I was off today...and it was a great day just to catch up. I slept in and did some things around my apartment. Then I did more writing and I ran some errands.While running errands I saw that my friend Carmen Agra Deedy's new book 14 Cows for America was out on beautiful display at the Barnes & Nobel on the Upper East Side (at 86th Street and Lexington Avenue).
Earlier this month the book received a wonderful review in the Wall Street Journal and I've been passing it along to my friends and family.
I can't wait to see how the life of this book unfolds in the weeks and months ahead. This is an incredibly moving story about an African tribe's response to news that America had been attacked and wounded on September 11th.
Though some may bill this as a 9/11 book - it is really a true account that captures the beauty of the human spirit. How complete strangers could ask, "What can we do?" speaks to the heart of what it is to be human.
I hope you'll check it out...you'll be better for it.
Some other reviews:
"...elegant sentences...The suspenseful pace is especially striking when surrounded by Gonzalez's exquisite colored pencil and pastel illustrations. The colors of Kenya explode off the page..." -School Library Journal * STARRED REVIEW *
"...gentle yet piercing present-tense prose...A stirring, heartwarming tale that made headlines when it happened-and is now, thankfully, preserved on the page for children." -Kirkus Reviews
"...just as affecting for adults as it is for kids." -Cookie Magazine Online
"...the words and the glowing mixed-media illustrations show empathy and connections across communities..." -Booklist
