My Heart Will Not Sit Down

Gr 2–4—When a girl in Cameroon learns from her American teacher that people are starving in New York City because of the Great Depression, she asks her mother and neighbors for money for people across the "great salt river," but everyone is so poor that no one can help. Nevertheless, the next day, though she hasn't enough to pay the head tax, Kedi's mother gives her a single coin. The child is embarrassed to give so little to her teacher until the villagers arrive with their coins as well—and they collect a total of $3.77. From the brilliant title spread in which water extends across the page separating Cameroon villagers from the Manhattan skyline, the folk-art illustrations, rendered in watercolor, pen and ink, and oils, evoke life and vegetation in Kedi's village in contrast to the city's crowded sidewalks. A depiction of Kedi stirring soup "with fou-fou and a bit of meat and greens" appears opposite an image of New Yorkers on a breadline. An author's note reveals that Kedi's story is based on a true event; describes the market crash of 1929 and its effects; details life in Cameroon; and provides examples of other poor communities that have helped those without food. Sharing this inspiring story, along with Carmen Agra Deedy's 14 Cows for America (Peachtree, 2009), in which the 9/11 attacks "burned a hole" in a Maasai boy's heart, may motivate youngsters to find their own ways to help people in need.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT