ISBN-13: 978-0-9777382-4-3
Pub date:  07/2008
Type/format: Picture book / Hard Cover
Age range: 3 yrs – 8 yrs 

Children need to be introduced to the pleasure, joy and adventure of reading at a young age in order to instill a lasting love of literature. As parents, we can help in this process by reading our children stories which we know that they will enjoy. At the same time, we can help add value to it by selecting books that promote good moral such as Sikulu & Harambe by the Zambezi River, an African version of the Good Samaritan story. 

Sikulu & Harambe by the Zambezi River is written by author Kunle Oguneye, who left a career in technology in order to pursue his love for children’s story-telling. This book 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. 

The story starts off with both friends encountering an old woman who was washing her clothes by the river. The old woman accidentally slipped which resulted in her clothes falling into the water and drifting away with the current. As she cried out for help to each of the animals around, all of them conveniently gave excuses not to help her.

Out of the goodness of their hearts, Sikulu & Harambe, went out of their way to rescue the clothes for the old woman. They were rewarded with emerald and gold bracelets for their good deeds which made the other animals regret not helping the old woman.

Based on an actual folktale, Sikulu & Harambe by the Zambezi River not only teaches children about the importance of the act of kindness but also weaves information about life and culture in Zambia. A great book to ignite the spark of desire to read in children from age 3 onwards.

Check out what other Parent Reviewers had to say about this book:

Mott’s Island - It’s a really wonderful book, introducing my kids to other cultures and people. They even learnt about Africa (the Zambezi River in Zambia, etc) and that there are different ways of pronouncing certain words. My 6 year old loved the word, “ESHULA!” and that was the first word he pronounced correctly, when he re-read the book.

Atomic Mama – I do want to say that this was a wonderful take on an old “classic” – I liked it as much as my son did. In fact, we read it three times in one day! My son is three – but a younger child would enjoy this story also for the simpleness of it (and the beautiful illustrations by Bruce McCorkindale). The older kids will appreciate the story – which is basically “be kind to others.” It’s a wonderful moral and a wonderful and cultural retelling. The book goes even a step (or two) further by even having a glossary of words used in the book. This is a great way for your children to learn more about life and the language of Zambia.

Mom Most Traveled – Sikulu & Harambe brings character education along with cultural information. I am looking forward to other books about Sikulu & Harambe that will give us the chance to follow their adventures as the journey to other countries in Africa.

The illustrations by Bruce McCorkindale really bring Sikulu & Harambe to life, with soft, friendly drawings of the Zambian flora, animals, and people.

Mommy Meryl Must Haves – Personally, there can never be too many engaging stories for kids with the message on how important being kind and nice are. What was a nice twist on this story was that included in the message about being nice to others, was a story that included lots of wonderful facts about Africa and African culture. In my opinion you got two lessons for the price of one!

Creative Writings 101 – This story made me think about things in a new perspective. In helping others, and being kind-I can actually feel good myself. Plus, in doing so you are setting an example for others, including your children if they are with you. Deja loved the colorful illustrations and together we were able to learn about a different culture, learning new words along the way.

The Clan Mcleod – The illustrations and simple, yet beautiful with lots of color! I love that in the back of the book, the author includes simple comprehension questions, a glossary of words, names and places, an explanation of the Ku-omboka Ceremony that Sikulu and Harambe attend, animals found in Zambia, and facts about Zambia along with illustrations of the flag and a map. It makes the story more alive and real when you can see and understand the terms and locations of where the action takes place!

Loving Heart Mommy -This book teaches us about a real life situation, the reactions of others, and the rewards for their actions. Its a great way to teach your children about kindness all while learning about a new culture as well. I believe this book is just as much for adults as it is geared towards children, we can all learn something from the kind actions and reactions of others in this book.

Rambling Moo – I personally find this book very well written with interesting and the colorful illustration helps young kids to grasp the meaning of expressing kindness to others with an open heart. The part where Sikulu went all the out to help the old woman despite his own fear really depict the actual act of kindness which we should learn to practice. Besides that, we get to learn a few new African words as well as the culture of the Zambian people along the way!

