The Orphan Boy by Tololwa M. Mollel

Mollel, T. M. (1990). The orphan boy. New York: Clarion Books.

Summary:

The Orphan Boy tells the story of how the planet Venus came to be known as Kileken in Maasai culture. An elderly man, alone and childless is lonely tending his farm by himself. One night, a boy comes to the man and asks the man if he would take him in. When the man agrees, the boy takes on all the farm tasks, even those that seem impossible. Just who is this boy and how is he able to complete these tasks?

Advisory Information:

Themes:

a. Trust: The boy trusts the old man, and for a certain amount of time, the old man trusts the boy.

b. Unusual Strength: The boy is capable of running the farm for the old man.

c. Cultural “creation” story: This story is very similar to the Just So Stories or other cultural tales which explain to children how things came to be. In this case “creation” is not meant religiously, but rather in how Venus was named.

d. Maasi Culture: Through the illustrations, people witness typical clothing and daily chores.

e. Conscious: I especially liked the old man’s shadow, emphasizing a sort of devil on your shoulder. The shadow is never fully explained, but it is an interesting take as to how the man was persuaded to act upon his curiosity.

Age Recommendation

I would consider this story to be appropriate for young children who are just starting to read for themselves, roughly aged 7-10.

Other Information:

The book was illustrated by Paul Morin.

The Orphan Boy received the Governor General Award

Reaction:

I thought that the book read like an oral tradition, with the illustrations reinforcing the text. As a reader it was interesting to see how the author did not fully explain some of the aspects of the story, they were just kind of left up to the reader’s own interpretation of how things were possible. However, I think that is why this book works, since it does feel like a story to read aloud, perhaps readers are more inclined to allow for this suspension of belief.