Koi's Python

Children's Literature - Deborah Palgon

Set in the jungle of Central Africa, this coming of age tale is the story of Koi, age eleven, who awaits his manhood python. In the Batetelan tribe to which Koi belongs, a boy is considered a man only after he kills the powerful and deadly python. In reaching this milestone, Koi learns there are many aspects to bravery, some of which are more difficult to achieve than others.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6--In his Batetela village in Central Africa, killing a python is a rite of passage, and at 11, Koi has yet to encounter one. Membele, the village bully, delights in taunting him, telling him he's only fit for selling his mother's yams in the market. The bigger boy also ridicules the elderly man who lives under the mango tree. Koi's mother explains that Sankuru was once a mighty hunter, but the death of his wife and children sent him into madness. The old man shows Koi how to hold his breath so a python can't squeeze all of the air from his lungs, a trick Koi uses when he finally does kill one. He leaves the dead snake near the madman's sleeping mat so that the villagers assume that Sankuru made the kill. Later in the day, however, the boy has another chance to kill a python, and in doing so becomes a man and also saves Membele's life. With just enough detail, Batetela expressions, and interesting language, the authors have created a real place populated with believable characters. While the setting might be exotic, readers will immediately recognize Koi's need to feel valued and the ties that bind this village. With seven short chapters and appealing black-and-white line drawings, the book invites children to read about another culture.--Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA