Following the events of September 11, 2001, a young Maasai man named Kimeli who had been studying in New York returns home to Kenya deeply affected by what happened. He relates the devastation he witnessed to his entire village. “With growing disbelief, men, women, and children listen. Buildings so tall they can touch the sky? Fires so hot they can melt iron?... The story ends. More than three thousand souls are lost. A great silence falls over the Maasai.” The people of his tribe want to do something for the people of America, and one by one villagers step forward to offer a cow—“To the Maasai… the cow is life.” The power of this remarkable, moving story lies ultimately in its truth, and an endnote from Kimeli Naiyomah—the Maasai man in the story—relates the events told with spare beauty by Carmen Agra Deedy in fuller, first-person detail. He writes that the fourteen cows, which will never be slaughtered, remain “a symbol of hope from the Maasai to their brothers and sisters in America.” (Ages 8–13)

A New York Times Best Seller

This now-classic picture book recounts the true story of a touching gift bestowed on the United States by a tribe of Maasai Warriors in the wake of the September 11th attacks.

“Lovely... beautifully evocative.” ―Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times

“Moving and dramatically illustrated.” ―The Wall Street Journal

“Elegant...suspenseful...The colors of Kenya explode off the page.” ―School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

In June of 2002, a mere nine months since the September 11 attacks, a very unusual ceremony begins in a far-flung village in western Kenya. An American diplomat is surrounded by hundreds of Maasai people. A gift is about to be bestowed upon the American men, women, and children, and he is there to accept it. The gift is as unexpected as it is extraordinary.

Hearts are raw as these legendary Maasai warriors offer their gift to a grieving people half a world away. Word of the gift will travel newswires around the globe, and for the heartsick American nation, the gift of fourteen cows emerges from the choking dust and darkness as a soft light of hope―and friendship.

This New York Times best seller recounts the true story from Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah of the touching gift bestowed on the United States by a tribe of Maasai Warriors in the wake of the September 11 attacks. With stunning paintings from Thomas Gonzalez, master storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy (in collaboration with Naiyomah) hits all the right notes in this elegant story of generosity that crosses boundaries, nations, and cultures.

Best Children’s Books of the Year (Starred) – Bank Street College of Education

Notable Books for a Global Society – International Reading Association

E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor – Association of Booksellers for Children

Parents’ Choice Gold Award – Parents’ Choice Foundation

Teacher’s Guide available!