ISBN-13: 9780061346637

ISBN: 0061346632

When the good people of AJG first contacted me for a review, I had my interest piqued just seeing the title of this book You’re Not The Boss of Me : Brat Proofing Your 4- To 12-Year-Old Child. I have a 5 year old and  a 10 year old who are a constant challenge to me, so this book was certainly right down my alley. I was all pumped up to see what I could learn from well-known parent educator and author, Betsy Brown Braun.

I skipped the first few pages of  testimonials provided in the book as I didn’t want my judgement to be clouded by these positive reviews. I like that the author recommended the book NOT to be read in one sitting but instead, to begin with the first chapter “Did You Hear Me?  : How to talk to your kids”. I wondered which mom had the luxury of time to finish a book in one session anyway. As suggested, it was certainly more practical to flip to the chapters which matters most to each individual reader.

For me, it was Chapter 4.  “Where’s My Jacket?” sounded like it was written for me to address the issue with my absent minded son. You see….each day, after school, he goes straight to his tuition centre for lunch, a bath and then tuition. He stashes his dirty uniform and socks in a bag to bring home but lately, he has been coming home either without his socks OR with only ONE sock OR with one side that does not belong to him! It has become such an irritating habit that I find myself constantly nagging at him for not being responsible.

In Chapter 4, Betsy Brown Braun highlighted that a parent can be the saboteur to their very own child’s development of responsibility. Very often, out of impatience or due to lack of time, I had helped my daughter or son to do the tasks that they were supposed to do themselves.  Guilty as charged   This was something I have to work at. It was a small but essential step to guiding my children to become more responsible. Betsy Brown Braun was not only able to demonstrate that she understood my plight but she also gave concrete advice about how to deal with it.

I must also compliment Betsy on the fact that she never talks down to you. With some other books that I had finished reading, they seemed to convince  me that I’m a bad mother that needs to change. I never got that idea from this book.  Instead, Betsy explained things as they really are. Sometimes children play up but there are things you can do to fix this.  I expect that I’ll be dipping in and out of this book in the future as I enjoyed how how easy it was to use this book as a reference. You will also find tips and examples in each section of the book, telling you how to effectively implement the strategies that was taught.

BUY IT : I would happily recommend You’re Not The Boss Of Me : Brat-Proofing Your 4- To 12-Year-Old Child to any parent. You’ll not be disappointed.

WIN IT : We’re giving away a copy of You’re Not The Boss Of Me : Brat-Proofing Your 4- To 12-Year-Old Child to one lucky reader. If you’re looking for a parenting resource that really works, this is one book you must not miss. To enter for a chance to win, just follow the requirements below:

• One Mandatory Entry- visit  Betsy Brown Braun’s website and tell us one fact about the author.
• One Additional Entry- For every tweet (once a day) that says “WIN YOU’RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME HERE” and link back to this post. Pls leave your twitter ID and tweet URL.
• Two Additional Entries- Are you a facebook fan? Share this on FB and  you’ll get TWO extra entries in!
• Giveaway is open to ALL!!
• Giveaway ends 19th July 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

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I just got back from an 8 hour plane flight, with three kids (2, 4 and 7) and 60kg of luggage, by myself. Not only that, I managed to watch 3 movies, eat the meals and enjoy myself. The best thing was, the 2 year old did not scream or yell (unlike the first time we went, where he screamed non-stop for 2 hours) and instead, entertained himself and the other passengers. To be honest, as I was planning for our 19 days trip, everyone asked if it would be alright, traveling with kids. Well, to be honest, the best answer to that is to not to have any expectations on how your kids will behave. They will not sleep if you want them to. And they will sleep when you least expect them to. I gave myself a big pat on my shoulder, and for remembering to take double of my anxiety relaxant pills.

However, if I had read “Wanderlust and Lipstick – Traveling with Kids” by Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy, it may have given me more ideas on how to relax even further!

“Wanderlust and Lipstick – Traveling with Kids” is a collection of real-life experiences by moms who travel with kids. By travel, it could mean interstate or international. It doesn’t matter. What really matters, is your sanity and maintaining it. Reading this book WILL. HELP. YOU.

