SABRINA, THE GIRL WITH A HOLE IN HER HEART
A story about a 10-year-old girl from Zanzibar and Save a Child's Heart!
WELCOME!
Excerpt from Wendy Lewis Interview
Why are you so passionate about the story and about Save A Child's Heart?
It's a story of human interest and international cooperation! From my lectures to over 30,000 students, teachers, parents, and grandparents, I learned that people want to hear good stories, they want to be inspired and they want to believe in the goodness of the human race. And here is a story that does all that. You have doctors from the 100th smallest country making a difference by repairing the world, one child at a time. At the same time, you have children (like Sabrina) who have the most common brith defect- congenital heart disease- yet their countries lack qualified doctors who can repair their hearts-or their parents can't afford the surgery. Without the intervention of organizations like Save a Child's Heart, many of these children will die before their next birthday. That's two reasons but there are more. Many readers are not aware that parents from near and faraway trust the Israeli doctors and staff with their children's lives. Children from the Palestinian Authority, Iraq, China, Brazil, the Maasai tribe in Tanzania, Haiti, Trinidad, Romania, Ethiopia, Moldova, Vietnam, El Salvador, to name a few- 43 countries to date- have sent their children to the Save a Child Heart doctors. Also, doctors from all over the world come to Israel for training so they will be able to establish competent medical centers at home. Save a Child's Heart also receives referrals from partners which include hospitals, Christian groups like Shevet Achim, doctors in other countries, and organizations like the Gift of Life International. That's why Save a Child's Heart doctors believe while they are mending hearts they are also building international bridges of understanding! How rewarding it must feel to save even one life, and see that child go to school for the first time, attend college, get married, start their own family, and maybe even become a doctor. In the end, we all need each other and this is what Sabrina's story is about. | How can teachers and homeschool parents use the book with curriculum?
It's easy! All they have to do is go to the Educators, Librarians & Parents button and print out lesson plans on the heart (5th grade); people places and cultures(6th grade) ; the discussion questions (K-5), and teaching tolerance (K-5). Of course, if a student is an advanced learner, they may want to introduce some of the curriculum earlier. Do boys relate differently to Sabrina's story than girls? My biggest surprise is how well boys relate to Sabrina's story- they have tremendous empathy and want to discuss the story in depth, while the girls can't wait to get their hands on photos of real medical photos that I pass around. Surprisingly, 7-11 year-olds are aware of medical issues in their families. One boy shared that his father was on a heart transplant list, and he wanted to read the story to give his father hope. Another two girls shared that they had a hole in their heart. One boy even spoke about the time he was hospitalized with cystic fibrosis. Other students relate to Sabrina's hospital visit, looking at the pretty fish tanks while she is being poked by needles. What do you think is the most important message for your readers? The concept of humanitarianism. I want children to know that when they have a problem, they don't have to feel alone. There are people who care, even in faraway places. Children's books like Listen to the Wind, Beatrice's Goats, The Gathering Sparks, and hopefully, Sabrina, The Girl With A Hole In Her Heart, can show students that we can all make a difference. Do you have more books in the works? I have five children's manuscripts that need some polishing. I am about 93% certain of which one I will publish next. |
