Beatrice's Dream Life in an African Slum

by Williams, Karen; Stone, Wendy

• ISBN13: 9781847804181
• ISBN10: 1847804187
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-07-23
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books

Summary

Beatrice is a thirteen-year-old orphan in Kibera, Nairobi - a Kenyan shantytown built on refuse and rubbish and one of the biggest slums in Africa. In this book she describes her life: her walk to school, the dust that blows between her teeth and the mud she wades through, her teacher's down-to-earth encouragement, her fear of being alone, how safe she feels at school... This sensitive account in words and photographs reveals the realities of life for some of the world's most deprived people - and offers hope as Beatrice follows her dream - to be a nurse.

Author Biography

Karen Lynn Williams is the author of over a dozen books for children, including Galimoto, a Reading Rainbow Featured Book and one of the New York Times Top Ten Books of the Year. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi, Africa, which is the setting for When Africa Was Home, a Booklist Editors' Choice. Karen also lived and worked in Haiti, the setting for several books including her highly acclaimed book Circles of Hope. She currently teaches creative writing and travel writing and works as a volunteer with refugee families. She has four children scattered around the world and lives with her husband Steven in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Wendy Stone was raised in New York City, where she trained in photography and graphic design and worked for 13 years as a graphic designer. Her career as a photographer began when she was assigned by UNICEF to photograph their projects around the south-west Pacific. Since then she has travelled to many African countries on assignment for UN agencies, magazines and newspapers. She settled in Nairobi, Kenya in 1988 with her husband and daughter.

Excerpts

In the afternoon, we learn about HIV and AIDS, and about ourselves. Our teacher asks, “What is special about girls?”

We answer, “Girls give birth and nurse children. They fetch firewood and water. They clean, cook and do the washing.”

“But can’t boys fetch wood and clean and cook and do the washing too?” my teacher asks.

Some of us agree with her.

Then she asks, “What can boys do that is special?”

We answer, “They build and repair houses, and provide for their families.”

“But can’t girls build houses and provide for their families too?””

“Yes, they can,” we answer.

“Boys and girls must all work together,” says my teacher. I like hearing her say this!