A beautifully illustrated novel in verse about a young Indian girl who tackles the taboos around sanitation in her village.
In Latika’s village in rural India, there are no toilets. No toilets mean that the women have to wait until night to do their business in a field. There are scorpions and snakes in the field, and germs that make people sick. For the girls in the village, no toilets mean leaving school when they reach puberty.
No one in the village wants to talk about this shameful problem. But Latika has had enough. When a government representative visits their village, she sees her chance to make one of her dreams come true: the construction of public toilets, which would be safer for everybody in her village.
This beautifully illustrated novel in verse shines a light on how a lack of access to sanitation facilities affects girls and women in many parts of the world.
Reviews with the most likes.
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” - Buddha
Who knew a book about the need for toilets could be so beautiful? Seriously, these pictures are gorgeous. The verses are art.
Latika is a smart, willful person who is determined to help her community. She understands that the Shame has greater hurt than the feeling of Shame. “Burying the Moon” is really more about how Latika finds a way to blow kisses at the moon.
This is a short read, but it's a great, simply told story that advocates for communities that need toilets. It also clearly establishes the relationship between the need for toilets and various negative consequences the lack of has on communities. I especially recommend this book for elementary - aged classroom reads. It could be good for older kids as well when coupled with video or non fiction books about sanitation.
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