Book Review- Sikulu and Harambe

We recently received a wonderful book in the mail- Sikulu and Harambe- By the Zambezi River. I immediately felt connected to the book having spent time in the beautiful country of South Africa myself. In our family, Africa is a very important place and one that we often include in different conversations with our children. They love hearing about the beautiful country of Africa and the amazing people, so this book was a huge hit with them.

With the wonderful similarities to the Good Samaritan story from the Bible, my children were easily able to make that connection themselves and were equally as distressed at the lack of compassion on the animals parts and they have been in the actual Bible story to the lack of compassion on the peoples parts.

The illustrations and colors used to bring this book to life are truly amazing. It truly help to share the beauty that is Africa's greatest treasure. Sikulu and Harambe has quickly become a favorite in our family and I am sure we will be reading it for many, many years to come.

From the Sikulu.com website:

Age range: 3 yrs - 8 yrs
Number of pages: 32
Size: 8.5” X 11”
Grade range: Preschool - Grade 3
Binding Type: Library
Author: Kunle Oguneye

This is the first in a series of adventures that follow Sikulu the spider and Harambe the Hippo as they travel to different countries in Africa. In this story, they are in the village of Sioma where they encounter an old woman in need of help. The other animals all have convenient excuses for not helping while Sikulu & Harambe are the only ones who do.

Based on an actual folktale, it is a great story that reinforces the beauty of kindness to young children. The book also offers a glossary of terms and weaves information about Zambian culture into the story. Children and adults alike come away better informed about life in Zambia.

About the Author:
Kunle Oguneye was born and raised in Nigeria. He has lived in the United States for the last thirteen years, spending the last four of those years in the Puget Sound Area. He left a career in technology in order to pursue his love for children’s story-telling.

To Buy:

Visit the Sikulu.com website to purchase you own copy of Sikulu and Harambe. You can purchase some of their adorable plush animals for your little readers to snuggle as well.


Enjoy!!