Horn Book Review
In this story set in an (unspecified) African village, a brother and sister find a creative solution to circumstances preventing them from attending school. Baba has to leave home to work in the mines, so he cannot accompany Shaka and his younger sister, Nandi, on the long, hot walk to school. It is too dangerous for the kids to walk alone, so they have no choice but to stay home and miss school. One afternoon, while playing outside, they discover a toy school bus. Their mother's explanation of the vehicle's purpose stimulates Shaka's imagination. His first two ideas (buying a bus or building one) are (unsurprisingly) unsuccessful; he is close to giving up when it occurs to both kids: "We'll walk together like a moving bus -- except there is no bus! It's just us." A week later, the plan having spread to neighboring villages, Shaka and Nandi lead fifteen children to school, excitedly walking and singing. Inspired by true stories, Friedland and Mandela (granddaughter of Nelson) have written an uplifting tale about the determination of global children to get an education. Obol deftly brings this story to life through colorful and expressive cartoonish illustrations that speak to themes of perseverance and pride. Pauletta Brown BracySeptember/October 2023 p.52 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Shaka is determined to find a safe way to get to school for all the kids in his Xhosa community. Shaka and his little sister, Nandi, were lucky that their father could walk them to school every day, but unfortunately, a work opportunity in a mine far away means their dad will be unavailable for the foreseeable future. The danger of going alone is illustrated by shadowy figures hiding beneath a key bridge along their path, but co-author Friedland's note and an afterword from Julian Lennon, founder of the White Feather Foundation, emphasize serious unspoken threats faced by children, "girls in particular," throughout the world from India to Uganda. Importantly, Shaka and Nandi's rural South African village is depicted as brightly communal and as loving as the supportive Mama who assures the brainstorming siblings that they "will find another way." A toy school bus they find one day offers the inspiration Shaka needs to adopt a privilege some schoolchildren may take for granted into a savvy collective effort to support the uniquely vulnerable but undeniably eager students of the village. Colorful illustrations offer detailed visuals of the planning and execution of the walking school bus, culminating in a heartwarming full-page spread of the brown-skinned, uniform-wearing kids traveling safely and bravely as a cohesive unit toward their school. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An inspiring and disquieting testament to the value of education, which costs some a lot more. (note from Mandela) (Picture book. 5-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
