The Orphan Boy

The night an old man in Eastern Africa is “missing” a star he knows should be there, an orphan boy arrives asking for a place to stay. The old man has no children and would welcome both some company and a helping hand with the cattle and farm. The boy seems able to perform miracles with the work and the man is desperate to know how the boy does these things. The boy tells him it's a secret and if the old man found out, all the good tidings would be gone.

I really liked this story. It's a picture book, so very quick to read, and it has gorgeous colour illustrations.

The author was born in Tanzania, but I found it interesting that he did some of his education in Canada and currently lives in Alberta. The illustrator is from Alberta.

This East African tale exlpains why the planet Venus is known to the Maasai as Kileken, the orphan boy. It is also a poignant story of strength and weakness, youth and age, and loyal affection despite broken trust. Paul Morin's exquisite full-color oil paintings complete its magic.

The Orphan Boy is a Maasai folk tale of explaining why Venus appears in the east as a morning star and at night appears in the west. The Maasai call Venus Kileken, which is the name of the orphan boy. In the story an old man is observing the sky when he notices that one star is missing. At this same time a boy appears. The old man invites the boy to stay with him. While the boy stays with the old man the cattle farmer is blessed with healthy cattle. The old man is not happy with the blessing without knowing how the boy seems to keep his cattle fed even during a drought. Soon the old man discovers the orphan boys magical powers. Once this happens the boy is transformed into the star of Venus.

The moral of the story is that we should be show more content with our blessings. It is sort of a divine tale about the fact that there are some things in the world that are not explainable by science. It has an incredible religious tone to it but I think it is still appropriate for public school.

I would use this tale to introduce a science lesson on the planer Venus. I would also have the children try to locate the star one night while they are at home. show less

A mysterious boy appears to an old man who loves the stars; the boy has a secret and when it is discovered he leaves. Similar in this respect to Cupid and Psyche, The Crane Maiden, The Snow Maiden and other tales with a magical creature who can only stay as long as her or his secret is not discovered. Usually the person who loves this being is curious and all is lost. Sometimes the mortal goes on a quest and is able to be together again.

The pictures are too dark in the edition I have.

I enjoyed reading this African Folktale. The story was written in such a way that young and old readers could enjoy it. I like the illustrations, but i found it different sometimes how sometime they were colorful and sometimes they were in black and white. The story was inspiring and focuses on the impact trust has on a relationship.

This book is a lovely African tale that explains the Maasai legend of the morning star. The story is simple, but teaches children that some secrets are better left alone, indeed when the old man says that he would give anything to know Kileken's secret, he ends up losing everything. The illustrations by Paul Morin are especially beautiful and vivid, adding rich color and texture to the story.

There is an old man who loves the stars like they were his children. One night, he notices a star is missing, and soon he discovers a miraculous boy named Kileken with a miraculous secret...

Based on a Maasai folktale, The Orphan Boy is a story of how our curiosity can overpower our judgement. Winner of the Canada Council Children's Literature Prize and Governor General's Award, The Orphan Boy is beautifully written and illustrated.