In this delightfully illustrated book, we see a typical day in Kenya through a child’s eyes. We follow him through his chores and meals, and watch him as he plays and snacks on an unusual item. Children of all races will relate to the trouble he finds himself in, and realize that children all over the world share many common traits.
I found it comforting to realize that it wasn’t only my kids who don’t always listen to their parents! I also felt a lucky that my children don’t have to be in charge of something as important as minding a herd of cows, which is the food and milk source for this family. I also can’t imagine my children running barefoot all day. I keep thinking about how dirty their feet would get, and how they might step on something and cut their feet.
The illustrator uses the eyes in this book to tell a story. The eyes of the African people as well as the eyes of the cows are more almond shaped then American people. Ana Juan’s use of this artistic design adds a bit of mischievousness to the characters. Also, the end papers and jackets flaps of the book are illustrated with the cows from the story, and this also adds whimsy and color to the book. The font end papers are brown cows with their eyes open, and on the front flap there is a single brown cow with his eyes shut, and the back end paper had several white cows with their eyes shut and the back flap has a single white cow with its eyes open. It’s a clever way to emphasize the importance of the cows to the Kenyan people, but also the cows serve as the most evident way that all children are alike: children don’t always do what their parent tell them to do! Also, worth mentioning is Ana Juan use of paint splatters to depict motion and energy.
Key Words: Hodi (Anybody home?), Karibou (Welcome!), chepati (chay-PAH-tee), kabisa (kah-BEE-sah), maziwa lala (mah-ZEE-wah la-la), mzee (mmm-ZAY), rungu (RUN-goo), sasa (SAH-sah), eucalyptus,maize, porridge, charcoal
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