Delightful storybook deals with trust, dreams,
friendship and protection of those smaller and more vulnerable than you are. (Review
by Caroline Smart)
Mister
Sengi's Very Big Friend is a charming story about a
little elephant shrew called Mister Sengi with text by Charles de Villiers and
illustrations by David du Plessis. De Villiers will be remembered for his
storyline in Curly the Chameleon (recently
reviewed on artSMart) and this book forms du Plessis' companion volume to his
earlier Mister King's Incredible Journey.
Elephant shrews eat insects, have scaly
tails and long noses which they are able to twist in search of food. They were
originally called elephant shrews because of their resemblance to elephants. They
are not part of the usual shrew family and, in fact, are more closely related
to elephants than similar animals such as rodents. However, biologist Jonathan
Kingdon proposed they be called “sengi”s
in deference to their African origins.
Elephant shrews - or sengis - are small in
size, between 10 and 30 centimetres and it is on this smallness that the
creators of Mister Sengi’s Very Big
Friend have built their storyline.
Mister Sengi starts off his day in his
normal way, sweeping the paths around him in a tidy manner to aid his search
for juicy titbits for dinner. He dreams of what it would be like to be really
huge. In fact, so big that nothing can frighten him. He confides this to his
friends – a mantis and a firefly - but they are too small to help or advise. The
one has only flown to the tops of grass stalks and the other only comes out at
night.
A friendly tortoise comes along and offers
to fulfil Mister Sengi’s dream of meeting a real elephant and so an exciting yet
dangerous journey follows.
This delightful storybook with its charming
illustrations deals with trust, dreams, friendship and protection of those
smaller and more vulnerable than you are.
Mister Sengi's Very Big Friend is
published in softcover by RandomStruik ISBN: 9781775840107.
Recommended retail price R80.
Mister Sengi's Very Big Friend Activity
Book ISBN:
978177584012 1 is a perfect companion with its activity
programmes, stickers and a paper toy. It’s a must at R50.
The book is also
available in Afrikaans. – Caroline Smart
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