Masai and I

As Linda learns about the Maasai people from East Africa in her American inner city school, she feels a strong bond with them. As she goes about her daily life, she imagines what it might be like to be a Masai girl doing similar things. The pictures show Linda's life blending in with Masai's so when Linda makes her bed, on the opposite page Masai spreads her cowhide on the floor for the night and rolls it up in the morning. While Linda washes with scented soap in preparation for her Grandma's birthday party, Masai rubs her face with cow's fat and red clay to make it shine for her celebrations. The sensitivity of the text and the beautiful illustrations convey how much these girls have in common although at first their lives might seem so different. This is often a difficult idea for young children to grasp and a book like this could encourage some valuable discussion.