Chirchir Is Singing

K-Gr 3—Set in a rural Kenyan village joyfully portrayed by Daly's charming folk-style artwork, this is a story to which children everywhere will relate. Chirchir's name means "Born Quickly" in her native Kalenjin, but to American ears it sounds like the perfect word for her sunny disposition as she makes her way through the day. She wakes up and tells the rooster that she's going to help Mama today. Sweetly she sings as she helps her draw water from the well, "Drop,/plop/the bucket in./Wiggle it…jiggle it…Let it fill…./Then hand over hand,/up comes/maji, maji-water!…But-Oh-ohh!/The rope slips,/water splashes,/Chirchir sprawls." Mama sends her to help someone else, but all of Chirchir's attempts end in disaster. As she becomes more discouraged, she becomes visibly grounded to the earth and no longer dances across the pages, and her songs grow quieter until finally her joy returns when she finds a job that is just right. Full of small details that capture the family's connection to nature and daily life in the beautiful highlands of the Great Rift Valley, the story takes precedence while celebrating another culture. The endpapers include a helpful author's note about Kenya's Kalenjin tribe and a glossary of Swahili/Kalenjin words. The winning combination of a delightful main character and gorgeous execution should earn Chirchir a place in most libraries.—Anna Haase Krueger, Antigo Public Library, WI