ISBN: 978-1-56145-490-7 $17.95

ISBN 13: 978-1-56145-490-7ISBN 10: 1-56145-490-7

Children’s

www.peachtree-online.com

IN COLLABORATION WITH

Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah

IN COLLABORATION WITH

14 CowsFor ameriCa

14 CowsFor ameriCa

Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah

DE

ED

Y /

GO

NZA

LE

Z /

NA

IYO

MA

H

They sing to them.

They give them names.

They shelter the young ones in their homes.

Without the herd, the tribe might starve.

To the Maasai, the cow is life.

IT IS JUNE OF 2002, and 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 on the men, women,

and children of America, and he is there

to accept it. The gift is as unsought and

unexpected as it is extraordinary.

A mere nine months have passed since

the September 11 attacks, and hearts are

raw. Tears flow freely from American and

Maasai alike as these legendary warriors

offer their gift to a grieving people half a

world away.

Word of the gift will travel news wires

around the globe. Many will be profoundly

touched, but for Americans, this selfless

gesture will have deeper meaning still.

For a heartsick nation, the gift

of fourteen cows emerges

from the choking dust and

darkness as a soft light of

hope…and friendship.

14

Co

ws

Fo

r a

me

riC

a

Printed and bound in China

Carmen aGra DeeDy

has been writing and traveling

around the world telling stories

for more than twenty years. Her

books, including AGATHA’S

FEATHERBED, THE LIBRARY DRAGON,

THE YELLOW STAR, and MARTINA THE BEAUTIFUL

COCKROACH have received numerous awards

and honors. Carmen has performed in many

prestigious venues, but children are her

favorite audience. Born in Havana, Cuba, she

came to the United States as a refugee and

like most immigrants sees the world from

multiple perspectives.

Thomas Gonzalez was

born in Havana, Cuba, and

moved to the United States as

a child, where his family settled

in the Atlanta area. The award-

winning illustrator developed

his style working as an art director, package

designer and creative development manager

for major corporate clients and advertising

agencies. Thomas lives with his wife Noni

and daughter Nina near Atlanta.

Wilson Kimeli naiyomah

received his master of science

degree in molecular biology

from Stanford University in

2008. He was awarded a Rotary

International World Peace

Fellowship and will begin studies in peace and

conflict resolution at the University of Queens-

land in Brisbane, Australia, in spring 2010.

Carmen Agra DeedyCarmen Agra DeedyILLUSTRATED BY

Thomas GonzalezILLUSTRATED BY

Thomas Gonzalez

$17.95

14 cowsfor AmericA

14 cowsfor AmericA

IN COLLABORATION WITH

Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah

IN COLLABORATION WITH

Carmen Agra DeedyCarmen Agra Deedy

14 cowsfor AmericA

14 cowsfor AmericA

Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah

ILLUSTRATED BY

Thomas GonzalezILLUSTRATED BY

Thomas Gonzalez

The remote village waits for a story to be told.

News travels slowly to this corner of Kenya.

As Kimeli nears his village,

he watches a herd of bull giraffes

cross the open grassland. He smiles.

He has been away a long time.

A girl sitting under a guava tree sees him first

and cries out to the others. The children run to him

with the speed and grace of cheetahs.

He greets them with a gentle touch on the head,

a warrior’s blessing.

To my children Katie and William,

Erin, and Lauren.

And to my beloved husband, John.—C. A. D

To my wife Noni and

my daughter Nina.

I am so fortunate to have

both of you in my life.—T. G.

To all the little children who read

this book. You are the peace

the world has been waiting for.

May you grow to be

compassionate diplomats.

—W. K. N.

PEACHTREE PUBLISHERS1700 Chattahoochee AvenueAtlanta, Georgia 30318-2112404-876-8761www.peachtree-online.com

Text © 2009 by Carmen Agra DeedyIllustrations © 2009 by Thomas GonzalezAfterword © 2009 by Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Kimeli Naiyomah, the publisher, and the illustrator wish to thank Josh Hanerfor the generous use of his photographs in the development of the illustrationsfor this book. The photographs provided invaluable guidance and inspiration forthe accurate depiction of the events described here.

Illustrations created in pastel, colored pencil, and airbrush on 100% ragarchival watercolor paper; text typeset in ITC’s Bookman Medium; title typeset in Linotype’s Optima ExtraBlack.

Printed in February 2010 in China by ImagoDongguan, Guangdong10 9 8 7 6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Deedy, Carmen Agra.14 cows for America / written by Carmen Agra Deedy ; in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah ; illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez. -- 1st ed.

p. cm.ISBN 978-1-56145-490-71. Kenya--Relations--United States--Juvenile literature. 2. United States--Relations--Kenya--Juvenile literature. 3. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001--Juvenile literature. 4. Naiyomah, Wilson Kimeli--Juvenile literature. 5. Masai(African people)--Biography--Juvenile literature. 6. Cows--Kenya--Juvenile literature. 7. Gifts--Kenya--Juvenile literature. I. Naiyomah, Wilson Kimeli. II. González, Thomas, ill. III. Title. E183.8.K4D44 2009

327.676073--dc222008055968