Review of The Curious Cousins and the African Elephant Expedition

[Gerry Steen]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Curious Cousins and the African Elephant Expedition" by Dr. Debra Ford Msc.D.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Would you like your children to learn about South African animals, culture, and language? Do you want your children to see art that portrays South African flora, fauna, and village life? Are you interested in your child developing a new vocabulary consisting of English and Zulu words? If you answered yes to these questions, you should get a copy of The Curious Cousins and the African Elephant Expedition by Debra Ford.

The author was inspired to write this book so that their grandchildren could experience the family’s South African heritage. Ford’s three granddaughters Emilia Rose, Isla Mae, and Audrey Jane were cousins.

The cousins were used as characters in the story. They believed that in their dreams people could travel anywhere and communicate with everything. The girls agreed to meet in their dreams and journey to South Africa to see elephants. Along the way, they came across several floras and faunas including a weever bird, ant, puff adder snake, dung beetle, daddy long-legs spider, dragonfly, and fever tree. They each greeted the children, explained their habits, and gave advice to make the journey easier.

Children reading this story will be treated to interesting facts about the flora, fauna, landscapes, and people the girls met on their journey. The book features beautiful artwork depicting wildlife, landscapes, villages, and people. The art is lively and bright. Juvenile readers will be captivated by the childlike style, beauty, and vivid colors of this artwork.

Amusing words were sprinkled throughout the story. Audrey Jane kept a list entitled "Audrey Jane’s Favourite Words." The list included cacophony, brouhaha, snorkel, nocturnal, gyrating, perturbed, ambulatory, and ginormous. This list appeared in the appendix with a short definition for each word. Several Zulu words were introduced in the story. Their pronunciation was spelled out in English, and their definitions were given. The Zulu words included thula, manyeleti, woza, sawubona, hamba gahle, yebo, gogo, amanzi, umama, indlovu, jigamanzi, ubuntu, and yabonga. The Zulu words added authenticity to the South African theme.

This book has short chapters, various themes, and vivid art. All of these factors will contribute to keeping your 3 to 6-year-old child enthralled. This book is appropriate for early readers up to 9 years old. Adults will enjoy reading the appendix and glossary that provide more information to discuss with their child.

This storybook succeeded in giving me a genuine South African experience. The editing was professionally done, and the story was easy to read. The art was pleasing to the eye. I did not find anything to dislike about the book. The following information was provided in the official book description I read before reading and reviewing this book: “This book introduces spirituality to children (not religion), to understand their connection with all (insects, birds, animals and plants) and to know that they are 'more than their physical body' and therefore can explore their dreams. This book will NOT appeal to those who hold strong traditional religious beliefs, especially Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.” I am a Christian, and I was not offended at all. In conclusion, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

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The Curious Cousins and the African Elephant Expedition
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Anu Anand]

The mix of South African animals, culture, and language sounds fascinating! Even though it's for kids, I'd love to read it. I'm intrigued by the inclusion of Zulu words in the book. It's wonderful to see such diversity in language represented. I would really like to learn more about the flora, fauna, and the vivid artwork described. Thank you for the detailed review, Gerry!

[Priya Murugesan]

An awesome review, as usual, Gerry! I believe me and my kids would love to read this book. Based on your review, I think this book is perfect.

[Claudia Angelucci]

This sounds like a lovely book. I'll read it when I get the chance. I appreciate how you mentioned the book's description and noted that it didn't offend you as a Christian. That will be very helpful to potential readers. Fantastic job, Gerry!

[Dana Lawrence Lohn]

Gerry, I have a 9 year old who loves animals passionately and I think, based on this review, that I’ll pick this book up and read it with her! How wonderful that she’d learn some Zulu words and enjoy the vivid artwork. Thank you as always for your thorough, clear and thoughtful reviews. I always enjoy reading them.

[Cristiano Bellucci]

Thank you for your review, Gerry. This book seems a fantastic way for young readers to approach a mysterious continent such as Africa.

[Harshitha Nayak]

Children exploring the world and gaining knowledge about that place and culture is good to read. Even for others who will lives other side of world, this kind of books helps to see the world through words.

[David Awunor]

A well-explained review, with vivid descriptions of colors and landscapes that would captivate children's interest. It offers insight into different cultures.

[Kareen Hez]

Sounds like a great book for children. From your review, I also developed an interest in having a look at the book when I get some free time. Thank you for the informative and interesting review, Gerry!

[Leia Temple]

Firstly, I loved the cover of this book. It's simple yet vibrant, eye-catching to even an adult despite the younger target audience. As always, your review was very detailed and made this book sound incredible for children. I'll definitely be recommending it to others for their own children! Thanks, Gerry.

[Julie Basil]

This sounds like a wonderful children's book that has content that is engaging for their parents as well. I always enjoy learning more about other cultures, and sharing about other cultures with my children is something that is important to me, so I am very interested in this story. Thanks for sharing your insights, Gerry!

[RJ Reviews]

Awww, such a beautiful book. I totally see the children learning about the diverse ecosystem of Africa. Animals are an integral part of Earth and all must learn how to care for them. Thank you for picking up this book and reviewing it. I will definitely love to give this a read.

[Stephen Christopher 1]

Wow what a lot of layers for a children's book. Interesting that you say religious people with strict beliefs may not appreciate this book when it's often the other way around. I'm not the demographic for this book in any aspect, so I'll park this one. Thanks as always for the honest review.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a lovely book to teach children about South Africa while having fun. They can learn about the country's nature and through Zulu words some of its culture. Thank you for your great review!

[Renee S]

I appreciate that the book includes fascinating facts about the flora, fauna, and landscapes, featuring artwork showcasing wildlife, scenery, villages, and people. So, I am confident that I will enjoy the book. Thanks for your excellent review.