WCDSB children illustrate book ‘Vanna’s Dance’
Written by John Borst on January 17, 2008 – 9:36 pm
posted by John Borst
According to a report in the December 11, 2007 Kitchener-Waterloo Record Min Vann, a 16 year old Cambodian girl visited Kitchener’s St. Bernadette School to speak to the Grade 4 to 8 students.
Two of those students, however, had special meaning to her and she to them. They were Oliver Sangster and Victoria Seitz, respectively in Grade 7 and 8. Together they created the illustrations which accompanied a book by Kitchener author Maria Almudevar-van Santen on how Min Vanna came to lose her leg in a land mine explosion.
According to reporter Karen Kawawada’s story when Min was 5 years old, one August 1997 day, her father asked her to feed the chickens:
She was trying to catch a chicken when she stepped on an antipersonnel mine about the size of a hockey puck. It tore the lower half of her leg to shreds.
Her father and brother bound up her leg with a scarf and took her to hospital in an ox cart, a five-hour journey, said Almudevar-van Santen.
Min said she remembers being loaded onto a stretcher in hospital and taken into an operating room. A doctor gave her a needle to knock her out, then started cutting off her trousers.
When she woke up, her leg was gone below the knee.
This result was Maria Almudevar-van Santen, book Vanna’s Dance for children. Published by Trafford Publishing, information on purchasing the book can be found on their website.
Maria Almudevar – van Santen currently resides in Canada, having returned after spending eight years in Europe. Touched by Vanna’s story and the images of the brave little girl, she combined her love of writing with research of Khmer mythology and legends to write Vanna’s Dance. Wanting to do more with the book, she contacted Adopt-A-Minefield and arranged with them to use it as a fund-raising project.
Vanna’s Dance
by Maria Almudevar-van Santen;
Illustrated by Students of the Waterloo Catholic District
36 pages;
Saddle stitched; illustrated;
catalogue #05-0751; ISBN 1-4120-5851-1;
US$20.00, C$25.00, EUR16.25, £11.26
Excerpts:
Vanna was sitting on the front step of her house. She was happy. The sun was shining over Cambodia and Chea Chheng, her very good friend was coming to see her. The older man was a wonderful storyteller. When Vanna saw him coming she jumped up, her two shiny black ponytails bouncing as she did so. “Chea Chheng she called out excitedly. “You are here!” Chea Chheng’s face broke into a big smile. He patted her head, playfully pulling on one of her pigtails.
“Your face is like the sun. It matches your pretty yellow blouse,” chea Chheng said affectionately to the eight-year old girl.
“Tell me a story,” Vanna begged.
“Don’t tell me you are not tired of my stories yet,” he teased her laughing, his eyes dancing with the happiness he saw on her face.
“Oh! Never!” exclaimed Vanna.
“Then come with me,” Chea Chheng said. They sat down together on the front step. Chea Chheng began his story.
I am pleased to introduce the book “Vanna’s Dance”. I first learned about Maria Almudevar-van Santen’s story because of my work with Adopt-A-Mine Field (AAM). My Husband, Paul and I have been patrons of AAM for five years. This organization works to get rid of landmines all over the world and to help the survivors who have been hurt by these terrible weapons.
The landmine issue is very near to my heart. The idea that a weapon left over from a war can still hurt people many years later is an awful thing to imagine, but it is true. There is an agreement signed by some countries called the Ottawa Treaty. These countries have agreed to not make, use or trade landmines in their countries. With the governments and people working together, we can make a mine free world.
“Vanna’s Dance” is both a tale of caution and of joy. The great victory is that Vanna does not let the landmine take her spirit. She works hard to be able to walk and to dance again.
I ask that you take this story to heart. Join AAM in making the world safe from minefields and helping those whose lives have been shattered by these heartless weapons. By working together, we can all make a difference.
To learn what you can do, visit www.landmines.org and select the country campaign nearest you.
Heather Mills McCartney
