Rough booktalk: If right now you were growing up in Africa instead of the United States, you could possibly be a member of the Maasai tribe in Kenya. Chances are you wouldn't be going to school but the law says each family has to send one child to school. So you could be the one kid in your famiyl going to school. Your father could be married to more than one woman. You and your siblings could be walking your family's herd of cattle to pasture several miles away from your village. In fact, you could walk 40 miles in one day if you had to. This is the true story of Lekuton, a Maasai boy who grew up in Kenya, took care of the family's cows and was the only child in his family to go to school. One day he and his brother go to a cattle camp to take care of the cows but what they don't expect to meet is a lion (read pp 12-13).

WATCH AUTHOR JOSEPH LEKUTON'S TED TALK

This memoir of a young Maasai boy tells the story of Lekuton who grows up as part of a nomadic tribe in Kenya. The story sheds light on the Massai culture and life on the savanna. Lekuton comes from a family of nomadic cow-herders, and Kenyan law required each family to send one child to school. Lekuton was the chosen child, and school opened up his world. He works to preserve his Maasai heritage while taking advantage of the opportunities that education brings his way.

Do a unit on Africa! Traditions, culture, languages, people - could read books like 14 Cows for America and Wangari's Trees of Peace

Joseph recounts his childhood as a nomadic Maasai boy who tends the family cows and is interested in education. His education and character allow him to become an individual who can bridge two cultural roles, the Kenyan tribal member and teacher in the United States. Readers will enjoy his detailed descriptions of life in the African Savanna. ( )

This book is ok but I did not really like it. It is about a boy who has a lot of problems in his life and he can't seem to get them out of his head so one day he decides to get a small job. He does not like his job but he does not have much a choice. So one day he finds an opening as a bank manager. He ends up getting a ton of money and going to college. One day he became a famous soccer player and now he plays soccer. ( )