Product Description

When a little girl learns in school about a tall, proud African people called the Masai, she discovers a sense of kinship and imagines herself living in Africa. She would live in a circle of huts in a tiny village. Instead of having a hamster as a pet, she would live among the giraffes and zebras on the African plain. Using energetic language, Masai and I is a joyous celebration of two unique cultures. Full color.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #62001 in Books
• Published on: 1997-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly
A young African American girl muses, "if I were a Masai," and compares her own life with what she has learned in school about East Africa and its inhabitants. She considers where a Masai girl would sleep, how she occupies her time, what kinds of animals she would see. The artwork, realistic and warm, portrays a joyful girl who feels "the tingle of kinship" with the Masai culture; her counterpart's spare environs, replete with exotic flora and fauna, are likewise strikingly depicted. The book's creative design--a Western scene on one page of each spread faces a typical Masai scene on the other--seamlessly blends corroborative colors and details: a yellow carpet becomes the dry savanna grass, the girl's bedsheet turns into a cowhide covering. (The final spread, however, may prove confusing: two characters are shown in Masai dress at an otherwise typical Western Thanksgiving dinner.) Kroll's beguiling language--"whole flocks of flashing fireflies turned trees into lanterns"--offers resonant images; the last paragraph, in particular, rings proud and positive: "I come home and stare at my reflection in my bedroom mirror . . . smooth brown skin over high cheekbones and black eyes that slant up a little when I smile. I like what I see." Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-- An interesting, richly blended book that connects two different worlds. A young African-American girl living in urban America feels a kinship with the East African people, the Masai, whom she is studying in school. Linda ponders her life and makes comparisons to theirs, pointing out similarities and differences in how everyday tasks are accomplished. Initially, the connections made between the two distinct lifestyles are startling, but once readers become accustomed to the form of presentation, each full double-page spread becomes a pleasure in itself. One world flows naturally and artfully into the next. A single tree shares roots with a city street and the African grassland. Linda looks into her American mirror and sees her Masai counterpart. The oil and colored-pencil illustrations are reminiscent of Grifalconi's work both in subject and style. One can easily see that while the Masai live differently than Americans do, children are children no matter where they grow up. The information on the Masai may lead motivated children to do some research of their own. --Martha Topol, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"I felt the tingle of kinship flowing through my veins," reports Linda of learning about the Masai in school. During the next two days, as she goes home to her apartment, shares dinner with her family, goes out to play until "the streetlights turn on," and gets ready for school and later for a party for Grandma, she compares each activity with the way it would be if she were Masai. As imagination might, the nicely cadenced, poetic text idealizes the Masai experience ("I would stay out until the bats' caves echoed with empty silence, until the low, white moon glowed yellow and rose straight above, until whole flocks of flashing fireflies turned trees into lanterns"); the sensitively observed art, adroitly merging the two worlds in each scene, captures both with robust enthusiasm. (Kirkus Reviews)

Customer Reviews

OUTSTANDING book about Africa and relating it us!
I am homeschooling my two young girls and we are studying the continent of Africa. I do a LOT of reading reviews and researching the books before I buy. Luckily, I chanced upon Masai and I and was so enthralled when I received it, that I have to say no child should be without this book! If you are looking to have your child understand another culture and somehow relate it to them -- THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU -- no matter what country/continent/culture is your focus. The little girl ponders about how her day would go if she lived in a culture so remote in lifestyle. It really makes you appreciate our conveniences, yet brings us to respect and reflect on how that must be to live so differently. But remember, we do have a tremendous amount in common with each other simply because we are human. Imagine what it would be like to live in someone else's shoes for one day! Then buy this book; it is truly a gem!

My third-graders love it!
I use this as a trade book during our study of Kenya. It is a great tool for comparing our society with theirs. The text is age-appropriate and is enhanced by the beautiful illustrations. My students love to read it again and again!

An excellent book when comparing cultures.
I use the Masai and I in my 6th grade classroom. It is the model for comparing cultures. Kroll catches the basic similarities and presents them in an appealing and educational fashion.