Ryan and Jimmy: And the Well in Africa That Brought Them Together

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Ryan and Jimmy: And the Well in Africa That Brought Them Together (Reprint) Pub. Date: 8/1/2008 Publisher: Kids Can Press, Limited
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Ryan and Jimmy: And the Well in Africa That Brought Them Together Pub. Date: 10/28/2006 Publisher: Kids Can Press, Limited

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Overview

It costs a lot of money to build a well in Africa — a lot more than Ryan Hreljac had thought. Still, the six year old kept doing chores around his parents' house, even after he learned it could take him years to earn enough money. Then a friend of the family wrote an article in the local newspaper about Ryan's wish to build a well to supply people with safe, clean water. Before long, ripples of goodwill began spreading. People started sending money to help pay for Ryan's well. Ryan was interviewed on television. His dream of a well became an international news story. In Agweo, Uganda, villagers were used to walking a long way every day in search of water. What they found was often brown and smelly and made a lot of people sick. But when Ryan's well was built, life in the village changed for the better. A young orphan named Akana Jimmy longed for a chance to thank Ryan in person for this gift of life — clean water. When they finally meet, an unbreakable bond unites these boys from very different backgrounds, and a long and sometimes life-threatening journey begins. Ryan and Jimmy is part of CitizenKid: A collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Shoveller's (Ryan's great-uncle) text-heavy narrative relays the inspiring story of a Canadian boy's efforts to build a well in a Ugandan village-and how that campaign spawned additional successful ventures (see Children's Bookshelf, Oct. 19). In 1998, Ryan learned from his first-grade teacher about the lack of safe drinking water in many parts of the world and performed chores to raise the $70 that his teacher told him would finance a well to supply an African village with clean water. When the people at WaterCan (who help provide safe water in poor countries), however, told Ryan that his $70 would only purchase a hand pump for a well, the determined boy stepped up his efforts and inspired an entire community to help raise the full $2,000 necessary. Soon thereafter, Ryan's teacher matched up her students with pen pals in Uganda. Here, the narrative shifts to Jimmy, Ryan's pen pal from the village where Ryan's well would be built. Ryan and Jimmy eventually met in 2000, when Ryan and his parents traveled to Uganda for the well's ceremonial opening. The overwrought, workmanlike text may be off-putting to some readers ("There's an interesting picture of this day in school in which Ryan's blond head pops up in the middle of a sea of studious black faces," reads a passage near the aforementioned photo). Yet the book's triumphant can-do message will keep most turning the pages. Ages 8-12. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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From The Critics

Ryan Hreljac of Kemptville, Ontario, made big dreams come true for a village full of people in Africa. When his first-grade teacher explained that it would only cost $70 to purchase a well for an entire community, Ryan was driven to succeed. When he was told that that amount would only buy a hand pump, he pressed on and earned enough from doing chores and other major contributors to purchase an entire well for the village of Agweo in Uganda. Shoveller chronicles Ryan's dream from conception to birth and his visit to the people who benefited from hard work and generosity. The project draws Ryan and his family close to a young boy in the village named Jimmy. Caring for the community does not stop with the well, and the Hreljac family manages to save Jimmy from becoming one of the child soldiers for the Lord's Resistance Army. The "pay it forward" potential of the boys' story is unfathomable. Factual, but captivating, this will challenge readers of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781554532711
Publisher: Kids Can Press, Limited
Publication date: 8/1/2008
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 56
Sales rank: 291,405
Age range: 8 - 12 Years
Lexile: 0810L (what's this?)
Series: CitizenKid Series
Product dimensions: 9.00 (w) x 11.00 (h) x 0.47 (d)

Meet the Author

Herb Shoveller is a former journalist and the great-uncle of Ryan Hreljac.

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ChandraMaas

Posted March 4, 2009

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Book Review on Cesar

Written by Cramen T. Bernier-Grand and illustarted by David Diaz, this children's chapter book reveals Cesario Chavez's life struggles and triumphs. Each chapter shares with readers important events in his life. He was born on March 31, 1927 to father, Librado Chavez and mother, Juana Estrada. His father was a migrant farm worker, so Cesar moved from city to city, attending over thirty schools by the time he reached eighth grade, where he had to drop out to support his family. He In 1952 Cesar met Fred Ross and worked with him for the Community Service Organization (CSO). In 1956 he became the general director of the CSO, where they helped Lations become citizens. He soon moved to Delano where he started the National Farm Workers Association, which later became known as the United farm Workers (UFW). The UFW was not just a union but later became known as "The Cause", a civil-rights movement that empowered workers to change their own working conditions and improve the quality of the workers' lives. While leading the UFW, Cesar led non-violent strikes, fasts, marches, and boycotts to force growers (their employers) to negotiate with the workers for better wages, improved working conditions and reduced the use of pesticides.
Cesar is still remembered by several states, by creating March 31 a holiday. Many schools and centers are named after him and students continue to learn about "The Cause" he led and fought for. While this may seems like a complicated life story, Bernier-Grand wrote the book in short, easy to read chapters for students in grades fourth through sixth. However, I am an adult and I enjoyed reading it and learned a little too. I believe that children will enjoy the colorful illustrations by David Diaz. There are several words throughout the book that were written in Spanish and that students could look in the glossary at the end of the book for a translation into English. I beleive that students, especially English leaners, would enjoy and benefit from reading this book. I recommend reading this book to your children (or have them read it themselves) because it provides examples of core values, such as: helping the needy, self-sacrifice, determination, non-violence, respect, community, and innovation.

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Ryan and Jimmy: And the Well in Africa That Brought Them Together

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More About This Book

Overview

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

From The Critics

Product Details

Meet the Author

Rating Distribution

Book Review on Cesar