Crumley Family Blog – The universal theme of kindness to those in need was very obvious. But the story was also a wonderful introduction to African culture. It brought in geography (the story takes place in Zambia along the Zambezi River), new vocabulary (with an excellent glossary in the back and pronunciation keys in the story), zoology (various animals are the main characters in the story), and the mention of the Ku-omboka Ceremony which is explained in further detail in the back of the book.

Chefdruck Reviews – I don’t think the moral of the story really resonated with Jack and Juliette, although I have to hope it did somehow subconsciously. Sikulu and Harambe was a big hit though, because of the illustrations – the smiling blue hippo and the happy colorful frog were enticing to both children. They loved the setting of the story with its fun and exotic African names. We also had a great time picking out all the African animals including the elephant, the fish, and the stork.

If you’ve enjoyed our reviews and would like to purchase the book, just click here to get your copy! Alternatively, you can try your luck and win an autographed copy of the book via some of the giveaways on our reviewers’ blogs:

a) Atomic Mama

b) Rambling Moo

c) Creative Writings 101

d) Loving Heart Mommy

Congrats to Layla who won with her comment “So cute! I’d love a Pretty n’ Pink size small (I think) for my 14 month old“.

We will no longer be emailing winners, so you need to come back here to check on the results or subscribe to our feed to keep up to date with the news. All winners are required to do the following:

Winner's Submission Form

1. Your Name(required)
2. Email(valid email required)
3. Website
4. Prize Won(required)
5. Choice of design/colour/size if applicable
6. Full Name and Address For Shipping Of Prize(required)

 

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1. Submit your relevant info via the Winner’s Submission Form Below; AND
2. Leave a comment in this post to let us know you have submitted. 

 If the winner does not claim her prize by the 3rd November 2008, we will be doing a second random draw.

THANK YOU to everyone who participated.

Please remember to subscribe to Parent Reviewers for our MEGA Giveaway coming up in Nov-Dec. Win prizes totalling up to $1500! (Yes, the number of prizes sponsored have increased)

All of us at Parent Reviewers, have a soft spot for parentpreneurs because most of the time, their online stores feature some of the coolest as well as safest products ideal for the kids or even the whole family. So, let me introduce another great site, NMC Toys , which was developed by parents of two small children in 2007.

Here’s an excerpt from “About NMC Toys” taken from their website:

There was much news regarding the quality and safety of toys produced in China during the summer of 2007. We walked through the toy department of big box retailers and could not find a toy produced outside of China. Gone were the wooden blocks, dolls and wooden trains we played with as children. These toys were replaced with cheap plastic toys that had character ties to movies and cereals. We then turned to the internet and were frustrated by the lack of alternatives and lack of country of origin information. We experienced first hand the frustration and angst associated with taking away our child’s favorite toy that was recalled and we routinely threw away toys within a few days or weeks of purchase due to poor quality. These experiences led to the development of NMCtoys.com.

We are proud to partner with a company whose mission is to provide quality toys that can stimulate and challenge a child’s mind, foster a child’s imagination, improve their motor skills and above all,  able to bolster their self-esteem.

A couple of weeks ago, our reviewers were sent the Holgate Baby Blocks to test out. These made in USA blocks are great for teaching your baby about organizing, balancing and stacking, to develop hand-eye coordination as well as help build fine-motor skills.

Each set comes crafted from Hard Maple wood and contains 6 blocks. Cute colourful pictures of animals, alphabets, numbers and other graphics are presented on each side of the blocks and provides a creative way to introduce infant of age 1 and above to colors, letters, and fun drawings. What I especially like is the smooth rounded edges of the blocks which makes it safe for young infant. Blocks also have a long lasting appeal as many kids will happily play with them from baby to the toddler years. Thus, making it a worthy investment.

