Bonyo Bonyo

“Inspirational” is the word for this picture-book biography of a poor child in rural Kenya who grows up to become a successful doctor in the U.S. and returns to set up a clinic in the village where he was born. True to Bonyo's viewpoint, the direct, first-person narrative begins with the young boy's life of hardship, his heartbreak when his baby sister dies, and his dream that he will someday put a hospital in the village. He walks barefoot for two days across two rivers in order to attend boarding school, eventually makes it to Catholic high school, and then at 17 is accepted into a Texas college on scholarship. The clear illustrations with thick black lines and glowing color are dramatic yet spare, portraying the ever-present hardship and hunger in the village, the boy's struggle to get an education, and his determination to succeed. The quiet, triumphant climax shows people today lining up with their babies at Dr. Bonyo's village clinic. The message of harambee, or togetherness, is universal.