The Orphan Boy
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Cover Story
The illustration on our cover this month is by Andrew Skilleter from Susan Cooper's Over Sea, Under Stone. Susan Cooper is interviewed by Stephanie Nettell. The book is published by Bodley Head, to whom we are grateful for help in using this illustration.
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The Orphan Boy
Illustrated by Paul Morin
The planet Venus is known as Kileken, the orphan boy, to the Masai: in this poetic retelling of the African legend we learn why. The Orphan Boy is a tale of the love of an old man for the son he never had - a tale of old age and youth, weakness and strength and the importance of a shared trust and the devastating consequences of breaking it. One can almost feel the burnt grass and barren scrub, such is the wonderfully rich texture of Paul Morin's illustrations; rich, too, is the retelling of the story which has a haunting quality. Not to be missed.
