February 21, 2012

Maasai legend


by Tololwa M. Mollel
illustrated by Paul Morin

One night, an old man notices that a star is missing from the sky. He goes in search of it, but finds a young boy instead. The boy's name is Kileken. He is an orphan who needs a home. The old man is delighted to have a son, especially when Kileken does all the chores. But the man is even more amazed when his cattle become fatter despite a drought. Overcome by curiosity and urged on by his shadow, he discovers how the boy turns the dry land into a magnificent green wood. His secret powers revealed, Kileken returns to the sky, to appear again as the planet Venus. 

The tale is made more wondrous by the detailed, textured paintings.

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