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Taking 'Water Steps'
by Nicolle Westlund
book cover by Milkweed Editions
Unicorns were my favorite animals when I was seven years old. I had a white, un-hooded sweatshirt that featured my favorite, pastel-colored, one-horned horses, complete with a rainbow background. My most coveted novels threw me into the story of a girl who discovered a hidden door in her backyard that led her to a mystical land filled with unicorns, wizards and castles. All of my art projects featured multi-colored horses, reminiscent of My Little Ponies with glittery manes, braided tails and signature emblems on their hindquarters. I collected the horse figurines and each of my Barbies had her own unicorn to ride as she braved the mountains and valleys I created in my bedroom with cardboard boxes, blankets and pillows.
As obsessed as I was with the magical creatures, I never believed unicorns could be real; I was too practical, even as a seven-year-old (just ask my mom). Still, when I gathered my collection of ponies, horses and unicorns in my bedroom, I could convince myself for a little while that there could be a world where little girls rode unicorns to school and chores consisted of taking the unicorn for a walk.
In “Water Steps,” a new novel from award-winning author A. LaFaye, Kyna is as logical an 11-year-old as I was at age seven. Even though her Irish adoptive parents tell her more fairytales about water people called silkies and pony-riding, baby-stealing fairies than they tell her about their own childhoods, Kyna brushes the stories off as fantasy. This goes on until a newfound friend, Tylo, claims to have seen silkies in the lake on which Kyna’s family is residing for the summer. In an attempt to stop his brothers’ teasing, Tylo tries to convince Kyna to help him take a night photo of the silkies in the lake.
Kyna, an expert county-fair-award-winning photographer, wants to help Tylo out, but her intense fear of water stops her short. As a three-year-old, Kyna was rescued by her adoptive parents in a fierce storm that claimed her parents, grandma and older brother. Ever since, Kyna hasn’t been able to go near any body of water – a puddle or bath included. It took her nearly two years to even take a sip from a cup of water without feeling as though she’d be swallowed up by the contents of the glass.
In an emotional journey heavier than most 11-year-olds usually have to deal with, Kyna has to make a decision whether or not her lifelong fear is going to control her life. As she moves closer to the beach and the foreboding body of water, Kyna’s insights and thought process demonstrate her young age, but reveal a maturity that only comes through tragedy. Her adoptive parents, as much as they encourage and love her, can’t continue to face the world for her; she’s got to battle it on her own.
When Kyna begins to take her own “water” (baby) steps toward interaction with the lake, she discovers a world and a secret beyond what her young mind could fathom. Perceptive readers will figure out the twist before Kyna realizes it, but any reader will be able to identify with her struggle to tackle a seemingly all-consuming fear.
Though the astuteness with which Kyna leads the reader is occasionally unrealistic for a pre-teen girl, her journey is relatable and rewarding. The novel makes a great read and brought me back to a time when vibrant, mulit-hued unicorns were as near as my backyard and my imagination was only inhibited by how much time was left before my mom called me to dinner.
“Water Steps,” by A. LaFaye, is published by Milkweed Editions (www.milkweed.org).
Published 13 April 2009. All Rights Reserved.