward manner. The pictures, acrylic paintings with bold colors and strong lines, are attractive and accessible but not especially distinctive. Edwidge Danticat's Eight Days: A Story of Haiti (Scholastic, 2010) is also about the earthquake, and it is more artistic but darker in tone. Some proceeds from both books are donated to relief efforts. Overall, this is a didactic but worthwhile book.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Set in the aftermath of Haiti’s catastrophic earthquake, this realistic picture book tells an elemental survival story through the experience of one boy who loses everything and then finds hope to carry on. Simple poetic words and generously sized acrylic paintings portray the sense of loss and desolation the boy feels as he helps his mother build a new home in the soccer stadium (One piece of tin. / Six posts. / Three sheets). He is too small to compete with other refugees when relief workers pass out limited supplies of food, and he witnesses devestating scenes of suffering. He has fun with other kids, though, kicking a soccer ball made of rags. Although a woman scolds them for their laughter, an aid worker gives them a new ball signed by a professional soccer player, and the final pictures show the boy imagining himself as a star on the field, scoring a goal in the future. Watson transcends the story’s heavy messages with individual portraits that never deny the boy’s anguish, as well as his hope. Grades K-3. --Hazel Rochman

Edition details

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0399255478
• ISBN 13: 9780399255472
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Watson Jesse Joshua
• Number of pages: 32