The Water Princess

　　琪琪公主的王國有寬闊的天空和溫暖的大地，充滿了各種美麗的事物，但是在她居住的非洲小村莊，卻極度缺乏乾淨的飲用水，不管她怎麼命令，都沒有辦法讓水離她近一些；也沒有辦法讓水變得更乾淨。

　　每天早晨，太陽還沒露臉，她就得起床，展開一段遙遠的旅程去井邊打水，然後在傍晚踏著夕陽餘暉回家，邊走邊想著明天又要繼續踏上的旅程。琪琪一直在作夢，夢想著有一天自己的村莊可以有清涼又乾淨的水。

　　受到出身於布吉納法索的模特兒喬琪‧巴迪爾的童年故事所啟發，蘇珊‧維爾德和彼得‧雷諾茲共同創作了這本令人讚嘆的圖畫書。

　　在「萊恩的水井」與「喬琪‧巴迪爾基金會」的協助之下，布吉納法索終於有乾淨的飲用水，讓琪琪的夢想成真了。
 
　　——中文書介摘錄自《水公主：喬琪‧巴迪爾的真實故事》，道聲出版

Based on supermodel Georgie Badiel's childhood, a young girl dreams of bringing clean drinking water to her African village

With its wide sky and warm earth, Princess Gie Gie's kingdom is a beautiful land. But clean drinking water is scarce in her small African village. And try as she might, Gie Gie cannot bring the water closer; she cannot make it run clearer. Every morning, she rises before the sun to make the long journey to the well. Instead of a crown, she wears a heavy pot on her head to collect the water. After the voyage home, after boiling the water to drink and clean with, Gie Gie thinks of the trip that tomorrow will bring. And she dreams. She dreams of a day when her village will have cool, crystal-clear water of its own.

Inspired by the childhood of African-born model Georgie Badiel, acclaimed author Susan Verde and award-winning author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds have come together to tell this moving story. As a child in Burkina Faso, Georgie and the other girls in her village had to walk for miles each day to collect water. This vibrant, engaging picture book sheds light on this struggle that continues all over the world today, instilling hope for a future when all children will have access to clean drinking water.

Susan Verde grew up in a brownstone in the heart of Greenwich Village. She spent much of her time as a child clad in bell bottoms and rainbow suspenders, roller skating up and down her block with a skate key around her neck and a piece of chalk in her pocket (for spontaneous hopscotch). Susan’s love of literature began in utero (according to her mother) and never dwindled. She can, to this day, relate very well to Amelia Bedelia. After spending a number of years working as an elementary school teacher, Susan now writes and teaches kid’s yoga in East Hampton, New York, where she lives amidst an explosion of Legos, art supplies, and picture books with her twin boys, Joshua and Gabriel, and her daughter, Sophia. They are the constant inspiration for her writing. They never let her forget how to see things from a child’s point of view and keep the kid in her alive and kicking.

Georgie Badiel is a high-fashion model who hails from the landlocked country of Burkina Faso. After she won the title of Miss Africa in 2005, Georgie’s profile continued to soar as she appeared on the runways of designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Louis Vuitton, and Diane Von Furstenberg and was featured in editorials for magazines including Russian Vogue, Essence, and Elle. The Water Princess is inspired by her childhood in her small village in Burkina Faso.

Peter H. Reynolds is an author and illustrator, as well as the founder of the educational media company FableVision. Reynolds is best known for his children’s books about authentic learning, creativity, and self-expression. His picture books include The Dot, which has been published in over twenty languages, and the New York Times bestseller Someday by Alison McGhee. Reynolds lives in Dedham, Massachusetts, and is the co-owner of his family’s book store, The Blue Bunny Bookstore.