(3) K-3 Illustrated by Thomas González. With Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah. 14 Cows for America recounts the true story of Maasai villagers who made a gift of livestock, representing life, to the United States after the September 11th tragedy. This Spanish translation, accompanied by González's lovely color-saturated mixed-media illustrations, very ably renders the moving tale.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Kenyan children Abaani and Haki are from different tribes, but they become friends after working together to rescue a baby from a pack of warthogs. The boys hope the adult Maasai and Kikuyu "will find their own peaceful way to share the land." The purposeful text is told in present tense. Watercolor and ink illustrations focus on the expansive African grassland setting. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez. With Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah. In 2002, college student Naiyomah returned home (a Masai village in Kenya) to tell the story of September 11, 2001. He then helped present fourteen cows to the U.S.: "Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort." The tale is poignantly related through understated, powerful prose and color-saturated illustrations.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(2) 4-6 In a conversational voice, Lekuton, a Maasai, describes episodes of growing up a nomadic tribesman in Africa. He addresses the ways Maasai life differs from American life without making Maasai ways sound strange or exotic. Two pages of clear color photos and a map add visual reference. The message that readers can become what they wish by perseverance and dedication comes through loud and clear.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2004

(4) 4-6 A twelve-year-old kid stuck on safari with his "wacky" aunt quickly figures out that it's cool to be in Kenya. Detailed observations of African animals precede richly described adventures with the Masai and a dramatic nighttime capture of poachers. To make the journal seem authentic, Talbott uses slightly irritating kidspeak and scratchy handwriting interspersed with color photos and illustrations.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Morin. "You are Maasai. You stand on one leg, like a stork, in the sun." As the second-person narrative describes the waiting savanna, photo vignettes and heavily textured mixed-media artwork capture dynamic, painterly animals and the Maasai people. The animals are waiting, of course, for the seasonal rains. The writing is a tad portentous for so obvious a result, but the art (while sometimes garish) achieves unique effects.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 First Peoples series. After a brief country survey and history, this book explores the traditional Masai lifestyle, including their homes and sustenance; age and gender roles; marriage, death, and coming-of-age ceremonies; and adaptations to modern life. Some explanations are jumbled or broken up to fit artificial categories, but numerous color photos help make the information immediate. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) YA Translated by John Nieuwenhuizen. Morengaru, a hunter, is rejected by his people after he accidentally kills a man. His solitary journey across the African landscape leads him to a group of baboons; when he kills their leader, Morengaru becomes the simian king and helps the others fight a marauding leopard. Morengaru's experiences are very well observed, but the plot is often oblique in a novel that doesn't seem particularly geared toward young readers.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta