For You Are a Kenyan Child (Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award)
Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3–Through vivid, descriptive text that highlights the Kenyan countryside and culture, this story about one day in the life of a Kalenjin boy unfolds. Roosters crow, and you wake one morning in the green hills of Africa, sun lemon bright over eucalyptus trees full of doves. The boy's primary chore is to take his grandfather's cows to the pasture and watch them carefully. However, once he gets them there, he slips away to see who else is awake. From then on, he keeps getting distracted by one thing or another. When he finally looks to where the cows should be, they are not there. His expression is forlorn as he ponders, Why did you wander? Why didn't you stay and do the job Mama gave you today? When he meets his grandfather leading the cows on the path home–something he should have been doing–the youngster is contrite. Grandfather simply hands him back his cow switch and says,Twende nyumbani sasa–Let's go home now. The brilliant, colorful, and humorous illustrations stand out against the white backgrounds and are large enough for group viewing. A gentle story about family, responsibility, and a curious little boy.–Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OHCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.