For You Are a Kenyan Child

I wish I could give this book a higher rating, but perhaps my criteria are overly stringent. The illustrations are beautiful, but the colors are unnatural, which might be fine if the book were not clearly presenting itself as a "multicultural" experience. The same could be said for the text. Numerous inaccuracies mark it as the product of a fairly shallow acquaintance with its setting. My kids, who have visited this area of Kenya, read the book once and lost interest as they said, "The person who wrote this book must not have been there." I would say this is an entertaining book for kids with an exotic setting and if you enjoy this type of illustration for its artistic merit, great. But from the standpoint of cultural education, it's show more highly over rated. show less

I enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. First off, it takes you through a day in the life of a Kenyan child. Its vivid imagery engages the reader and makes you feel as though you were actually there. For example, the first sentence of the book says, “Roosters crow, and you wake one morning in the green hills of Africa, sun lemon bright over eucalyptus trees full of doves.” Along with this vivid imagery are colorful pictures that encapsulate the words that describe them. It goes into detail about what a typical Kenyan boy would do like chasing monkeys and tending after his grandfather’s cows. This book shows what it is like to take part in another culture that is different than our own. The book also includes Kenyan words and show more phrases such as “Hodi” and “Una taka kucheza?” which is a different and knowledgeable feature to include in a book. The main character in the book, a young Kenyan boy, was given the task to look after his grandfather’s cows but loses sight of them when he went to goof off with his friends. This also teaches children of responsibility and trust and how important they are. They are things we as people should not take for granted and take very seriously. Overall, it is a very informative book that teaches very pertinent information in everyday life and one I thoroughly enjoyed reading. show less

This is an unusual perspective, telling the story of a normal day in a Kenyan village in the second person. The little boy forgets his chore of watching Grandfather's cows to run about the village saying goodmorning to everyone, the village baker, the chief, his grandmother. It is charming and bright and playful, using bright colors and interesting size perspectives to give it a bit of a surreal feel, but in a good way. I like the way the whole village is close and friendly.

This book follows a young Kenyan boy throughout his day in his African village. He is told by his mother to take his grandfather's cows to the pasture. He must watch them all day so they do not stray from their spot. However, the boy becomes easily distracted with other things to do in his village. He goes to eat a pancake for breakfast, finds the village chief, eats bugs as a snack, and plays ball with a friend, all before discovering that his cows have strayed. Extremely worried, the boy sprints back to the cows to find his grandfather watching over them. The two return home and the boy goes to sleep.

Right from the language, way of addressing the reader, illustration and characters, the plot and alignment with text and characters, a very well told story.

"What's it like to live in a place where monkeys scurry past and a tasty snack is a bug plucked from the sky?"

About a boy who is herding cows, but gets excited and distracted in the daily activities of the others in the village. The language is direct and addresses the reader for example "then just for a moment you slip away to see who is awake".

Introduces some Swahili words and phrases during the course of the story

About this book: "Roosters crow and you wake up in the green hills of Africa." Short, poetic phrases, filled with sensory images, describe a young boy's day in a Kenyan village. He spends a "windy morning" herding his cattle, but his attention gradually wanders to his neighbors at the tea stand, to the village chief's wood shop, and so on, until he forgets his herd altogether. Luckily, the boy's grandfather comes to the rescue. The rhythmic, repetitive language winds the day's activity to a graceful, bedtime close and roots the simple story in Kiswahili phrases and cultural details--from the boy's breakfast of maize porridge to the chief's ceremonial stick. Juan's color-saturated, slightly stylized paintings bring the lush landscape and show more friendly community to life and expand the sense of a child's freedom and belonging. More specifics about the child's tribe appear in a brief author's note. show less

I really enjoyed this book and the culutural aspects of it. I think this is a great book to share with children to learn about the different cultures that we have. This book also provides language from the culture. As well with great illustrations that connect the story.