Lulu and the Long Walk

by Dan Haseltine, Joel Schoon Tanis (Illustrator)

Lulu and the Long Walk is a 32-page, hard-cover, 10" x 10" children's picture book written by Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter Dan Haseltine (from Jars of Clay). The story follows Lulu, a young girl in Africa, on her day-long walk to fetch water. Along the way, she has fun and whimsical interactions with animals. The story allows families to delight in the beauty of Africa while opening up conversations about the great needs so many people face.

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 29, 2017

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done book about a girl in Africa having to walk a long, long way to get water for her family. She sees many of her animal friends along the way, but is unable to stop and play with them because she is on a mission to go fetch water. She gets very tired and the animals give her some help on the way back, by helping to carry the water. The book has a nice rhythm to it, with a good amount of repetition and engaging illustrations. It ends with her dreaming of a well in her village and children playing instead of having to walk all day, every day to get dirty water in order to survive.

This book started a good conversation with the little one I was reading it to, who asked a lot of questions along the way. It is so easy, even as adults, to get stuck in our little worlds and to forget how differently people are living all over the world. Simple things I take for granted every day, like the fact that clean water will come out of my tap when I turn it on, are not necessarily a luxury provided to much of the world.

This book was funded through Kickstarter where it raised $25,835 from 404 backers!

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lulu and the Long walk is a beautiful story with amazing illustrations that teaches kids (and adults!) how to expand their world and practice empathy and compassion. It's a must read.