I Came from the Water

K-Gr 2–Readers meet Moses when he is just a baby and his family is swept away in a flood. Safe and snug in a basket, he is set adrift on the raging river. Eventually he is rescued and begins his life anew in a children’s village, where he is given his biblical name. Years later, an earthquake devastates Haiti, and then another hurricane brings floods and cholera. Through it all, Moses’s narration remains upbeat. The story becomes slightly disjointed at the end when the child says, “I want to help make Haiti strong so rains, cholera, and earthquakes won’t take our parents and sisters and brothers away to Heaven anymore.” Then on the next page he says, “When we go for a ride in town sometimes I jump on a tap-tap.” In the end, Moses says, “Haiti is very beautiful. I love my Haiti.” This is a wonderful sentiment, but except for the multitude of disasters it has suffered lately and the outpouring of support it has received from the world, there is little of Haiti in this title; instead, it highlights the valuable work of Father Rick Frechetti and the sisters who cared for the youngsters in the children’s village they set up. The illustrations are full of movement, bright colors, and, in the palm trees, fruit stands, architecture, and painted buses, glimpses of the country shine through. End pages include an interview with Moses and full-color photos of the relief workers and some of the destruction to the island. Overall, a nice addition to collections needing titles on charitable works.–Heather Acerro, Rochester Public Library, MN