It covers from pre-travel (yes, even if you’re just thinking about it) right up to post-travel, where it mentions recovery from jet-lag. It includes an extensive list of websites, which is pretty handy since it’s all laid out in one book! While alot of us moms just worry about the logistics, the food and water supplies, we often forget about the enriching experiences our kids go through. Like just letting them play and make friends with the local kids, is enough to fill their memory banks for a lifetime. The book is peppered with “hot tips” for short trips that are 1 hour drive away or super long ‘around the world’ trips!

About Wanderlust and lipstick :

Our mission is to increase your passion for travel by providing inspiration, tips and words of wisdom from experienced Wanderlusters who’ve seen it all! Here you can find travel stories to whet your appetite for adventures around the globe; join a WanderTour to Bhutan or India; peruse posts from the ever expanding group of WanderBloggers; read travel tips from experienced globetrotters; learn about Wanderlust and Lipstick-recommended travel gear; and salivate over the glorious photos in the WanderGallery submitted by travelers the world over.

More about the co-authors : Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy, please go here!

Buy It! The Wanderlust and Lipstick series is specifically targeted to women, and I only wish I had known about it earlier. I have so many girlfriends who have the ‘wanderlust’ in them, and have traveled far and wide, and this would have made perfect gifts for them. Series include :

• The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo – 2nd Edition
• For Women Traveling to India

These books are available at the Wanderlustandlipstick website and also at Amazon.

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1. Donna Culbreth
2. Anna Kee
3. Danielle Garcia
4. Justin Beam
5. Abi Buening
6. Pending for reply from subscriber

How appropriate to giveaway this title for the month when we all celebrate Mother’s Day. When I first became a mom, I was overwhelmed with the experience and the challenges I had to go through. It was truly a turning point in my life and that experience taught me to appreciate my mom even more.  Thus, I am proud to have this opportunity to share with you the latest title from Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom. This book is a collection of 101 short stories contributed by daughters and sons like you and me, to honor and celebrate the most important woman in their lives.

Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom comprises of the following sections : Following In Her Footsteps, Mom Knows Best, Making Sacrifices, Favourite Moments, Mom To The Rescue, What Goes Around, One Of A Kind, Gifts Of The Heart and My Mother’s Legacy. To put it simply, I was enthralled by the heartwarming stories in this title from start to finish. Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom has also been a great motivator for me during the times when I am having a bad day with my kids. I just needed to pick it up, read a story or two to remind me that  all that sacrifices and willingness to always put my family first will eventually be worth it….and thus, making me feel more appreciative of my role as a mom.

A word of caution though, there are definitely some tear jerkers in those stories of real life experiences such as chapters like ”My Mother, My Friend”,  “Finding Joy, In A Time of Loss”, “Nobody’s Chid But Mom’s”, to name a few. So, be sure to have your Kleenex handy.

A treasure chest of inspiring stories, Chicken Soup For The Soul : Thanks Mom is a definite WINNER! And here’s your chance to win a copy*. Simply subscribe to our feed via email (button on the top right side bar) and you will automatically qualify for our draw.

*Prizes will be shipped within US only.

Disclosure : Review and giveaway copies of the above book is proudly sponsored by www.chickensoup.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are solely my own.

Laundry is not my favorite chore- in fact with the multiple loads I have to do daily- it is pretty low on my list of things I like to do.  I am always on the lookout for new products that make this chore faster and easier.  Thanks to Parent Reviewers I was recently given the opportunity to review a great new product- well a new to me product.

Robby Wash is a great alternative laundry detergent product that has been used in Europe for years. It is third party tested, proven and guaranteed to clean better than traditional powder laundry detergent.

Sounds good right?  Well it’s better than good- it is also eco-friendly, hypoallergenic and made with no harsh chemicals.  In fact it is often used in Europe for baby laundry- safe and effective.  This fact was extremely important to me as my youngest child has very sensitive skin and often reacts harshly to even the gentlest detergents.

I was given the opportunity to try Robby Wash for myself and I must say I am amazed. The Robby Wash system includes two plastic balls filled with Robby Wash laundry detergent. The blue ball is recommended for use with hot or cold washing loads while the fuchsia ball is recommended for use with cold water/colored clothing.

I was a bit skeptical at first, but once I washed our first load (white towels) with the blue Robby Wash ball I was hooked. The towels came out clean, fresh, and with a wonderful, very light scent. I was equally as pleased with the results of the fuchsia Robby Wash ball- no fading on our bright colored clothes and the same amazing results.

