How the Ostrich Got Its Long Neck~1995~First Edition~First Printing~Retold by Verna Aardema~Marcia Brown~Free Shipping

How the Ostrich Got Its Long Neck~1995~First Edition~First Printing~Retold by Verna Aardema~Marcia Brown~Free Shipping.

This unique children’s book is in very good condition. Some edge wear on the cover. A couple of small tears on pages (see photos). No markings or inscriptions anywhere. Published by Scholastic. This is a tale from a Akamba of Kenya.


The Kamba or Akamba people are a Bantu ethnic group - or tribe - who predominantly live in the area of Kenya stretching from Nairobi to Tsavo and north to Embu, in the southern part of the former Eastern Province. This land is called Ukambani and constitutes Makueni County, Kitui County and Machakos County. They also form the second the largest ethnic group in 8 counties including Nairobi and Mombasa counties.

The Kamba are of Bantu origin. They are closely related in language and culture to the Kikuyu, the Embu, the Mbeere and the Meru, and to some extent relate closely to the Digo and the Giriama of the Kenyan coast. Kambas are concentrated in the lowlands of southeast Kenya from the vicinity of Mount Kenya to the coast.

Verna Norberg Aardema Vugteveen (June 6, 1911 – May 11, 2000), best known by the name Verna Aardema, was an American writer of children’s books.

Her book, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears (1975), illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, received the Caldecott Medal in 1976 and the Brooklyn Art Books for Children Award in 1977. Who’s in Rabbit’s House? 1977 was the 1977 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award winner in 1978. Aardema received the Children’s Reading Round Table Award in 1981, and several of her works have been selected as Notable Books by the American Library Association. Her Oh Kojo! How Could You! won the 1984 Parents’ Choice Award for Literature.

Marcia Joan Brown (July 13, 1918 – April 28, 2015) was an American writer and illustrator of more than 30 children’s books. She has won three annual Caldecott Medals from the American Library Association, and six Caldecott Medal honors as an illustrator, recognizing the year’s best U.S. picture book illustration, and the ALA’s Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal in 1992 for her career contribution to children’s literature. Many of her titles have been published in translation, including Afrikaans, German, Japanese, Spanish and Xhosa-Bantu editions. Brown is known as one of the most honored illustrators in children’s literature. - From Wikipedia

“From our book shelf to yours. Wishing you great reading.” Barbara and Michael

If you have any questions about this item, please feel free to convo us.

Each book in our collection has been hand selected by Barbara and Michael over many years of hunting for them. We hope you will find a special treasure to read or share.