Review and Giveaway! - Sikulu and Harambe by the Zambezi River

I won't go into more details about how much Nadia loves books, although, as we start to spend more time trying to read to our 9-month old, we recognize that Nadia's ability to sit through 3 or 4 books at bedtime at the age of 9 months was not normal. Isaac makes it through one, maybe two, if we're lucky, which I think is a little more typical for a 9-month old. We read a lot of books at our house. A lot. Some are wonderful little pieces of true children's literature, and these are the books that we try to encourage Nadia to pick when it's time to read. Being the determined and opinionated little princess she is, she usually brings us what she wants to hear us read. Not to discourage her, we oblige, which means some weeks we read the same little Lion King book I picked up for $1 at Target to her every night. The book was supposed to be one of those lightweight books that only come out on the plane, but she freaking adores the thing. I guess where I'm going with this rambling is that Nadia is not very discriminating when it comes to what she wants to hear. She'll listen to just about anything. This makes choosing books for her relatively easy. We look for big words (she's a "big" word junkie,) pictures that help her make connections to the words, and strong positive messages. Sikulu and Harambe by the Zambezi River written by Kunle Oguneye is a version of the good Samaritan story set in Africa, and an example of the kinds of stories we're trying to share with Nadia these days.

Click on Read More to find out more about Sikulu and Harambe and to find out how to win a copy for your kids!

Sikulu and Harambe by the Zambezi River is the first in what is going to be a series of adventures of Sikulu the spider and Harambe the hippo as they travel around to different countries in Africa. In this tale, the two meet up with an old woman who loses her laundry to the rushing river. Many other animals are available to help out, but only Sikulu and Harambe take the time to assist the old woman. Of course, she then rewards them with some beautiful clothing and jewelry, and all the other animals feel guilty that they didn't help out. It's a unique twist on a traditional story, and even does a little to introduce Nadia to a culture very different from her own. When she thinks of Africa, she thinks of giraffes and lions, not the people who live there. The illustrations are easy to follow and help her make the connections that we all know to be so important in helping our children learn. We're very much looking forward to future adventures with Sikulu and Harambe.

Some quick stats and my overall rating:


Ages: written for children ages 4-8. My 3 year old has no trouble following the story, though.

Price: $14.99 for just the hard cover book, directly from the Sikulu website. You can also buy the book with a plush Sikulu the spider or Harambe the hippo for $24.99, or with both for $34.99. If you're just looking for the book, Amazon is selling it for only $11.24 with free super saver shipping on orders over $25!

Overall Rating: *** - A great little piece of children's literature. It carries a positive message while introducing children to a new culture. This is sure to become a favorite in your house.

Do you want to win a copy of Sikulu and Harambe by the Zambezi River for you book collection? Go visit the Sikulu website and find the answer to these questions: What country is the author Kunle Oguneye from and where does he currently reside? Send us an email to contest.kidbuyproducts@gmail.com with Sikulu in the subject and the answers to your questions. You will be entered in our giveaway of one copy of Sikulu and Harambe by the Zambezi River. All emails must be received by midnight on Tuesday, December 9th, 2008. Check out our official giveaway rules here. Thanks for reading and Good Luck!