Most importantly, my children had no trouble with the clothing that was washed using the Robby Wash balls.  There was no skin irritation or itching- simply soft, sweet smelling clothing.  I was truly impressed.

In addition to its great cleaning power, Robby Wash is also extremely environmentally friendly- 10 ounces of Robby Wash can replace 75 pounds of traditional laundry detergent and Robby Wash detergent last for up to 12 months.  At a price of $32.95 per Robby Ball, you can easily save hundreds of dollars a year on laundry detergent.

Although laundry is still not high on my list of things I like to do, Robby Wash has made it much easier, faster, and more financially friendly.  I am hooked on Robby Wash and know I will be using it for many years to come.

Here’s even more great reasons to buy Robby Wash Balls:

The Practical Laundry Washing Ball

Top 11 Robby Wash Ball Benefits

To Buy: Robby Wash Balls are available for purchase on Oransi.com.

To Win: Oransi.com has offered the Robby Wash System to TWO of our lucky readers.  Here’s how to enter:

• One Mandatory Entry- check out Robby Wash on Oransi.com and leave us a comment telling us your favorite benefit of the product.
• Two Additional Entries- Follow us on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway.  Please leave a separate comment including your twitter id and tweet url.
• Five Additional Entries- Read one of our parenting articles. Leave a comment about it in the post and return here, with the article’s URL.
• Entry is open to US shipping addresses only.
• Giveaway ends 26th April 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

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Good luck!!

The Magic School Bus has long been a favorite in our home. Our personal library is filled with the many books, movies, science kits and more offered by The Magic School Bus series. I was, of course, thrilled when we were offered a chance to review one of the newest additions to the series: The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge.

From the first page this story my children were hooked.  Ms. Frizzle takes the class on yet another amazing adventure, this time to explore the concept of Global Warming.  With her wonderful sense of wit and humor, Joanna Cole brings this topic to life in a new and easy to understand way.  Accompanied by amazingly bright and action filled illustrations, Bruce Degen truly brings the scientific concepts to life and makes it so much fun to learn!!

The pages are not only filled with wonderful information but also many challenges to children offering ways they can make small changes to help affect this worldwide problem.  After reading it numerous times, I have found my own children reminding us to turn off extra lights and to unplug unnecessary items when not in use.  The truth held in this little book really made an impact and my little ones are now proponents of change in our small sphere of influence.

About The Magic School Bus and The Climate Challenge:

Ms. Frizzle’s students are putting on a play about global warming, and they need some cold, hard facts. The Friz knows just where to find them! A hop on the Magic School Bus takes the kids on a whirlwind tour.

From the Arctic to the equator, they see telltale signs of climate change. But to get the really big picture, the class has to get really small – so they can see exactly what is in the air and why it is making the world warmer.

What they find gives them a real cause for concern!

Don’t forget to check out The Magic School Bus on Scholastic.com for many wonderful activities and resources to bring science to life for the little ones in your life. You can also find out more information on Ms. Frizzel’s April 20th Webcast here.

Buy It: You can purchase The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge as well as other great Magic School Bus products at many local bookstores and online at Amazon.com.

Win It:  Scholastic Books has generously donated the following prizing….. just in time for Earth Day:

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive:
Paper Recycling Studio
Copy of The Magic School Bus and The Climate Challenge

Two (2) additional winnerswill receive a copy of the book!

Here’s how to enter:

• One Mandatory Entry- Visit The Magic School Bus site and leave us a comment including your favorite Magic School Bus product.
• Two Additional Entries- Follow us on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway.  Please leave a separate comment and include your twitter id and your tweet url.
• Five Additional Entries- Read one of our parenting articles. Leave a comment about it in THAT post and return here, with the article’s URL.
• Entry is open to US shipping address only (Iinternational readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail.)
• Giveaway ends on April 19th 2010 and a winner will be picked using Random.org. We will not be emailing winners, so please make sure you subscribe to our feed or check back here for the winner announcement post.

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Our family loves stories about animals! So when I heard that I had the opportunity to review Winter’s Tail by Juliana, Isabella and Craig Hatkoff I jumped at the chance! I grew up in Central Florida – so I am familiar with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium where this story takes place.

