First Come the Zebra [Hardcover]

Lynne Barasch (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2009 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

The story of two young Kenyan boys, one Maasai and one Kikuyu, who find a way to overcome their traditional rivalries and become friends.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–5—In Kenya, the Maasai are cattle herders and the more numerous Kikuyu are farmers. The two groups often fight about land use. This story uses that age-old conflict as a vehicle for contemplating enmity and friendship. When Abaani, a Maasai boy, sees young Haki's Kikuyu vegetable stall near his family's grazing land, he repeats what he's heard from his elders: "You destroy our land!" Haki, of course, takes offense, and the boys are ready to become enemies. However, they see one another's good qualities when circumstances force them together to rescue a straying toddler. Repeated exposure and a few good games of mancala finally bring about a mutual trust, and they take a real step toward peace when they decide to trade veggies for milk, and to introduce their families. A framing metaphor about the harmony between zebra, wildebeests, and the Thomson's gazelle gently reinforces the lesson. Heartfelt storytelling and strong research combine to offer a universal message with a unique setting. The clear, light-filled illustrations are expressive and create a sense of place. A lovely, hopeful story that manages to convey its message with minimal didacticism.—Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL END

About the Author

Lynne Barasch is a Lee and Low author.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books; 1 edition (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600603653
• ISBN-13: 978-1600603655
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #975,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For as long as I can remember, drawing was what I did best. I hoped that art school would help me eventually find a way to use this. On the other hand, writing is something I never planned to do. Although I was an enthusiastic and indiscriminate reader from the time I was very young I never thought of writing as an occupation until my five year old daughter had an adventure. On her second day of For kindergarten she got on the wrong bus and went to the wrong school. After she was safe and sound again at home, I thought this would make a great story. And so, THE BUS FUSS was born. It was never published, but I was hooked.
Over the next several years many books followed. My ideas flooded in and came from people I knew. Everything I saw seemed to suggest another story.
RADIO RESCUE is the story of my father's ham radio days in 1920s New York City. My endless interviews with him gave me a window into his life that otherwise would not have been open.
HIROMI'S HANDS is the story of my daughter's childhood Japanese American friend whose father trained her to be a Sushi chef. I met Hiromi as an adorable, shy five year old child and came to know her well over the next eighteen years.
KNOCKIN' ON WOOD is the story of Peg Leg Bates. the one legged dancer. I first saw him on television on the Ed Sullivan show and wrote his story many years later after hearing my daughter's tap teacher talk about the great tappers he knew.
A COUNTRY SCHOOLHOUSE tells the story of my husband's school days in a three room schoolhouse in Dutchess country in the 1940s. I had listened to his amusing anecdotes about this for years and finally wrote them down.
Not all my stories are nonfiction. OLD FRIENDS is the story of an old lady who recognizes her childhood friend in the form of a dog. Sometime after writing this story, much to my surprise, I realized that the old lady was a perfect description of my own grandmother!
Telling stories and making pictures gives me great joy. When words and pictures work well together they form something new, something greater than the sum of its parts. I look forward to bringing many more stories to life in this way.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, August 3, 2009

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Come the Zebra (Hardcover)

Abaani, a Maasai youngster who helps his family by taking the cattle out to graze, notices a new roadside stall one day and another boy selling fruits and vegetables. The boy, Haki, is a member of the Kikuyu tribe. Both boys have learned about the hostilities between the Maasai and the Kikuyu, and it does not take long before they are trading insults and threatening each other. It takes the unexpected need for cooperation to avoid a serious accident for the boys to start a new path toward trust and friendship.

Interwoven into this tale is an important lesson in economics about barter: when the boys resolve their differences they quickly figure out they can exchange cow's milk for produce. The author's note further explains that economic issues are a source of the conflicts between the Maasai and Kikuyu in Kenya, particularly with the Maasai having lost much of their grazing land to new farms, and the Kikuyu having lost crops to cattle that have strayed to their farmland. Lynne Barasch has produced yet another outstanding book as rich in substantive content as it is lovely in artistic impression.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINING, December 31, 2009

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Come the Zebra (Hardcover)

In Kenya as is unfortunately true in many of the world's places people from one tribe, family or region dislike those from another. Why? Often, because it has always been so. That was the case with the Massai and the Kikuyu in FIRST COME THE ZEBRA, a story of encouragement and hope for peace throughout the world.

Set in the grassland of Kenya it is the time of the great migration when almost two million animals will leave Tanzania where all the grass has been eaten to find the lush, green grass in Kenya. First come the zebras who eat only the top of the grass. Next is the wildebeest who eats the middle sections of grass, and finally the Thomson's gazelle who eats the last few inches. A lovely example of sharing.

Abaani is a young Massai boy who helps his family with their cattle by taking them out to graze. One morning he sees a fruit and vegetable stall along the road. He has not seen it before and it is being tended by a Kikuyu boy about Abaani's age. The boys take an immediate dislike to each other, repeating the cruel words they have heard their elders say.

How two small boys learn to know and like each other is the crux of Lynne Barasch's story written in the hope that the youth of all countries will work to change attitudes and opinions so that people will come together and live in peace.

- Gail Cooke

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The gentle message that people should put aside their differences and unite for the good of all was very inspiring!, January 9, 2010

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Come the Zebra (Hardcover)

The landscape in Kenya was lush with vegetation, but neighboring Tanzania had its grass "grazed down to the grown." It was time for the wildlife to migrate. First would come the zebra, who would nibble the top of each blade of grass for its nourishment. Next would come the wildebeest for their share and lastly would come the Thompson's gazelle who would "eat the final few inches of the grass." There were other creatures who inhabited these grasslands and they were the Maasi and the Kikuyu. Two boys from each tribe, unlike the animals of the grasslands, would soon find themselves at odds with one another.

Abaani, a young Maasai cattle herder, spotted a Kikuyu tending his family's vegetable stall and asked who he was. "Jina langu ni Haki." His name was Haki and became angry when Abaani, whose tribe highly valued their cattle, accused his people of destroying their land. After a nasty verbal exchange, Haki went back to work tending his stall. Some women had come to exchange their baskets for produce and he had to pay attention. One of the women put her young toddler on the ground so she could make her selection. The baby started to wander and held his arms out toward some fierce warthogs "rooting in the grass." Abaani became greatly alarmed because he would not be able to save the baby alone. Would Abaani and Kikuyu, tribal enemies, be able to put aside their differences and save this child?

The gentle message that people should put aside their differences and unite for the good of all was very inspiring. This unique book gives a nice bit of history not only about African animal migration, but also about tribal customs and feelings toward other groups. The soothing watercolors lent a lot to this work and meshed perfectly, giving the reader a feel for the African grassland. In the back of the book is a small inset map, a pronunciation guide and glossary and a very interesting note describing in more detail the customs and culture of the Maasai and the Kikuyu and their ongoing rivalry. This would be an excellent read and discuss book in the homeschool or classroom setting!