The Water Princess

The Water Princess

Written by Susan Verde and Georgie Badiel

Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Published in 2016 by Penguin Young Readers Group

40 Pages

International Literature

Princess Gie Gie can tame wild dogs when she sings, make tall grass dance when she dances, and play hide-and-seek with the wind. However, she just can't seem to get the water to come when called! There's no water in her African village, so every morning she has to rise bright and early to fetch water with the rest of the families far, far away. When she gets home and takes her water pot off her head (that's her crown), she asks her mother why they have to go so far and why there water isn't clear. Gie Gie decides that someday... she'll change that!

The vivid water colors let the reader feel the intensity of the sun and the coolness of the water! It leaves the reader with such dramatic imagery that it's not hard to feel for Princess Gie Gie and her water calling dream!!

This book is great for social studies! Our second graders oftentimes don't know that not everybody has the same benefits as we do every single day. Personally, I would read the book to them and, afterwards, explain that some people don't have enough food, or water, or even a home. We live in a better established country where we get to enjoy all these things. Not only would that help open up their world, but character-wise it'd help make them more thankful for even the little things we do have. I'd involve science by explaining that since we do have more, we need to make sure we take good care of it by not throwing trash in the water or even by turning off the faucet while you brush your teeth. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

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