About the Book:

When Winter, an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, was found trapped with her tail badly damaged, she was not expected to survive. This is her miraculous story, from her rescue to learning how to swim again to her unprecedented success using a prosthetic tail. This is also a celebration of her indomitable spirit.

My son is a couple months away from being five – so the story kept his attention and I was able to engage him more by asking him questions about the story. I don’t think I would recommend the book to kids much younger than five though, since it is a long story and might upset little ones with its details about Winter’s injuries. However – for kids older than five up towards tweens and even teens – Winter’s Tail is a wonderful true story. My son and I loved all the beautiful photos of Winter and her dolphin friend Panama!

Winter’s Tail teaches about acceptance and learning to live (and even thrive) even if you have a disability. Her story is helping to de-stigmatize disabilities of all kinds in a natural way. The book adds a dimension and a new set of tools for kids, parents, and teachers to deal with difficult subjects or topics.

Winter as of right now is on her 7th tail and it is expected that she may need up to 25 or more tails as she grows, and as the engineers keep learning more and improving the technology. This month, October, Winter celebrates her 4th birthday!

Win It: Thanks to Scholastic, one (1) of our Parent Reviewers readers will receive a Winter’s Tail prize pack including:

Dolphin Plush

Dolphin Key Chain

Winter’s Tail game for Nintendo DS

Copy of Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again Book

To enter to win, here’s what you need to do:

Disclosure : Christine was sent a copy of the above book in exchange for this review.

Growing up, I was never really good at Maths. Until, I had the benefit of getting to know an excellent Maths teacher, who showed me the good side of Maths. It was astounding. I never thought Maths could be so interesting and from then on, each time I found a pattern or a sequence, Maths got easier and easier. I have to say, by the time I ended High School, the only thing I really excelled in, was Maths (and English ~ but that didn’t count somehow).

Now, as a parent, I have to admit, I really suck at teaching Maths. Perhaps I’m too impatient with my kids and think ahead of myself. The easy stuff like Addition and Subtraction was taught with much frustration, on my part, and much dismay, on my kids’ part.  I dreaded the idea of teaching Multiplication and Division! When the book “Teach Your Child the Multiplication Tables, Fun, Fast and Easy with Dazzling Patterns, Grids and Tricks“, arrived, I looked at the front cover with much skepticism. How “fun” could it be?

I completely forgot how amazing it is, when the brain opens up, finds a pattern and starts working furiously at the numbers. Until this book arrived. My 7 year old saw this book and immediately wanted to work on it. I knew he learnt some multiplications at school, but I wasn’t sure how much.

He attacked the first grid….working all the multiplication numbers from 1 to 10. Just like that. I was amazed. He had read and glossed over the book, (I assumed he was just looking at the pictures) earlier…and when he started doing the numbers, he seemed to understand the underlying patterns under each multiplication.

And here I thought I would have a hard time teaching him the Multiplication!

About : The book starts with a story about a Circus in mayhem. The Ringmaster needs the child’s help in counting his animals, but it would take too long to count them, one by one. One needs the magic of multiplication to help him account for all his animals!

Eugenia Francis created this fun, colorful and imaginative way of working with numbers. She spent 15 years developing creative teaching materials. She taught both high school and university students (University of California at Irvine) and mentored other teachers. She received a B.A. and an M.A. in literature from Southern Methodist University and has done graduate work at UCI. Faced with the challenge of teaching her son the multiplication tables, she developed her own innovative method, discovering patterns and tricks to the multiplication tables.

This book also works very well for children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. Patterns provide structure.  Children with ADD/ADHD need structure. These children have a difficulty memorizing the times tables.  The visual-spatial method of patterns and grids works better.  Patterns also help dyslexic children as they strictly order number sequence.  Special needs children can better visualize and recall where a number is placed if they see a pattern.  Do check out her blog for any updates or tips!

Buy It : There are also other versions, the Teacher’s version and the Spanish version. Wipe-off Learning Aids are also available. The books are available on Amazon, while the books and the Learning Aids are available at Eugenia’s website.

Win It : Goody! Here’s the fun part : 7 very lucky readers will have a chance in winning this. All you have to do is :

Blue Ink Press, LTD. has recently released the first book in a series titled The Ice Horse Adventures.  The first book, Ariel’s Journey by Doug Kane and Christy Wood is available to the public from November first.

