My Great-Grandmother's Gourd

by Cristina Kessler

Book Overview

Set in Sudan and tells the story of modern technology replacing traditional ways, and ultimately the wisdom of combining the old and the new. It's based on a true event, and shares the universal theme... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0531302849
• ISBN13: 9780531302842
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY)
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 6.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.8" x 11.2"
• Age Range: 5 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 4

Customer Reviews

Great choice!

This book shares the story of an African Village that has the convenience of a water pump newly installed in their village. Fatima is conflicted: she loves the shiny, blue water pump...but she loves her strong Grandmother, who clings to the "old ways." There is a wonderful message in this story about adapting to new ways while remembering customs and traditions.

coming to terms with technological innovation

This is an excellent story about people in a traditional cultural setting who learn how to accept technological innovation without losing their survival skills. In a Sudanese village, a new water pump is installed, and Fatima is the first to pump the handle. But her grandmother refuses to abandon the old water storage system inside a baobab tree, which becomes vital when the pump breaks and a new part will take days to arrive. No bad guys appear in this story, just human adaptation at work--excellent for children to learn coping and problem-solving skills in relationships as well as with technology.