Eight Days written by Edwidge Danticat, illustrated by Alix Delinois
Synopsis:Hope comes alive in this heartfelt and deeply resonating story. While Junior is trapped for 8 days beneath his collapsed house after an earthquake, he uses his imagination for comfort. Drawing on beautiful, everyday-life memories, Junior paints a sparkling picture of Haiti for each of those days - flying kites with his best friend or racing his sister around St. Marc's Square - helping him through the tragedy until he is finally rescued. Love and hope dance across each page - granting us a way to talk about resilience as a family, a classroom, or a friend.
Comments:I would be remiss in not highlighting this book today, of all days – one year after the Haiti earthquake. This is a book filled with hope as opposed to sadness, but there is sadness in the book too. The sadness comes on the fifth day… “Oscar and I went out to play [imaginary] soccer with some of our friends. Afterwards, we sat on a bench to rest. But then Oscar felt really tired and went to sleep. He never woke up. That was the day I cried.” Danticat doesn’t end on this sadness though, on the eighth day Junior was finally found and pulled out to safety. Beautifully illustrated and deeply touching, this story is a springboard for discussing this tragedy one year later with children.
Synopsis:Hope comes alive in this heartfelt and deeply resonating story. While Junior is trapped for 8 days beneath his collapsed house after an earthquake, he uses his imagination for comfort. Drawing on beautiful, everyday-life memories, Junior paints a sparkling picture of Haiti for each of those days - flying kites with his best friend or racing his sister around St. Marc's Square - helping him through the tragedy until he is finally rescued. Love and hope dance across each page - granting us a way to talk about resilience as a family, a classroom, or a friend.
Comments:I would be remiss in not highlighting this book today, of all days – one year after the Haiti earthquake. This is a book filled with hope as opposed to sadness, but there is sadness in the book too. The sadness comes on the fifth day… “Oscar and I went out to play [imaginary] soccer with some of our friends. Afterwards, we sat on a bench to rest. But then Oscar felt really tired and went to sleep. He never woke up. That was the day I cried.” Danticat doesn’t end on this sadness though, on the eighth day Junior was finally found and pulled out to safety. Beautifully illustrated and deeply touching, this story is a springboard for discussing this tragedy one year later with children.
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