By Christine McFaul
Burying the Moon is a new middle-grade novel-in-verse written by author Andree Poulin and illustrated by Sonali Zohra. The book brings awareness to the lack of sanitation that affects billions of people around the world, impacting the health, safety, and education of girls and women in particular. I was very curious to see how this topic would be approached, especially for the middle-grade age group. I’m excited to dive in and share my thoughts on the reading experience.
High
in the shimmering sky
the silver
moon
gazes
at a
gloomy
girl.
The story opens at night shining a literal (moonlit!) spotlight on young protagonist, Latika. With no toilets in her village, the girls and women must wait for dark to do their business in a nearby field. A situation that puts them in danger from snakes, scorpions, disease, and assault. And a situation that creates feelings of shame and frustration for Latika, hence her desire to ‘bury the moon’ that shines too bright a light on the Field of Shame.
In the verses that follow, Latika emerges as an interesting, plucky, and honest protagonist. The words also paint a picture of her Amamma, Aunty Nita, and older sister, bringing these women to life while weaving in the various effects and challenges posed by lack of sanitation. Within the familial and daily hustle-bustle of her life, it is clear that Latika loves school. Her older sister used to love school too.
That was before.
Now
everything has changed.
In Padaram
girls
who are almost
women
stop going
to school.
And Latika is dreading the day that she will also have to stop attending. When a government official visits her town and asks the villagers what they need, she is certain someone will bring up this silent thing that dictates so much of her lived experience. But no one talks about the Field of Shame. No one asks for a toilet. So Latika devises a plan to take action and make a change.
Burying the Moon is short (the perfect length for this topic in my opinion), accessible, and correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts. The verse flows and is very readable; a well-balanced mix of poignant, humorous, interesting, and profound. Poulin, who has worked in international development for decades, includes an author’s note that shares facts and statistics about the lack of sanitation and its effects as well as suggestions for further reading on the topic.
The illustrations are lovely and perfectly compliment Poulin’s verse. They are in colour, which isn’t always the case in middle-grade and help to slow the reader down encouraging them to linger over each page. I love the colour palette, mainly purple with accents in terracotta, brown, and pink, and the night spreads have a lush almost velvety feel.
A unique, informational, and beautifully illustrated read. I would recommend it for the higher end of the middle-grade age range.
Thank you, Groundwood Books, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.