The Ostrich Chase

by Moses L. Howard

Khuana is a San girl who is as fast and sure-footed as any boy in her tribe. More than anything, Khuana wants to hunt ostriches to provide food for her tribe and to be honored and accepted as a great hunter. But it is forbidden for San women to hunt.

Then disaster strikes. Khuana and her grandmother are separated from their tribe. Does Khuana really have the skills of a hunter? Will she be able to do whatever it takes to survive in the harsh Kalahari desert?

118 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

MOSES LEON HOWARD, an American writer and educator, has written for children and adults for fifty years. A retired dean of a community college, he has worked as a biology teacher, assistant high school principal, and mentor and counselor for students at risk. He lives in Tacoma, Washington.

In addition to his long career as an educator in the U.S., Mr. Howard served as a Fulbright Fellow in Africa and spent ten years training medical technologists and preparing secondary school teachers in Kampala, Uganda.

Mr. Howard has also published children’s books such as The Human Mandolin and other titles under the pen name Musa Nagenda, including Dogs of Fear and The Ostrich Egg Shell Canteen.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for children between 8 and 10 because the language is relatively simplistic and repetitive. The author does a lot of telling along with showing to make sure the reader is clear on what is happening and why, so it is not difficult to follow the storyline or make connections between causes and effects. I would also recommend this book because it introduces the reader to a vastly different way of life from the American lifestyle. It is a great book to help children understand that not everyone lives, thinks, or believes the same way we do, and it would be especially interesting to girls since we take the relative equality between men and women for granted here in America.

[Monica Albright · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this book under duress. I did not want to read it, but did to help my daughter through some of the African vocabulary and African names. I actually liked it...After I got to about chapter 4 or 5. After reading it I can see why teachers are using this book for Social Studies. But, I was very disappointed that I could not locate a copy of this book from any of the local libraries so that I could have a copy at home to read on my own time.

[Deneis L.]

I think at good

[Renee]

I haven’t read this yet myself but I knew the author when I was a kid. He was my fourth and fifth grade science teacher.