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WaterBridge Outreach: Books + Water recently announced the books in English they have selected this year for donation to the different schools and libraries they support around the world.  WaterBridge Outreach is a non-profit that seeks … Continue reading ... →

I'm happy to share good news that my sister is recovering from her heart attack! She is one tough and very special lady and will be back to "normal" very soon. As for my daughter, she managed to worry my family profoundly and bless us endlessly with a baby boy ~ born just yesterday afternoon. Baby was a hefty 8 lbs. 10 oz. and 22 inches long and rather unwilling to be born. He is finally here, healthy and beautiful, cone-head and all! His name .... well, we're waiting to hear. I call him precious baby!

In the midst of these last stressful weeks, I was asked to critique a children's book. called, "14 Cows for America." It too explains tragedy and the goodness that comes despite the devastation of disaster. The author, Carmen Agra Deedy, wrote a moving story about a Kenyan village and their extraordinary gift to America after the 911 attack.

Kimeli wins a scholarship to study in the U.S. He witnesses the attack in New York and sees how police officers and firemen risk their own lives to help others. He wants to help America too. He learned as a child "to heal a sorrowing heart, give something that is dear to your own." Kimeli returns to his Kenyan village and tells his people what he intends to do. He wants to give America one of his most prized possesions, a cow. The village cows are the most important commodity they own. The villagers hear the story of the two towers toppling and the sadness of America.

An American diplomat visits the village, expecting to meet a few people and accept the cow as a token of friendship. He is greeted by hundreds of people who want to share in the sorrow the United States suffered. Not one cow, but fourteen are given in friendship.

The story ends with a simple, yet poignant statement, "Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort."

I highly recommend this children's story to those interested in talking about friendship, hardships and how the rest of the world was affected by 911.

We may not always get the "happy ending" we wish for, but I pray goodness will always prevail, whether with families or nations.

Til next time ~

DL Larson

14 Cows For America by Carmen Agra Deedy and illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez (in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah)

Review by Chris Singer

About the author:

Author Carmen Agra Deedy was born in Havana and immigrated to Georgia with her family during the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution. She has been writing and traveling around the world telling stories for almost twenty years. Her books have received numerous awards and honors. She lives in Georgia. www.carmendeedy.com and www.beautifulmartina.com.

About the illustrator:

Illustrator Thomas Gonzalez, also born in Havana, moved as a child to the United States, where he became friends with Carmen Deedy. An artist and painter, he directed advertising campaigns for such clients as Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, NASCAR, the NFL, and McDonald’s. Gonzalez lives in Georgia.

About Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah:

Collaborator Wilson Kimel Naiyomah, a native of Kenya, received an MS in molecular biology from Stanford University in 2008. He was awarded a Rotary International World Peace Fellowship and began studies in peace and conflict resolution in Australia in spring 2010.

About the book:

In June of 2002, a very unusual ceremony begins in a far-flung village in western Kenya.
An American diplomat is surrounded by hundreds of Maasai people. A gift is about to be bestowed on the American men, women, and children, and he is there to accept it. The gift is as unsought and unexpected as it is extraordinary.

A mere nine months have passed since the September 11 attacks, and hearts are raw. Tears flow freely from American and Maasai as these legendary warriors offer their gift to a grieving people half a world away.

Word of the gift will travel news wires around the globe. Many will be profoundly touched, but for Americans, this selfless gesture will have deeper meaning still. For a heartsick nation, the gift of fourteen cows emerges from the choking dust and darkness as a soft light of hope and friendship.

My take on the book:

My wife and I lived 40 miles away from the World Trade Center. Like many others, we have both been profoundly affected by this atrocity. While our daughter is too young to be told the story of September 11th, some day she will and the first book I’m going to show her about it will be 14 Cows For America.

This is a beautiful book on so many levels. Not only is it a beautifully illustrated and touching story, but there’s so many wonderful lessons for young readers. It powerfully puts forth the message that all of humanity is one and when one of us suffers through such an atrocity, we all truly suffer as one. We are all brothers and sisters and to see our brothers and sisters of the Massai in Kenya grieve together with all of us is very powerful.

On another level, I appreciate how this book dispels myths many may have about people in Africa. I loved reading Wilson Kimeli Naimoyah’s afterword where he discusses getting a scholarship to come to the U.S. and study medicine. Naimoyah is proof positive that everyone has the potential to be who they want to be. Wilson’s visit back home and the book’s description of the Massai people also shows that just because a culture lives much simpler than us, doesn’t mean they are any less capable of being an intelligent and wonderful people.

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