This paperback book revolves around the journey of five spunky young women, Emily, Kim, Laura, Andrea, and Darcy on an overnight trail ride together riding their beautiful, fluffy and stocky Icelandic horses. The adventure begins as they travel back in time to the 13th century with their mystical horses in order to save the village of their ancestors.

Bearing in mind that I am a fan of fantasy fiction, I was still unsure what to expect when I started this book as the initial chapters seemed to drag on for me. However, I found myself transported back in time together with the girls when the time travel ride began. It was wonderful to read how the girls discovered strength in each other to overcome obstacles which they would have never thought possible.   These young women eventually became brave  warriors to fight a battle which triumphed over evil.

BUY IT : I thought this was a good fantasy adventure book for tweens to teens who love horses but adults may not be as appreciative of the simple storyline.  A fun read, ideal to teach teenagers about the importance of female bonding (friendship and trust) and to learn more facts about Icelandic horses.

Our reviewers were divided in terms of their opinion on the book. Here’s what they had to say:

Loving Heart Mommy – I can totally relate to what the girls were going through throughout the book. They deal with issues that every day teens are still going through now as they were when I was a teenager. You know how they say there is a moral to every story? This book helps to show us that your foes can become your friends and in the end its all about friendship and trust. Those are very important values that each and every one of us should learn and use in our daily lives.

A Mom’s Take On Things – I found the book to be an easy read that immediately draws you. These once naïve girls, turn into brave and majestic warriors  into the story and the plight of the five young heroines and their horses. The actual plotline is somewhat simplistic – there’s a young woman in danger and the travelers from the past much band together to save her, and her village from the evil chieftain of a nearby village. Even so, I didn’t think it was at all predictable, and in fact was rather surprised by several turns of events as the storyline played out. The existence of the Icelandic horses and their uncanny abilities definitely plays a huge part in the story and in how the girls are able to achieve their quest.

Sewing Mom – I found the book to be a good read and appropriate for pre-teens on up. Some of the dialogue is a bit slow, or repetitive and sometimes awkward. I also thought the romance between one of the girls and a boy she meets from 800 years in the past could have been left out. It didn’t really add anything to the main plot of the story and, since the 2 characters really knew nothing about each other, it was based purely on a physical attraction.

I enjoyed the battle planning and the involvement of the girls. They were not only involved in the actual planning, but played integral parts in the winning of the battle and rescuing of the princess. The battle was exciting and played out in a way that was surprising and exciting to read.

3 P’s Mama Says – Ariel’s Journey is intended to be a young readers book and would probably appeal to girls ages 8 and up. As the adventure to the mystic and historic Iceland is somewhat surreal, I think those who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of romance and fantasy would enjoy the book as well. Add to that all of the horse-lovers, young and old and, well, the book would appeal to many.

Three Different Directions -The story itself is about five girls and five Icelandic horses that go back in time 800 years into Iceland’s past. Two villages are warring, and the good chieftain’s daughter is kidnapped and it’s up to the girls to rescue her. The book also involves a bit of romance. The girls are courageous during their venture.

I liked the book during the latter half when they were back in time and fighting. Also, I enjoyed reading about the younger girls, and how they helped out on the action plan. I didn’t like the book during the gushy romance. The book had a lot of horse terms I didn’t understand (and there was no appendix).

The Dirty Shirt Blog – I loved the beginning and when the girls went back in time. But the love part of the story I could have done without. I personally couldn’t get out of my head that these girls are young. But it just so happens that my daughter really liked that part. So maybe it’s just me.

I feel this book is perfect for tween to teen girls. My daughter is 9 and she loved the book. So from me I give it a thumbs up. I especially liked that they included a glossary for all the Icelandic words that they used. It was a lot easier to explain to my daughter what those words meant.

Ang’s Chicken Coop -  Ariel’s Journey had me hooked from the first page. I have always been intrigued by Icelandic horses but throw in the time travel, a princess and an evil chieftain and I couldn’t put it down! And Jasmine is just dying to dig into it! I am quite sure that this book will make the rounds of junior high girls at school, too. If you have girls that love horses, this is a must read for them.

From Melissa’s Desk – Ariel’s Journey is the first book of The Ice Horse Adventures and is geared toward girls 9-12 years old. It deals with many issues this age girl faces in real life, but throws in some magical fun just to sweeten the deal!