Here’s a look at what our parent reviewers had to say about The Holgate Baby Blocks:

Just A Mom’s Take On Things - Since that first day, she’s played with this set many times – either on her own or with me. I love how simple the letters and pictures are – they’re easy to see and for her to identify. We can talk about the animal faces – and what each animal ‘says’, which letter is which, and I love quizzing her on her colors with these blocks. There are only six blocks – but somehow they provide much more entertainment and educational value than other larger sets that we own or she’s played with elsewhere. Plus, I can bring these blocks with us when we go out and about – with only six of them to keep track of, it’s much less stressful for me and a lot of fun for her.

Come Shop With WhoIsBaby – Beside being an educational toy, a child can stack up these 6 blocks and be as creative as one could. My son likes this activity – stacking the blocks. He is very imaginative as well. He would stack a different shape every time and tell me it is “Disneyland” or “Marukai” or “Mall” or “Grandma’s house” and so on.

Sassy Frazz – I am really impressed with how these blocks were designed. The blocks have great, colorful graphics on each of the six sides. I can easily introduce colors, shapes, and letters to my kids with the Holgate Baby Blocks!

Babies Gotta Have It – I love these blocks for so many reasons!  All the components of the blocks are made in the U.S.A. They exceed all U.S. safety standards, are decorated with non-toxic paint, and they come from my home state of Pennsylvania.  Secondly, I like playing with them–they are smooth, solid, and have that wonderful depth that only wooden toys have (see video).  Third, the Holgate Toy Company has been around for 200 years, producing heirloom quality wooden toys.  They are everything an American toy company should be.

Miche Reviews – Blocks are truly a parent’s best friend and a child’s greatest learning tool, and my favorite blocks are Holgate Baby Blocks. They are made of sound wood, the beautiful brightly colored images don’t chip off after rough use (trust me, if my two year old can’t scratch or eat the images off, nothing can), and best of all, THEY ARE MADE IN AMERICA. Yes, you can heave a big sigh of relief when your child does decide to try licking the blocks because everything is safe, non toxic and made to last for your kid’s grandkids to use. I am in love with the blocks and have already ordered more to give as gifts.

Lisa Reviews – Will likes to stack two of them on top of one another and then knock them over and go “oh oh”.  What surprised me with these blocks is that Madison loves them just as much.  She builds a big tower with them and has Will knock it over.  She also likes the letters on them too. She tells me the letter, and we discuss all of the words that start with that letter that she can think of.  These blocks are a great toy for both of my kids, and I would highly recommend them.

Shake The Salt – We have had a lot of fun playing with the blocks… stacking, lining them up, talking about the letters, numbers, and animals.  They are well made – very solid without being heavy and is made from a renewable wood source. 

Lille Punkin’ Reviews – Holgate Baby Blocks from NMC Toys were the perfect size for my eager 20-month old. He stacked them easily, knocked them down, and started again. They were basic in their design (bright colors, familiar pictures) but there were a few things that really stood out…

The Dirty Shirt – I recently had the opportunity to review a set of Holgate Baby Blocks from NMC Toys and let me just tell you that after giving them to my 15 month old she was so enthralled by them that she sat in one spot and played with them for over half an hour. She absolutly loved these blocks.

Mogul Baby – They are recommended for age one, but I think a two-year-old would be interested in playing with them too. There are six wooden blocks decorated with letters, numbers and cute graphics. Your little one can create three letter words or just drool over them.

A Wrestling Addicted Mommy – I thought of them more for my 2 year old if anything, but my 5 year old also enjoyed them. They both loved the colorful wooden blocks and all they could do with them, it was quite surprising to see that something so simple could give so much enjoyment even to those kids who aren’t ‘babies’ anymore.

All Because Two People Fell In Love – My little one has had tons of fun playing with these blocks!! She has enjoyed stacking them, lining them up, sorting them and identifying the letters, numbers, and animals on each of the blocks. The blocks offer simple drawings that make it easier for the little ones to identify. They kept her entertained on a long car trip by telling her brother what each block had on them. The blocks are very well made! They feel very solid without being too heavy for little hands. The best part about the blocks is that they are made from a renewable wood source.

Mom 2 BB Reviews – The rounded edges of the blocks received a two thumbs up from me as a great safety feature for babies. There are numerous ways to play with these blocks but for the younger babies, you can start off by stacking them up towerlike and letting your baby knock them down.  My 18 months old niece had a blast with these blocks as she was already able to sort them by colors. We have also started teaching her to recognize some of the pictures and when she grows older, we will use these blocks to teach her simple three letter words.

Cutie Booty Reviews – I highly recommend this toy. It reminds me of toys of yesteryear that did not have all the bells and whistles. Simple learning toys that require your child to use their imagination. If your child is from one to three I think she will enjoy learning and playing with the blocks as much as Mekhi does.

The Domestic Diva – Since introducing Holgate Baby Blocks to my little one in our home, I’ve seen the joy that simple block toys can bring on a child’s face. There are days where my son will just sit in the floor and play for hours with these blocks even though they don’t make any noise or flash any lights. The joy of stacking and knocking over the blocks is enough to satisfy him.

Happily Ever After -  Tyler has gotten better at his hand-eye-coordination, and these blocks are perfect to help him develop his motor skills. I have a number of other stacking toys, but this is the first set that I came across that were wooden – LOVE that! Even though they were wooden, they had soft edges to them, so I wasn’t worried about Tyler hurting himself with them. The blocks were nice and solid, and compared to other wooden toys that we have, they held up quite well to Tyler’s banging them on things. We’ve had other wooden toys that chipped and needed to be thrown away.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Getting ready for bedtime has always been considered an important bonding session for our family. To me, it was also a stress relieving therapy as I get to unwind, chat and read to my kids. For the children, it was mostly the bedtime stories that they were looking forward to!

Unfortunately at times, after a day at the office, things may be too overwhelming and exhaustion just sets in even before I can finish dinner. So, in order not to disappoint the kids, I’ve found the perfect alternative to their bedtime stories – Travel Time Stories CD.

My kids simply adore their Travel Time Stories CDs as each CD comes personalized with their names. When the CD is played, each kid’s name (as personalized on the label) will be mentioned and  it gives the impression that the narrator is telling the story to each individual kid. How cool is that?

Currently, Travel Time Stories features 3 different volumes of CD, with each comprising of four to five all time favorite children’s stories such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Hansel and Gretel, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Snow White and more. Each story has an introduction to explain what to listen for. This introduction includes a well-known classical music excerpt, with music played by a symphony or chamber orchestra, from composers such as Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Handel, and Beethoven.

BUY IT : Besides being a wonderful alternative to bedtime stories, these Travel Time Stories CD are also great for road trips or flights. Let your child enjoy the wonderful melodies from famous works and explore their imagination through these ageless classical tales.

WIN IT : As always, we love sharing cool stuff with YOU. So, two of our readers will get a chance to win one of these Travel Stories CD worth $13.87. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Visit Travel Time Stories and pick your favourite Volume. Tell us in our comment which is your favourite story in that volume.
2. Earn three additional entries if you:

• Subscribe to Parent Reviewers OR
• Stumbleupon this post (please let us know your userid) OR
• Blog about this giveaway with a linkback to this post (please leave your post url)
• Giveaway is open to US and Canada shipping addresses only.

Contest closes on 10th November 2008 and two winners will be selected using the Random.Org number generator.

Violence against women is perhaps the most pervasive human rights violation — affecting no less than one in three women. But it remains largely invisible. Fear and shame prevent many women from speaking out. But you can help them to be heard and to be seen through your actions, advocacy and support.

UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women) is currently running a Say NO To Violence Against Women Campaign to attain 1 million signatures for this movement by November 24, to take a stand and build a community around this important cause. On November 25, UNIFEM and Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman will present these signatures to the UN Secretary General.

Please join the Say NO To Violence Against Women Campaign by helping to spread awareness for this movement to your readers, family and friends. Add your support to an ever-growing movement of people who are calling for a global action to end violence against women.  You can help by adding your signature to the petition via the widget below. Alternatively, you might want to promote this cause by embedding the widget on your site OR get a support badge here! Remember, EVERY VOICE COUNTS.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ARE WILLING TO SUPPORT THIS CAUSE!

