Rick-a-chee and the Runaway Kobos
From SPARK
One-sentence summary
The story of a Nigerian boy who leans to give from his heart.
Description
Young children will especially enjoy this little 18-page story because of the repetition and the final happy outcome. Rick-a-chee is a small Nigerian boy who wishes to give towards a special money offering at his church. He works hard to earn a Kobo (penny) to place in the collection. However other things catch his interest which cost exactly one Kobo, so he keeps spending his money. Finally his grandmother helps him to understand that a gift must be given with one’s whole heart, rather than half of it. She prays with him, and on Sunday, Rick-a-chee joins the others and proudly places his Kobo in the offering basket in the little church near the big baobab tree.
Each page of the story has a black/white illustration that accompanies the script and is meant to be colored.
Considerations
- A strong point of this book is its repetition, which young children especially love but is also helpful when used by a story-teller. The listeners quickly learn what to say and can join in telling the story.
- The illustrations are interesting and totally African in content as are the activities of Rick-a-chee’s family.
- The illustrations are full front views and do not contain any odd angles or other things which might cause confusion for children/adults who have low visual understanding of pictures.
- Could be used in conjunction with Acts 5, the story of Ananias and Sapphira.
- Rick-a-chee keeps his Kobos in a goatskin bag around his neck. Some ethnic groups may view the bag and Kobo as a fetish used to ward off evil spirits.
Limitations
Guidelines for Use
- Permission is given to reproduce the illustrations in the book when used as teaching aids.
- This story could be adapted by an oral story-teller.
- The illustrations could be in the form of flipchart.
- Also as a color book standing alone to help remember the story.
- It could also be used as an audio book or made into filmstrip.
Where to Obtain
Link to Producer or Source Organization
Cost
Producer/Owners
Author/Artist/Producer
Author: Edna O. Menzies Illustrated by Ann Douglas
Current copyright owner
If you are interested in translating this story for a minority language, contact SIM International. Working together you will make a Creative Commons License agreement.
