My Great Grandmother's Gourd by Cristina Kessler is about Fatima's grandmother believing the baobab tree is useful, reliable, and the only resource they need for water but residents of a Sudanese village get a traditional water storage method to replace the traditional way. Fatima gets frustrated with her grandmother about how persistent she is with the baobab tree. Fatima's grandmother finally convinces her that even though modern technology might be easy, it's not reliable.

This story is about a community in Sudan who use baobabs trees to conserve water in the dry season. When the community brings in new technology of a well, they become dependent on the well and forget about their traditions of filling the tree. One great grandmother refuses to conform to the new ways and with the help of her grand daughter, they fill the baobabs tree with water. When the dry season comes, the well runs out of water and all but the grandmother and her granddaughter must walk miles to a different water source. ( )

This book told the story of a small village that just got a water pump so they no longer needed to carry water from the local water source. All the young people, especially the children loved the new pump, and pumping water for people quickly became the favorite activity of the children. But Fatima's grandmother is saddened by the new technology and ocntinues practicing traditional water storage methods. Everyone laughed at her, but when the pump broke and the summer heat scorched the land, Fatima's grandmother saved the village. Great lesson on learning about an respecting the past. (Historical fiction)

This is a story which really transported me to another time and place with a completely different way of life. The drawings are well done and assist the language in creating the beautiful setting. The book is somewhat of a cautionary tale about relying too much on technology.

This story could be used to talk to students about our own natural resources and conservation and preparedness.