The Orphan Boy - Review of Tolowa Mollel's book with Illustrations by Paul Morin

           A review of The Orphan Boy 

written by Tololwa  M. Mollel and illustrated by Paul Morin.

Mollel, T., & Morin, P. (1990). The orphan boy. New York: Clarion Books.

The Orphan Boy is a mysterious folktale about the planet Venus and star-gazing. An old man in Kenya has a habit of sitting outside and watching the stars in the sky every evening.  One night he notices a missing star. The missing star appears as a child, Kileken, who is looking for a home.  The child takes care of the old man, does his chores, and minds the cattle, getting water, taking the cattle to graze, and so on.  Under the child's care the old man prospers since the child has magic powers, completing difficult work quickly and finding grass for the cattle during a drought.  When the old man breaks his promise to the boy not to find out his secret, the child bursts into a star, returning to the sky.  The man returns to his previous condition of hardship - hard work, drought, and solitude.  In Kenya the planet Venus is referred to as Kileken, and this story is told about the planet Venus.

I like this story very much because it shows that the old man was very fortunate to have prosperity due to the boy's help but that his curiosity to know the boy's secret left him in loneliness again. The mystery of the sky and the hobby of star-gazing are appealing to me because I love nature. 

The illustrations are authentic portrayals of Kenya, and the book jacket states that the author, Tololwa M. Mollel, has evaluated Paul Morin's images very positively: "What I find particularly strong is the authenticity of the landscape, the people, and the seasons (just as I remember them), and the sense of lived experience that makes the story part of the present."  

Here is an aerial photo of a boy herding animals in Kenya: Retrieved from
http://www.skymotionvideo.com/news/aerial-video-in-kenya/

This link leads to information about the Maasai people in Kenya and Tanzania.  There is also a link to a map on the site of where the Maasai live.

http://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/13177/KE

                                      


Comprehension Questions

1. In what country did the story take place?
2. Why did the old man feel happy when Kileken arrived and asked for a home?
3. What were some of the chores that Kileken helped the old man with?
4. How was Kileken able to find water and good grazing places for the cattle?
5. How did the old man spend his time in the evenings?
6. Why did Kileken leave the old man?
7. Where did Kileken go when he left?

Activities

1. Discuss which natural phenomena  could be used to make up a folk story, for example, the moon,
    stars, animals, plants, and rivers.
2. Ask students to draw pictures of natural phenomena like the sun, thunder and lightening,
    earthquakes,  mountains which could be used in the folk stories.
3. Have students to make folk stories that explain natural phenomena.
4. Explore the emotions in the story: compassion, trust, curiosity, betrayal, and sorrow.
5. Write an alternative conclusion to the story The Orphan Boy to have the old man respect Kileken's
    secret, not betray Kileken's secret.

The activity of creating an alternative conclusion to the story centers on the Saint Leo core value of respect because the old man did not respect Kileken's secret.  By changing the ending, children can see how the story would have different consequences if the secret had been kept.  The old man would still have Kileken with him to help him and keep him company.