Welcome to Zanzibar Road [Hardcover]

Niki Daly (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

On a hot day in Africa, the neighborhood of Zanzibar Road is bustling! There’s always someone ready to share a funny story, lend a helping hand, or celebrate a big day. As soon as Mama Jumbo walks down this special street, she knows she’s found the perfect place to settle down. And with her kind heart and big imagination, she’s sure to fit right in with her neighbors. There’s Baba Jive, who likes to play his sax; Bro Vusi and his bookmobile; Louie-Louie, who sells sweets in his shop; mischievous Juju; friendly Kwela and Buti; and lovable Little Chico. You’ll get to meet all of these delightful characters in five short, funny, and sweet stories, just right for reading alone or sharing with a neighbor of your own.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–Under a hot African sky, Mama Jumbo the elephant walks down Zanzibar Road and finds the perfect spot to build her house–under the pawpaw tree. Animal neighbors help her build her scrap house, hang a 7-Up sign above her door for her address, and settle in happily. Soon, however, Mama Jumbo is lonely, and she asks the animals if any of them would like to move in. Only Little Chico, a scrappy, uncared for chicken, takes her up on her offer. After she gives him a strawberry-bubblegum-scented bath, snazzy pajamas, and a lullaby, Little Chico and Mama Jumbo are content with their living arrangements. However, the next day the elephant cannot find her friend anywhere and she frets that he has left, but children will be quick to notice that he is on her head. After a day of searching, the two are happily reconnected. Through his warm, expressive watercolors, Daly teaches readers about some of the important things in life–friendship, family, and how to make a house into a home. Details abound, and the animals' patterned clothing adds texture and variety to the pages. Colorfully painted endpapers further weave Mama Jumbo and her animal friends together. South African culture flows joyfully in this vibrant tale that's sure to be a hit as a read-aloud or as a beginning reader.–Michele Shaw, formerly at Yorkshire Academy, Houston, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 3. In this picture-book-size chapter book set in Africa, animals make up the heterogeneous community thriving on a bustling thoroughfare: Louie-Louie the leopard is the shopkeeper; Bro Vusi runs the bookmobile; Baba Jive plays the saxophone. The entire cast of characters is introduced on a spread before the title page, but the star of the book soon emerges: Mama Jumbo, a stately and resourceful elephant with a heart as big as her trunk. She builds a house for herself on Zanzibar Road in the first chapter and finds a little chicken to adopt in the next. The fifth and last chapter unsurprisingly offers up a birthday party for Little Chico, which includes the whole neighborhood. There are no major problems or conflicts resolved amid the bright and airy pages, but Daly's sweetly drawn animals are kind, full of music, and perfectly satisfied with their unhurried lives. These characters may not look as realistic as the animals Daly has created for some of his other children's books set in Africa, but they make fine role models, nonetheless. Abby Nolan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; 1St Edition edition (June 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618649263
• ISBN-13: 978-0618649266
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,566,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Picture Book, September 8, 2006

By 

Butterscotch (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Welcome to Zanzibar Road (Hardcover)

The illustrations in this picture book are wonderful and make the story come to life. Mama Jumbo, a female elephant, is looking for a place to live when she happens upon a small South African village filled with different animals. They are a lively bunch, including Bro Vusi, Little Chico, and Baba Jive, and they live in their own homes in the village. So, when Mama Jumbo needs a roommate, the only homeless animal - Little Chico - volunteers. Mama Jumbo cares for Little Chico like her own child, and the book is divided into mini-chapters that can stand alone as a story. Mama Jumbo wears traditional African clothing and the story tries very hard to be `authentic.' The book is a wonderful introduction to diversity and friendship and caring.

5.0 out of 5 stars Daughter loves this book, February 5, 2008

By 

FSG (Minneapolis, MN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Welcome to Zanzibar Road (Hardcover)

We bought this book for our daughter a year ago, just after she turned 2, and she immediately loved it. Lovely gentle themes of friendship, helping, the meaning of home and caring about others. Because it is divided into 5 chapters, it's easy to fit Zanzibar Road stories into our bedtime routine, whether we have time for just 1 or all 5 stories. Now she is 3, and she requests specific stories each night. She particularly loves the one about the shadow on the wall, I think because she can related to being scared in the dark and likes the idea of turning a scary shadow into a familiar-looking well-loved shadow.

5.0 out of 5 stars cute, July 22, 2007

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Welcome to Zanzibar Road (Hardcover)

Mama Jumbo is an elephant that is loking for a place to call home. She build her home from a pile of junk on Zanzibar Road. She is lonley and looks for someone to share her home with. She ends up taking in a homeless bird and this is book about their life together



The book has mini chapters that could each stand alone as a story.



Perfect a for bedtime read aloud