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.

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.

Mollel, T.M. (1990) The Orphan Boy. (Morin, P. Illus.). New York: Clarion Books.

The Orphan Boy is an African Maasai Story told by Tololwa M. Mollel and it explains how the star, (the planet Venus), came into being according to the Massai tribe . It tells the story of an old man who loves to look up at the night sky. He is alone, but finds great joy in the stars. One night, he realizes a star is missing from the sky and soon after he meets an orphan boy who he welcomes into his hut. The boy helps complete all the daily chores for the old man and he even fattens his cattle during a drought. The old man wants to know how the boy does this, but the boy says it is a secret. The old man's greed takes over and he follows the boy to the field. show more What he sees is unbelievable, but his distrust causes the boy to leave. The illustrations, done by Paul Morin, are colorful and depict the Maasai tribe well, but are not very detailed. Overall, an interesting story, but not one I would want to read again and again. show less