Module 11: Informational books

14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy

 Summary: This a story of how the tragic events of the 911 twin tower disaster effected the people of the Massai tribe in Kenyah, Africa . When a member of the tribe returns and tells them the story they symbolically give 14 cows, very precious to this people, to America to show their sadness over the loss of innocent lives. The Massai were once warriors and are now nomadic people.The story shows how caring they are.
My Impressions: This book shows how far reaching the effects of 911 were all over the world.  The Massai were very generous in the giving of the cows.  I think this book should be read each year as we commemorate the brave heroes of 911 and remember the tragedy of those lost lives.  The book is beautifully illustrated and the pictures help in the understanding of these people.
Review:

Author:Hazel Rochman  

While returning home to visit his remote Maasai village in Kenya, Naiyomah tells the members of his nomadic tribe about America, where he is in medical school, and the horror of 9/11: "Buildings so tall they can touch the sky? Fires so hot they can melt iron?" What can the Maasai do to help thousands of souls lost? Unlike in the picture book Muktar and the Camels (2009), also set in East Africa, the tone here is too reverential, and the characters have little individual identity. But based on Naiyomah's true experiences, the words and the glowing mixed-media illustrations show empathy and connections across communities, with close-up portraits of the Maasai on the savannah at work with their cows under the open sky, their rituals, their sorrow for New York's tragedy, and their heartfelt generosity. In a reversal from the usual international aid story, here it is the U.S. that gets help from a developing country as the villagers donate 14 sacred cows to America.--Hazel Rochman 

Author: Frieda F. Boston    

K--3 With Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah. Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez. In 2002, college student Naiyomah returned home (a Masai village in Kenya) to tell the story of September 11, 2001. He then helped present fourteen cows to the U.S.: "Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort." The tale is poignantly related through understated, powerful prose and color-saturated illustrations. 
Bostian, F. F. (2010, Spring). Review of the book 14 Cows for America, by Carmen Agra Deedy.  The Horn Book Guide 21(1), 179. Retrieved from Literature Resource Center. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA236390850&v=2.1&u=txshracd2679&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w

Library uses: This book should be used along with others in our commemoration activities.  It can also be used in the study of native peoples of the world in high school.

Resource List:

Deedy C. A. and Naiyomah, W.K.(2009). 14 Cows for America. Atlanta, Ga: Peachtree.

Rochman, H. (2009, July 1). Review of the book 14 Cows for America by Carmen Deedy and Kimeli Naiyomah.  Booklist 105(71), 57.  Retrieved from  Literature Resource Center. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA204920180&v=2.1&u=txshracd2679&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w