My Heart Will Not Sit Down (review)

When Kedi, a girl in Cameroon, learns from her American missionary teacher that the United States is in the midst of a great depression, she wants to help. Though initially there's resistance in her village ("Everywhere the answer was the same. Nobody had money to send far across the great salt river to America"), Kedi is both amazed and proud when, the next morning, villagers line up to offer what few coins they have to help the hungry children in America. This fictional story is based upon the fact that the city of New York, in 1931, "received a gift of $3.77 to feed the hungry" from Cameroon, and it offers a kid-friendly take on the importance of perspective: while Kedi is a poor villager, eating only one meal a day and struggling to survive, she perceives the distant children of New York as suffering from worse privations, and there is plenty of opportunity for discussing the comparison. Tanksley's paintings are flat and stylized, but the soft fluid lines and expressive faces ensure the scenes are never stiff. Watercolor, pen and ink, and oils combine in a rich, jewel-toned palette that exudes warmth both in depictions of the village and the images of faraway New York. Though there is a clear contrast between the rural Cameroonian setting, with its sapphire sky and purple clouds, and the crowded tenement scene of New York City, flooded with people and under a gray sky, the vivid hues of people's garb and houses underscores the commonality of their lives. Use this as a kickoff to a class service project, or simply share this simple tale of one girl's drive to make a difference.