I thought that this book was really fascinating because describes a day in the life of an African Herd Boy who is from the Transkei region of South Africa. This young boy watches over his flock all day, watches out for birds of prey and helps to save the life of a lamb attacked by baboons. When he is done with his job, he walks home and a big shiny car passes him and the person inside happens to be the President.

I find this book to be very informational and just a good book to read to my son. Perhaps, if I worked with older children than I bring this kind of book to my classroom. ( )

This is a great book that I definitely plan on reading in my future classroom! It is beautifully written and illustrated. Niki Daly writes about a Malsui who is very mature and responsible for his age. He takes care of his grandfather’s sheep and goats. He is a small boy with big dreams and he eventually gains confidence that he is more than capable of achieving those dreams. This book will definitely push readers to believe that they can accomplish anything no matter what people say. The story takes place in Africa. I really love how the Daly included various words of another culture throughout the book! Even though these words might seem foreign, readers can still gain an understanding of what they mean by looking at the illustrations. If that does not work, Niki Daly also included a small glossary in the back of the book. ( )

The Herd Boy was about an African boy who looked after his grandfathers sheep and goats. I enjoyed this book because it showed responsibility, ambition, and team work among two friends. It also showed the culture of this boys family. His culture is different from what we have in America and you can tell many differences through the detailed illustrations. However, the content of the story is easily relatable to which is good for students to notice. They will be able to tell how different cultures can be but at the same time realize we do similar things, and people have similar values. In this book the boy, Malusi goes to look after the sheep and the goats while he plays with his friend Lungusi, who has his very own dog. At one point, they run into baboons who want to eat their sheep. Lungusi's dog comes into save the sheep and together the boys take the sheep back to their village. As they were near arriving to their village, a man pulls up in a nice care which was not normal. The man asks what they would like to be when they are older. Malusi says he would like to be the president one day and Lungisa says he would like to be a football player for the team Bafana Bafana. The man replies to them and tells them that they can do anything that they set their minds too, even if it is to become president one day. This teaches the importance of setting goals for yourself and making sure you don't give up on them.

Response - I read this aloud to my fifth graders, who really enjoyed it. The plot is simple, yet teaches important lessons about the necessity of humility and hard work in order to make dreams come true. Also, I appreciate the brief glimpse into the life of a South African herd boy.

Curricular connections - read aloud; teaching character development

A great book that I wish my kids would let me read to them.
I have to face the fact that my children are growing up and they are now insisting that I read specific books. This book keeps getting the thumbs down by them based on its cover (arrrgh!).
I really like this book. It comes with a pronunciation guide too! I will be able to read this to my kids soon. I have scheduled a "Daddy-picks-the-story" night once a week, and this book's turn is coming up. ( )