Status
Available
Collection
Publication
Peachtree (2009), Edition: 1, 36 pages
Description
Maasai tribal members, after hearing the story of the September 11th attacks from a young Massai, who was in New York on that day, decide to present the American people with fourteen sacred cows as a healing gift.
Local notes
School Library Journal Starred, 07/31/2009
Gr 2–5—Kimeli Naiyomah returned home to his Maasai village from New York City with news of 9/11 terrorist attacks. His story prompted the villagers to give a heartfelt gift to help America heal. Deedy and Gonzalez bring Naiyomah's story to life with pithy prose and vibrant illustrations. Each block of text consists of a few short, elegant sentences: "A child asks if he has brought any stories. Kimeli nods. He has brought with him one story. It has burned a hole in his heart." The suspenseful pace is especially striking when surrounded by Gonzalez's exquisite colored pencil and pastel illustrations. The colors of Kenya explode off the page: rich blues, flaming oranges, fire-engine reds, and chocolate browns. Full-page spreads depict the Maasai people and their land so realistically as to be nearly lifelike. Gonzalez manages to break the fourth wall and draw readers in as real-time observers. The book's only flaw is the less-than-concrete ending: "…there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort" is an important message, but not a particularly satisfying one for children. Fortunately, their questions will be answered by Naiyomah's endnote, and it provides a fitting conclusion to this breathtaking chronicle.—Rebecca Dash, New York Public Library Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Gr 2–5—Kimeli Naiyomah returned home to his Maasai village from New York City with news of 9/11 terrorist attacks. His story prompted the villagers to give a heartfelt gift to help America heal. Deedy and Gonzalez bring Naiyomah's story to life with pithy prose and vibrant illustrations. Each block of text consists of a few short, elegant sentences: "A child asks if he has brought any stories. Kimeli nods. He has brought with him one story. It has burned a hole in his heart." The suspenseful pace is especially striking when surrounded by Gonzalez's exquisite colored pencil and pastel illustrations. The colors of Kenya explode off the page: rich blues, flaming oranges, fire-engine reds, and chocolate browns. Full-page spreads depict the Maasai people and their land so realistically as to be nearly lifelike. Gonzalez manages to break the fourth wall and draw readers in as real-time observers. The book's only flaw is the less-than-concrete ending: "…there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort" is an important message, but not a particularly satisfying one for children. Fortunately, their questions will be answered by Naiyomah's endnote, and it provides a fitting conclusion to this breathtaking chronicle.—Rebecca Dash, New York Public Library Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Media reviews
Of all the expressions of consolation sent to a grieving America after 9/11, perhaps none was as poignant as the gift of 14 cows from Maasai tribesmen in a remote corner of Kenya.
Awards
Texas Bluebonnet Award (Nominee — 2011)
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2014)
Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — Picturebook — 2013)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Informational Books — 2011)
Parents' Choice Book Award (2009)
South Dakota Children's Book Awards (Nominee — 2012)
Bluestem Award (Nominee — 2012)
California Young Reader Medal (Nominee — 2014)
Comstock Read Aloud Book Award (Winner — 2010)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Picture Books — 2011)
Colorado Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2011)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Primary — 2014)
South Carolina Book Awards (Nominee — Picture Book Award — 2012)
E.B. White Read-Aloud Award (Honor Book — Picture Book — 2010)
CCBC Choices (2010)
Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (Middle Grades — 2013-2015)
Great Reads from Great Places (Georgia — 2009)
Teacher Favorites Award (2010)