Babipur Book Club – Reviews
Last week we announced the launch of our new partnership with Lantana Publishing and the Babipur Book Club. Lantana is an award winning children’s publisher, with a mission to commission inclusive books that celebrate diversity, equality, and environmental sustainability. We knew there were a perfect fit with Babipur from the start.
If you want to read more about Lantana, and why we chose to work with them, you can read about it >>HERE<<
We are thrilled with the response from our community about the small range of books we have in stock at the moment. It’s clear you are as excited as we are!
Reviews
When the books arrived, we sent a selection of titles to some of our team and buddies. They have been having a read with their little ones and letting us know what they loved (or didn’t love) about them. The books have been a huge hit with our team, so the best thing for us to do is let them tell you in their own words!
One thing is clear – there is a little bit of magic inside each and every one of these books…
Mira’s Curly Hair – Review from buddy Jaime and daughter Amelie
Author: Maryam Al Serkal, Illustration: Rebeca Luciani
“I am SO grateful for this book! The artwork is stunning and the story is so relatable for this band of curly girls. When I was a girl, I can remember feeling just like Mira. My mother had straight hair and I wished every day to have silky smooth hair like hers. Over the years, I have learned to love my curly locks and brown skin, but a book like this – with a character looking a little like me, would have made the world of difference.
I love the emphasis on the word ‘curly’ throughout the book and I found myself naturally wanting to reach out and twiddle my little one’s curls whilst reading. The rhythm and oh-so-subtle rhyme of the text, makes it a joy to read. Which is a good job, because I am going to read this book over and over again to my two curly girls and one very curly boy!”
“It’s cool that the main character is a black girl. When I was younger I felt like her but not now, I love my hair now.” – Amelie
>>Buy Mira’s Curly Hair book here<<
Kaya’s Heart Song – Review from buddy Lauren
Author: Diwa Tharan Sanders, Illustration: Nerina Canzi
“Firstly I wanted to praise the illustrations by Nerina Canzi. The style, the vibrancy of the colours, the soft flowing lines – all absolutely gorgeous. I have 3 children; age 7, 5 and 2, and only my 7 year old is a competent reader so illustrations are a great way for my younger two to get a feel of the story while flicking through by themselves.
Set in the jungle, the story follows Kaya, a young girl trying to discover her heart song- the song your heart sings when it’s happy. When Kaya’s mind is still she finds her heart song and magical things happen.
There is some gentle onomatopoeia in the story that the kids loved and we enjoyed tapping out the rhythm of the book on our chests, ‘boom taktak boom taktak boom, shick shak shook’. They became familiar with the rhythm and it really helped them engage with the story.
All in all this book has been a big hit with us, wonderfully illustrated and a beautiful way to introduce the magic of mindfulness.”
>> Buy Kaya’s Heart song here <<
The Pirate Tree – Review from team member Maria
Author: Brigeta Orel, Illustration: Jennie Poh
“The Pirate Tree is a beautiful story of new beginnings and new friendships. This book comes to us just at the right time. As our boys face a new home, changing schools, and the anxiety of being the new pupils and making new school friends, this story offers comfort and reassurance that they will find a new crew to play with and go on adventures with.
For E who is a good bit younger than her brothers, she enjoys the simple fun of pretend pirate play in the story and was inspired by the story to act out her own pirate play scene to find some treasure! The beautiful illustrations were enjoyed by all ages.”
>> Buy The Pirate Tree here <<
Sleep Well, Siba & Saba – Review by buddy Siobhàn
Author: Nansubuga Nagadya Ishdhal , Illustration: Sandra Van Doorn
“Sleep Well Siba and Saba is such a beautiful book. The illustrations and colours are really striking and appealing. The story has a wonderful rhythm to it, making it an absolute joy to read. Plus the book is really interactive with prompts to count and pictures they follow the story perfectly.
It is a genuinely excellent book and wonderful addition to our library in its own right. But what even better is that this book gives our library some diversity. This book has many references to Ugandan folklore and has given us a wonderful, organic opportunity to learn about Uganda, the people of Uganda, and their culture.
Such a simple way to introduce different parts of the world to our children and to frame conversations that teach our children to be allies and play a part in tackling racism.”
>> Buy Sleep well, Siba and Saba here <<
Maisie’s Scrapbook – Review by buddy Sarah and daughter Elisha
Author: Samuel Narh, Illustration: Jo Loring-Fisher
“Maisie’s scrapbook is such a lovely story. My daughter immediately identified with the character and said ‘wow she has a dad that’s black and a mum that’s white, just like me….she’s mixed race, and she has curly hair too just like me!’
As well as being identifiable for her, it also explores the different cultures that often comes along within a mixed race family. It opened up lots of avenues for discussion. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful also.”
>> Buy Maisie’s Scrapbook here <<
Old Man of the Sea – review by team member Hannah
Author: Stella Elia, Illustration: Weberson Santiago
“This is a gentle tale of a young child discovering his grandfathers past, that he was more than the quite, aged man he saw before him. It tells the story of his world explorations and the stories gathered from all corners of the world, the people he meets, and adventures he has had, before finding peace and settling down.
It’s a lovely, thought provoking read that has been enjoyed by all my children especially my six year old, he loves spotting the different places on the beautiful map illustrations. It touches on ageing and mortality in a very subtle and gentle way.”
>> Buy Old Man of the Sea here <<
Shadow – review by team member Jo
Author: Lucy Christopher , Illustration: Anastasia Suvorova
“We really enjoyed this book. It provoked some great discussions about shadows, life, and light being the absence of darkness. It showed us that family and love help us stay connected and keep us safe.
But most importantly it taught us that monsters are only under the bed if you look for them!”
Sing to the Moon – review by me – Heather
Author: Nansubuga Nagadya Ishdhal , Illustration: Sandra Van Doorn
“We just love this book. The gentle, poetic language has a beautiful rhythm that carries you from one page to the next. We have read it every night this week since it came and it such a soothing and calm bedtime read.
It is a wonderful tribute to Ugandan culture and a magical celebration of family, life, and love that transcends generations. It leave you with a warm, happy glow.”
>> Buy Sing to the Moon here <<
Huge thanks to all our buddies and team who have taken time with their families to review these books. Their words speak for themselves.
Share with us
We are excited to hear what you think of the Babipur Book Club; share your pictures and thoughts with our community! Tag @Babipur on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, or share your pictures with the Babipur community in our Facebook group, Babipur Hangout! Feel free to use the hashtag #LoveBabipur #BabipurBookClub too! ?
