Award-winning author Cristina Kessler brings her firsthand knowledge and love of Africa to this powerful and authentic story of a young girl's courage to challenge tradition and to accept her dynamic role in a changing Maasai world.- Philomel Books
Review from School Library Journal...more reviews
Grade 4-8-While gathering firewood in the bush, 12-year-old Namelok stumbles upon a pregnant rhino and watches her give birth. She names the baby Siri Aang ("Our Secret"), vowing to keep the animals' existence hidden. She is a curious and courageous character, caught between the values of a nomadic culture and a more sedentary modern society. Because of the wealth of descriptive detail, readers will easily envision the Kenyan landscape and be caught up in the suspense of this intriguing survival story. The cultural dilemmas of the Maasai should stimulate discussion. While the small rhino's story ends happily, youngsters can only hope that Namelok and her family can negotiate the changes in their lives as successfully.-Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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She is a curious and courageous character, caught between the values of a nomadic culture and a more sedentary modern society. Because of the wealth of descriptive detail, readers will easily envision the Kenyan landscape and be caught up in the suspense of this intriguing survival story. The cultural dilemmas of the Maasai should stimulate discussion. While the small rhino's story ends happily, youngsters can only hope that Namelok and her family can negotiate the changes in their lives as successfully.-
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