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  • Published: 6 October 2015
  • ISBN: 9780698140035
  • Imprint: PEN US eBook Childrens
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 40

The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can

A True Story





An inspirational picture book autobiography from Oprah Winfrey’s "All-Time Favorite Guest” 

This is the story of a little girl with big dreams.

All the girl ever wanted was an education. But in Rhodesia, education for girls was nearly impossible.

So she taught herself to read and write with her brother’s schoolbooks and to count while watching cattle graze.

When the girl became a young wife and mother, she wrote her goals on a scrap of paper and buried them in a can—an ancient ritual that reminded her that she couldn't give up on her dreams.

She dreamed of going to America and earning one degree; then a second, even higher; and a third, the highest. And she hoped to bring education to all the girls and boys of her village.

Would her dreams ever come true?

Illustrated with Jan Spivey Gilchrist’s graceful watercolors, Dr. Tererai Trent’s true story of perseverance is sure to inspire readers of all ages.

  • Published: 6 October 2015
  • ISBN: 9780698140035
  • Imprint: PEN US eBook Childrens
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 40

Praise for The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can

Tererai Trent holds a Bachelors and a Masters in Plant Pathology from Oklahoma State University; a Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley; and a PhD in Evaluation from Western Michigan University. Since graduating, she has also been awarded four honorary degrees. She founded Tererai Trent International (formerly Tinogona Foundation) and is a sought-after public speaker on the topic of education. In 2011, Tererai was named Oprah Winfrey's "favorite guest of all time." In 2013, she was one of 26 women on Oprah Magazine's Power List of O.

Jan Spivey Gilchrist is the winner of the Coretta Scott King Medal for Nathaniel Talking and Coretta Scott King Honor for The Great Migration: Journey to the North and Night on Neighborhood Street

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