TO THE FOLLOWING 3 WINNERS:

 1. Mary Jenkins

2. Hetal G

AND

3. Kristinia – Loving Heart Mommy

We will no longer be emailing winners, so you need to come back here to check on the results or subscribe to our feed to keep up to date with the news. All winners are required to do the following:

1. Submit your relevant info via the Winner’s Submission Form Below; AND
2. Leave a comment in this post to let us know you have submitted. 

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 If the winner does not claim her prize by the 25th October, we will be doing a second random draw.

THANK YOU to everyone who participated.

Please remember to subscribe to Parent Reviewers or check back for our ongoing Blog Giveaways. There are lots of attractive prizes lined up for you to win!

To Nadia who said….” My fave color is light green“

We will no longer be emailing winners, so you need to come back here to check on the results or subscribe to our feed to keep up to date with the news. All winners are required to do the following:

1. Submit your shipping add via the Winner’s Submission Form Below; AND
2. Leave a comment in this post to let us know you have submitted.

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 If the winner does not claim her prize by the 24th October, we will be doing a second random draw.

THANK YOU to everyone who participated.

Please remember to subscribe to Parent Reviewers or check back for our ongoing Blog Giveaways. There are lots of attractive prizes lined up for you to win!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Let me start off by saying that airplanes completely gross me out. I’ve flown a bunch of times in my life, my son (at three years old) has already flown around 10 times and my husband flies all the time – and each and every time we all get sick. We take all the proper precautions (like hand washing and getting rest) but the airlines have made it a little more difficult since they don’t allow a lot of liquids on the flight. I wonder if you can ever still bring hand sanitizer! In addition to all the cough and sneeze germs (that you might be able to avoid) – you also have to worry about those pillows you and your kids are resting your heads on! It’s been confirmed by airlines (and their cleaning staff) that the pillow cases on the flights are usually not changed after each flight – but changed at the end of the day. There could be 5 or more people using that pillow before you! Staph much? How about that super flu MRSA? Those germs can live up to 90 days on fabric! Lovely!

There’s a fix though – the “Travel with Me” company (which was created to provide the “health conscious traveler” with awesome products to keep them safe and healthy during their adventures) has introduced a product that I personally will get some “miles” out of (get it?) –  Jetheads™ Disposable Airplane Pillowcase! The pillowcase will fit over any of the pillows on your flight and provides a nice CLEAN area to rest your head. The fabric of the pillowcase feels like the gowns that you get at the doctors’ office – it’s soft and strong. When you purchase the pillowcase you get two in a package – at less than $6.00 for the two it’s a great purchase when you think of how many germs you are avoiding.

WIN IT : For those who take frequent trips by planes, here’s your chance to keep those dreaded airplane germs away! Travel With Me has partnered with us to give away one pack of 2 Jetheads Disposable Airplane Pillowcases each to 3 readers. We’re making it SOOO EASY for you to win:

• Tell us in our comment section, how often you travel by plane.
• 3 additional entries – If you Subscribe to our feed.
• Contest is open to any location where the USPS is able to ship to.
• Contest closes on 2nd November 2008. Winners will be picked using the Random.org number generator.

We’re excited to share with our community of reviewers as well as our readers on the coming MEGA Xmas & New Year Giveaway Bash which we will be organizing from 1st Nov to 31st Dec 2008. It’s a two months event with a giveaway or more every 3 days and prizes totalling more than $1,200!!!

In this recession time, this will be a great opportunity for everyone to spend less by winning great gifts for your loved ones during the Season of Gift Giving. So, be sure to jump on the bandwagon and get a head start by qualifying for 3 additional entries – Just grab any of the Mega Giveaway Buttons on our sidebar and place them on the sidebar of your blogs. You will automatically qualify for 3 additional entries for every single contest during these giveaways when you leave a comment in the contests letting us know you have the buttons up on your blogs (please remember to include blog url).

Finally, don’t miss out on this great event ~ Subscribe to Parent Reviewers and help us spread the word!