Reviews

My Heart Will Not Sit Down by Mara Rockliff, Ann Tanksley

lannthacker's review

4.0

Yes! A great book about kindness whose author is clearly concerned with accuracy and cultural sensitivity. I also appreciate the many messages - even a small action from a small person can make a difference and Africans are capable of charity, too, as examples. And oh! The beautiful turn of phrase that is the title. A wonderful poetic description of conscience. Vibrant illustrations

kristenremenar's review

5.0

This one tugged at my heart, more than I expected it to. Kedi lives in Cameroon and her teacher is from America. He tells them about the Great Depression that is making people go hungry in his homeland. Although America is far away "across the great salt river", Kedi feels compassion for the hungry children and her heart will not sit down. She finds a way to raise money in her small village, a village where money is scarce, to send to those in need in the United States.

The author's note at the end is what really got me. Rockliff writes about the worldwide experience of compassion: children in Guatemala collecting cans to raise money when they hear about the hungry children in Malawi, the Papua New Guinea islanders sharing food with the American Peace Corps volunteers. Pair this with "14 Cows for America" by Carmen Agra Deedy and talk about ways the global community can care for each other.

librarybrods's review

4.0

Loved the message in this one, and will especially hold onto the line 'my heart stands up and it will not sit down'. I think kids can really connect to this idea.

maidmarianlib's review

4.0

I love the global message of the story, it has great connections to other books, and the illustrations are unique.

asher_crasher's review

4.0

Wow! What a sweet story of love and compassion for others. I wish there were more people in the world like Kedi.

canada_matt's review

4.0

Apparently based on a true story, Kedi learns about the plight of New York children when her teacher explains the Depression. Her heart is so heavy with worry that she wanders around her little village, asking all the elders for assistance. While many are sure that a small African village cannot help the great people of New York, Kedi is not deterred and keeps pushing to raise coins. Until then, her heart will not sit down and rest. Neo asked if there were children in Africa who worried about New York children all the time. I explained, as best I could, that there was an interesting message herein, tied not only to the 1931 selfless act by a village in Cameroon, but likely the lack of sentimentality in reverse (New York to Cameroon). Well, not that directly and with the sarcasm that brewed in my head while I read.

beecheralyson's review

4.0

Based on a true story, this picture book is set in Africa during 1931. A young girl is concerned about the people that she hears about from her teacher (an American from NYC) who tells her about the depression they are facing. I loved the phrase "my heart will not sit down" which was repeated throughout the book. It carried so much meaning as you read about the compassion this young girl felt towards people she did not even know and how it compelled her to act.

tashrow's review

4.0

Inspired by the true story of a village in Cameroon donating $3.77 in 1931 to the city of New York to help feed the hungry during the Great Depression. In this picture book version of the story, the main character is Kedi, a girl who learns from her American teacher that people in his hometown of New York City were going hungry due to the Depression. Kedi could not stop thinking of the hungry children in America, even though they lived so far away. Her heart would not sit down until she did something. So she talked with the grownups in her village and all of them told her at first that nothing could be done, they had no money to spare. But then, one by one, all of the adults gave coins to help the hungry children.

Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.