Beautiful Librarian Review of Lulu and Malek Sail Off to Sea!
Gill Guile’s vivid imagination and keen eye for the most amazing animal facial expressions enhance a whimsical tale about two unlikely best friends- a giraffe calf and a lion cub. Set in an Eden of Africa where a cub and a calf can not only lie down together, they can ride on a whale, meet the myriad of undersea denizens of a coral reef and finish their remarkable adventures by effortlessly soaring aloft aboard a ginormous osprey.
Not everyone welcomes the arrival of this unique couple on their home ground. The meerkat family - well if you look carefully at their faces you’ll know just how they feel about a lion cub so close to their lair. A wonderful opportunity to talk about different life-stories and ways of thinking in multicultural human communities.
Lulu and Malek are Eco Warriors. People are not seen once in this delightful book. Malek and Lulu are dedicated to cleaning up after ignorant, uncaring, invisible human beings. They are shocked when they arrive at a beach strewn with human trash. There is a rubbish bin there, but those two legged ones haven’t bothered to use it. See how their expressions of despair change to happy determination as together they put the rubbish where it belongs. Lulu and Malek sail off to sea invites small listeners to go beyond being entranced by this rhyming story into affirming what their responsibilities to our planet are.
The scenario of the pooping seagulls, their wicked faces and the feces strewn heads of Lulu and Malek will be outrageously funny to youngsters sharing this story. Use of words like “poop” entrances small kids. Is poop trash? What happens to poop after birds do it? Kids know they poop in a lavatory (mostly) but birds, giraffes, lions, whales and fish- they all do poo too without a “loo”
Semira, the whale drops her friends off at a coral reef where Lulu and Malek explore the aquatic community that abounds there. Because this is a magic story the furry pair seem the breathe underwater with ease. … and then here is another horrible thing left behind by humans. Malek and Lulu tear it to shreds. Just one net … that and the rubbish on the beach is enough for one small child to take on board.
June and Rob have crafted an eco message that a young child can take on board without being overwhelmed. Little children who have access to books and adults who read to them do need to be shielded (just a smidgeon) from the plight of others on a planet besieged by war and climate change.
Lulu and Malek sail off to sea is a gentle introduction to a very volatile and frightening scenario - ecocide. It is indeed a positive and optimistic introduction to concept of Anthropocene for children. It allows them to explore human ecological wrongdoings at a level that lets them be empowered to think of solution. June and Rob have avoided system overload for the very young - Lulu and Malek sail off to sea is a wonderful interaction between imagination and active problem solving for little ones.
Robyn Youl, Librarian
June N. Foster
June’s passions include writing, child advocacy and conservation. June lives in Arizona, and travels around the globe as a crew member in the yachting industry.
