The Bundu Bunch Get a Surprise
by Allan Low
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
ISBN: 9781739081348
Print Length: 36 pages
Reviewed by Toni Woodruff
The Bunch is back!And more wholesome than ever!
Sipho, Monica, Jabu, and Jacob get to write their names in book one. It’s a sweet story about sad circumstances: a group of orphans in the countryside are bullied but claim their identity with the simple, powerful act of writing their names in the dirt. That book is wholesome, and this one, the third in the series, comes with the same soft heart.
In book two, the Bunch does something empowering, something to fight back against injustice and gain strength. And now, in The Bundu Bunch Get a Surprise, they’re discovering something to have of their own: an empty field, suitable for a makeshift, private classroom. This turns out to be another meaningful story about appreciating something as simple as an open field.
The orphans’ guardian, Aiyasha, is a wonderful teacher. She’s already taught them how to write using sticks and dirt, but now she’s stepping her game up even more. First, they are learning letters from an ABC book day after day. Then, despite not having any money, she starts coming with supplies: different books, pencils, and paper. The feeling of elation coming from these kids is real the moment they find out they can have their own pencil. This is a wonderful book to read to children to help them see what appreciation looks like first-hand.
The Bundu Bunch series has always featured the topic of bullying, especially from a boy their age named Samu. He calls them hurtful names in both books, and they constantly plan to evade him since he’s so relentless. He is even the victim of the bunch’s triumph in book 2; the kids frame him for stealing sticky buns.
This is his story too. Something clicks for Samu when the goodhearted Bundu Bunch save him from cobras. The full series then becomes a story of redemption, where Samu is flipping the script on us. It’s great to see his character come full-circle like this, and readers of the full series will be rewarded with that.
Some new readers to the series could stumble over things like transitions and characters. Recollection of the previous books’ storylines (like the cave pool and Samu’s revenge plot) would be helpful. It would be a smart move to refresh your child on the previous books prior to cracking open book three. Luckily, those books are still very good. This series has done so many things well.
More than anything, I love that The Bundu Bunch Get a Surprise allows us to spend more time in this heartwarming feeling. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading about these resilient kids finding happiness and resources in small places.
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