The Orphan Boy. Rev. ed.

Gregory Bryan is a member of the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

The Orphan Boy is a retelling of a Maasai legend involving the planet Venus, or Kileken, the orphan boy. An aged, childless African farmer’s fortunes are reversed with the arrival of a young boy, Kileken, who tends to the man’s herd of cows when everywhere around is in the deathly grip of drought.

Tololwa M. Mollel and Paul Morin’s book, The Orphan Boy, won the prestigious 1990 Governor General’s Literary Award for Illustration. Fitzhenry & Whiteside have reissued what is, if anything, a bigger and better version of the same wonderful book. The 2009 edition includes several new illustrations. Whereas the original version of the book included a number of black and white outline sketches, in the new edition those sketches have been replaced by full-colour paintings.

In addition to extra artwork, a double page “about the author” and “about the illustrator” spread has been added, as has a publisher’s note about the Maasai and the challenges they face in preserving their traditional way of life.

Paul Morin’s heavily textured and intricate illustrations are delightful. Morin collected sand and sticks from Africa to include in the illustrations, literally including a part of Africa in his depictions of the parched, gritty African landscape. Morin captures the beauty of traditional African dress and, although written in prose, Mollel’s writing has a beautifully poetic, lyrical quality to it. The writing is descriptive and engaging. The sentences are generally short and direct, yet Mollel’s evocative word choices help to paint a vivid picture for the story.

The Orphan Boy is a treat to the senses and has wide appeal. Readers of all ages will appreciate Mollel and Morin’s work.