From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-Four folktales from Kenya. Mbugua offers detailed cultural notes, within which he describes his source-a Maasai elder named Ole Parkisua whom he met on an OXFAM-sponsored research trip. The first of the stories tells of how the Maasai became cattle herders. The remaining three describe the legend of the lost girl in the forest, the sacred mountain that revealed to the warring clans the source of their hardship, and the temperamental warrior Ole Partukei, who became a wild giant. Interspersed with the retellings are Mbugua's own poems, which are based upon the legends. The illustrations are done in a variety of styles by four different artists and range in quality from average to poor. The stories do not have enough suspense or literary style to be read aloud without sounding pedestrian, and the words and sentence structure are too advanced to tell to young children. Students doing research on the folklore of various cultures will find this a useful volume, but the author's style gives little sense of the storyteller's original voice. There are a number of folktale collections available that contain Maasai tales, and the same publisher's "Beneath the Rainbow" series will appeal to a broader range of ages and readers.
Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Siena College Library, Loudonville, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Siena College Library, Loudonville, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Inkishu (cattle), which are the measure of wealth for traditional Maasai, figure prominently in this collection of poetry, stories, and art from a publisher based in Nairobi. Four folktales collected from a Maasai elder illuminate relationships between his people and the world around them: how God (Enkai) first gave them cattle and forced them to stop their wars; how ``Enaiminie Enkiyio,'' the Forest of the Lost Child, earned its melancholy name; how Ole Partukei, a savage, greedy giant, broke a promise to leave his neighbors' herds alone and so died. The language is formal but not stiff. Each story is illustrated by a different Kenyan artist working in a free-flowing modern style and a variety of media and is prefaced by a color photo, an explanatory ``Preamble,'' and one or two short poems. Ideas old and new mix revealingly in this handsomely produced glimpse into the heart of a living traditional culture. Biographical sketches; glossary. (Folklore. 9+) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
