Kele’s Secret

In order to have his reward from Grandmother, Yoanes must first gather enough eggs to take to market. But Grandmother’s hens don’t make the job easy. They lay their eggs in the strangest places - the bedroom, the cow barn, and even the outhouse. And Kele, Grandmother’s most unusual hen, is most clever at hiding her eggs. Poor Yoanes has to follow her all over the family compound and coffee farm if he is to discover all of her secret hideouts. But she leads him to the one place on the farm that he is most afraid of, will he dare search any further? If he is to earn his reward, the precious coin from Grandmother, he will have to.

Master storyteller Tololwa Mollel has written a warm family story set in his native Tanzania. With a gentle sense of humour, he addresses the universal of a young child who manages to conquer his fears. Catherine Stock’s engaging illustrations, painted during a visit to the Arusha Maasai of Tanzania, evoke the liveliness and charm of the tale.