From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3 Rat and Elephant are the best of friends. Rat is the only animal who can make fire and is a hard worker who saves and plans for the difficult times that may lie ahead. Elephant takes advantage of his friend's generosity and tricks him into storing his food at his house and then refuses to return it. In the end, Elephant learns the meaning of true friendship. The richly colored illustrations are bold and graphically stylized. They add a real sense of place to the story, but are also distracting at times. The animals' positions, shadows, and gestures occasionally draw attention away from the story instead of adding humor. There are also a couple of disconnects. Although there is mention of a drought and the river has dried up, the grass and trees remain green and the last scene shows the animals playing in a large pool of water. The maneless male lion has a leg from a deer or antelope sticking out from his pocket (a snack for later perhaps), even when he smilingly interacts with the other animals. An additional purchase for collections with a large international folktale collection.
Genevieve Gallagher, Murray Elementary School, Charlottesville, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
...the lively pace sustains reader attention. Most compelling are the vividly coloured illustrations... (
Horn Book 20061101)
Kilaka's earthy tale with its bold colours strikes all the right notes, especially about what constitutes true friendship. (
Globe and Mail 20060901)
If you are building a collection of folktales and fables from around the world, this book would be a good choice. Recommended. (
Library Media Connection )
...a vibrant book. This story has a universal theme adaptable to many cultures...The illustrations show a sense of humor despite the struggle between characters. (
Multicultural Review )
Book Description
Winner of the Bologna Ragazzi New Horizons Award
Only Rat knows how to make fire. Every day the other animals come to fetch fire to do their cooking, and Rat never says no. Rat's best friend, Elephant, doesn't like to work. But he knows that because of his great size, he will be the first to starve when food is scarce.
When Elephant offers to store Rat's food in his solid house, Rat agrees, believing that true friends can always be trusted. Yet when the inevitable drought comes, Elephant refuses to share the stored food. When the other animals come to fetch their fire as usual, Rat is nowhere to be found, and now Elephant is worried. Will his betrayed friend use his fire as a weapon? But in the end Elephant is the cause of his own undoing, which includes an extremely undignified visit to the hospital!
(20060201)
About the Author
John Kilaka the accomplished author and artist, was born in a remote southwestern region of Tanzania. He began to paint as a very young child, despite fierce opposition from his father and teachers. He tried to meet his parents expectations by becoming a successful farmer, hunter, and fisherman, but finally made his way to the capital where he could pursue his vocation. Influenced by Tingatinga painting, he has now achieved international recognition.
