Reviews

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Kugi loves jewelry

 

 

Abbyan Ali has written and illustrated another book in Swedish under the theme "Kugi loves ...". Kugi loves jewelry is about Kugi and his brother Guli.

 

Kugi and Guli radiate joy and eagerness in the meetings they have in the book. They meet Ero, a Maasai who has long, red braided hair. Ero brings other men and women from his village into the house.

 

The language is simple and easy to understand, with a mixture of facts and stories. An informative story about an African people - the Maasai.

 

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                                                                                            - The Library Services Review  (BTJ)

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Kugi loves stories

 

The whole story is dynamic, warm, with a genuine narrative and authenticity and captivates from the very beginning. The cover where  the whole family is gathered around a fire listening  attentively to the great-grandmother Ayeyo’s exciting story, really captures the strong cultural unity that pervades Abbyan Ali's books about Kugi.

 

They provide valuable feedback to the Somali culture for children with roots from there and intriguing glimpses into other people's reality to others. They arouse curiosity and pride. The book has a page with a short text and a full-page where we can see the characters in their environment. Everything is colorful and people's expressions are vivid and lively.

 

Ayeyo’s story is written whole. The text becomes denser, but not difficult (can be read without difficulty by lower primary school children). Ayeyos story has a beautiful moral: "Wisdom has no age, our children are also wise."

 

I think Kugi love stories, is the author's strongest book to date.

 

- The Library Services Review  (BTJ)

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Kugi loves languages

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I like these books about the Swedish-Somali/kenyan boy Kugi and his little brother Guli. They feel so real in purpose, description and narrative, and are therefore important.

 

The language and artistry in the illustrations progress in book after book. The language flows easily with a lot of dialogue. The illustrations are very vivid, expressive and colorful in authentic environments.

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The warmth and good relationships between children and adults is the same as in the other books. In each book, we encounter new experiences of what it is like to have roots in two different cultures; to live in Sweden with mom and have important relatives who live in a different way in Kenya.

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Unlike most children's book series, the main characters grow and get older. At the back is a language dictionary with words in Somali and Swahili.

 

There is plenty of joy and warmth, respect and self-evident good relations among the children and the adults.

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            - The Library Services Review  (BTJ)

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Kugi loves fishing

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"Children love adventures and they love to explore, know what they love more? Hearing other kids do the same. This book is enlightening and perfectly describes the vacation two  boys from Sweden have when they visit their grandmother and other family back in Africa. The boys are receiving first-hand contrasting experiences from the usual ones they have back home in regards to fishing.

 

The writer writes with charm, she rewards her readers with such descriptive writing, and the illustrations are a plus, colorful and serene. I highly recommend this book as well as all the Kugi loves books in the series. Be ready to join their adventures."

 

 

  - Fatima Abdulrazak (Head-writer @ Human in Us )

 

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Kugi loves the rain

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"Kugi loves the rain is the third book about the African boy, Kugi. The illustrated images give a wonderfully inspiring experience of a home in Kenya.

 

Kugi lives with mamma and his little brother Guli in Sweden. The family travels to Kenya,  many other relatives have also traveled from different countries to visit Ayeyo, mamma’s grandmother.

 

The children play all day in the courtyard in Ayeyo’s big house, and Ayeyo plays with them and tells them funny things. Today, they learn how to welcome the rain. The children admire their Ayeyo, and they all work and play when the rain comes.

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It is thoughtful being reminded of the value of rain water...

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Comparisons with Sweden are made ​​and both worlds are described with positive curiosity and respect. There is a beautiful poetry in the simple text.... Everything feels sensory and life-affirming.

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- The Library Services Review (BTJ)

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Kugi loves his little brother

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"A sweet african boy of preschool age is going to have a sybling. He lives with his mother and is very happy at the prospect of becoming a big brother. Mamma is his whole world, and he is sincerely committed to the pregnancy and the doctor’s visits. Finally his little brother, Guli is born. And we are taken through the first years of the brothers' lives together and of their growing love.

 

The images are set against a white background. They are fairly simple, but with a very vivid and strong positive expression. The language flows easily and it feels natural with big brother as the narrator. Sure it's a little hard when little brother wants his dinosaurs, but it is a very positive and loving description of how it can be, to become and be the big brother. You can really feel the love and pride from Kugi, when Guli points at him and says, - Mine!"

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- The Library Services (BTJ)

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Kugi loves the alphabet

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"Abbyan Ali has published the picture book - Kugi loves the Alphabet - through her own publishing company - Abbilen publishers.

 

Alice the ape, Elna the elephant and Selma the seal are a few to name among the menagerie of animals and letters. Large and small letters intermingled with the animal on the pages of the book, all in soft colours against a white background.

 

There is space for the young readers to train their writing at the end of the book. The book is aimed primarily at children between 3-6 years and the author's wish is to arouse curiosity and joy with learning."

 

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- The Library Services (BTJ)

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Kugi wuxuu jecel yahay Aliifbeetada

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"This ABC book is quite unique, it is absolutely fantastic. There is probably no other Somali ABC book of this kind. The illustrations are interesting, the language is of high quality, some what poetic and the  sentences  are fun.

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A valuable book for learning the somali language, pronunciation, and most important of all, an important tool for teachers -making teaching interesting."

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                                                              -  Somali language teacher

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Love Acts & Talks

 

"Many of your lines are just beautiful and actually inspiring. Sometimes it can be good to shock and almost scream out a message. Other times it can be effective to relate a strong message in beautiful language. The latter is what you do here and I find it effective and moving."   

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                          - Poetry lover (LP)

 

 

 

 

" WOW! Simple genius!"

                                             

                          - Satisfied reader (SP)

 

 

 

 

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