Dean, and his friends, Matt, Dave and Jon, live on the same mission station. Together the four boys, who call themselves the Rugendo Rhinos, spend their afternoons and weekends exploring in the bush. When they stumble across two Kenyan boys, one dead and one very sick, they find themselves involved in a dangerous dispute. The father of the dead boy, certain his son died from a witch doctor’s curse, seeks a similar revenge. The boys, their families, and the African believers face the reality of spiritual forces, yet seek to distinguish what events are naturally v.s. supernaturally caused. The boys’ normal (but fun) activities at school balance the intensity of the spiritual warfare in the story. Still, this book might be too intense for younger kids.
The “Rugendo Rhino Tales” feature fourth-sixth grade boys, and are written for late elementary/ middle school boys. The original books are out of print (though still available on Amazon), but they were re-issued as Kindle books (with a few new additions to the series). In the Kindle series, Matt (a western MK in the original books) is replaced by Mato, a Kenyan boy, who also plays a more central role.
Aimee is a missionary kid living in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) where it always seems like it’s going to rain but it never actually does. On her birthday she runs through the village inviting friends to her party who tell her that the rain is finally coming. They move her birthday party inside just before the rain comes pouring down. This was actually written by an MK from Zaire and she portrays the sights and sounds beautifully.
Reading level: age 3-8 years
Side-by-side pictures illustrate the same story line, showing similarities and differences between the lives of two boys, one in a western town and one in a rural African village. The words for both stories are the same and run through the middle of the page. The text is very simple, but the details in the pictures are delightful and could captivate kids and grown-ups. This is a great book for discussion since it helps kids develop observation skills and see another way of life.
Reading level: age 4-8 years
When rebels try to take over the government in Ethiopia, where Charlie lives with his missionary parents, his family plans to evacuate the country. While his mother and baby sister leave for Kenya with another missionary family, Charlie and his father are separated when rebels arrest his father for having a short-wave radio. Completely dependent on the family of his best friend,
Wandaro, and Ethiopian Christians to help him and his father escape, Charlie prays, clinging to the promise, “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him.” This easy chapter book is listed as being for ages 6-8 years old, but the story may be frightening for some younger children.
Reading level: age 6-8 years
Peter, a white American, is entirely at home in a Malawian village. He slides down anthills in the hot sun, chews sugarcane with his friend Yekha, and runs with the goats. When he has to go to America with his parents, he feels displaced, and waits patiently until their joyful return to the village, where he is once again at home. Williams evokes Africa as the ultimate playground, a place of warmth, belonging, and freedom.
Cooper’s luminous paintings in oranges, yellows, greens, and blues contribute to this image, as they show Peter and Yekha playing against a background of shimmering heat. The warmth of that country is contrasted starkly with the cold of winter in America. Peter’s story tends to lose its flow in the descriptions of daily life. However, continuity is provided by frequent use of the phrase, “when Africa was home…” The book is successful as a read-aloud, but the print is also large enough for independent reading.
Reading level: age 4-7 years.
