Alemitu, an Ethiopian girl, regularly walks miles with her mother—her emaye—to a watering hole. Emaye teaches her daughter that water is more precious than gold and all people are connected by their need for water.
When hunger and thirst stalk the pair, Emaye realizes she can no longer care for Alemitu and gives her up for adoption. An American family adopts Alemitu and names her Eva. In her new country, she never suffers from hunger or thirst. But Eva hasn’t forgotten Emaye, and realizes that she is still connected to her mother and her homeland through “the same water that connects us all.”
This emotionally evocative children’s picture book celebrates the gift of water. It also highlights the plight of people living without enough of this life-giving resource and of women who have had to give up their children for adoption to ensure their survival. (Bloomsbury)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.