Mothering Many – She was not overly impressed so far, but she’s a bit older than the target market. I was hoping we could get by with it because she loves horses so much, but I guess not.

The Clan Mcleod – I thoroughly enjoyed Ariel’s Journey and Pink Panther, age 9, is currently reading it and says it’s great! She can’t wait for more of the series to be released! It is a lot thicker than I had presumed but is still an easy enough read for a 9 or 10 year old but holds the attention of older girls as well. Ariel’s Journey is recommended for ages 9-12.

Jojo’s Place – I also got the opportunity to read the book.  I was very surprised that a book that was targeted at 9 to 12 years old was able to captivate my interest as well.  I loved the information that it gave about the Icelandic Horses, considering I knew nothing about them.  The girls interaction with the horses was wonderful.  I also loved that there was a strong conflict resolution within the book.  Girls this age need to learn to be friends with everyone and get over their differences what ever they maybe. 

Cheeks to Cheeks – As the chapters flow and to my surprise, I became more intrigue on where the story was heading. With the help of the magical Icelandic horses the five young women were given a golden opportunity to bond as sisters and became (do mind my language) kick ass fighting machines. I find my heart palpitating at the battle scene and with the good triumph over the evil, the ending of the story could not be any better. Now I am totally hooked and I can’t wait for the next story to be published.

Brain Foggles – The story itself is a bit difficult to get through in the beginning but as the adventure unfolds, it is difficult to put this book down. You are thrown into the adventure with it’s twists and turns and wondering how the girls will end up working things out together.

All Because Two People Fell In Love - This book is a quick read and the authors were able to keep me interested throughout the whole story!! The authors were able to include teenage lingo in their writing by making references that kids can relate to. For example, the author included age appropriate dialogue between the characters which I feel makes it easier for young girls to connect with the characters. I really enjoyed this book and would say that it is appropriate for middle school girls and on up. Any horse lover would really enjoy this book as it discusses the Icelandic horses in depth. The battle was an exciting part of the story and the author was able to write it in a way that was surprising and exciting to read. I really appreciated that the book included a Icelandic glossary that defined the uncommon words.

Mak!Mej! – Overall, I find the book entertaining and informative. I’ve never heard about Icelandic horses before (oh, well I’ve never even really ridden a horse except for photo ops!) but now I’m glad that I know a little about this breed. A touching story about love, hope, courage, triumph and most importantly, of friendship, I must say Ariel’s Journey is definitely a good read for teenagers, and I’m pretty sure much more for horse-lovers.  Adults will find this a fun book too -I’m sure everyone will have a great journey back to memory lane -like I did!

Chanel’s Journal – Besides the combination of modern, magical and imaginative adventures, the story also taught us about the good value such as friendship, forgiving, helpful, understand and accepting others’ weakness. Mummy loved the way how conflicts were being resolved in the story using a different way making the girls’ change their understanding and perspective without having to nag to them.

Lille Punkin’ Reviews – While I see this read being best suited for tween and teen girls with a more advanced reading skill level, I think it would also make a great read-aloud title for right before bed. Horse-lovers will be thrilled with the relationships between the girls and their magical steed, and those who crave a bit of suspense will be turning each page in anticipation of the climactic ending!

Yenjai – As the book is meant for pre-adolescent, the language used is rather simple. The writer has elaborated in rather ‘teens’ way too i.e the IM conversation. I would say that the book will be a rather interesting read for most teens.

A Wrestling Addicted Mommy - The book is a little for the older crowd 9 – 12 yrs, and for my daughter there is a bit of wonder that she’s going to have, but for the older girls, this is definitely a read they can’t do without, and it’s a nice change to the usual young readers books that you’ll find out there.

Right Reads – I found the Icelandic horses really interesting as I was only aware of Arabian breeds previously. It’s also useful that Doug Kane (who actually owns an Icelandic horse farm in Ohio) through the Millers, weaves in a more natural approach to stable management.

A self-confessed “greenie”, I’m impressed at how Doug Kane and Christy Wood cleverly include the impact of climate change on crops and the natural environment on the lives of medieval Iceland, which I feel is a fantastic way of highlighting to the younger generation this urgent issue affecting countries all over the world. 

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