Marlu: The Mango Lunchkin

Marlu is a regular little Lunchkin. He likes to play and have fun with friends. But more than anything, he wants to be seen! His mom tells him how special and unique he is in so many ways. Now if only the folks at LunchkinLand could see it. Read on to find all about Marlu's exciting journey in discovering his magical powers and how he learns that a loving heart is all he needs to unlock life's mysteries.

The US Review of Books

Marlu: The Mango Lunchkin
by SS Ravula
Xlibris

Book review by Ashley Kelley - The US Review of Books

"Every Lunchkin is unique in their own special way. So are you."

Marlu, the Mango Lunchkin, enjoys running, playing, and chasing kites. He has a wonderful family and lives in the beautiful countryside of LunchkinLand but struggles with making friends. His mother is famous throughout the community for her amazing Kutrient and Kelement soup. Marlu gets to help Mommy Mango pick the herbs for the soup but still wishes he could find friends who would accept him simply for who he is. He finds comfort in his parents’ words and hopes of finding his magical powers soon so he can show all the other Lunchkins that he is capable of playing with them. When faced with the choice between action and complacency, Marlu encounters his biggest obstacle yet.

Ravula’s story takes a new approach to the traditional children’s storybook. Marlu tackles topics of bullying, mental health, and community all under the cute, whimsical concept of Lunchkinland. The messages throughout the story, although for very young children, are dealt with maturely and responsibly. On top of the social lessons, Ravula also provides a history and facts page about mangos. The section itself is informative and a great addition to get children interested in where food comes from as well as food history. It will be interesting to see in future tales of Lunchkinland if Ravula will use the different Lunchkins as topics for this section. Overall, this is a lighthearted and positive story that encompasses kindness, community, and uniqueness. Using fruits and vegetables as characters make them both cute and informative. Hopefully, there will be many more Lunchkinland adventures.

Pacific Book Review
Marlu: The Mango Lunchkin
Title: Marlu: The Mango Lunchkin
Author: S.S. Ravula
Publisher: Xlibris
ISBN: 978-1-7960-2233-9
Pages: 44
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book
Reviewed by: Beth Adams

Multi-talented author S.S. Ravula along with her creative illustrator P. Narayanan have written an original children’s book titled, Marlu – The Mango Lunchkin. In it, the main character is a personi ed mango named Marlu. The world in which Marlu lives has many other “Lunchkins;” animated food-related friends and family such as a carrot and a blueberry, all frolicking in the beautifully manicured elds of vegetable crops, sheep grazing areas and geometrically perfect soil-tilled rows for spring planting.

Although the story progresses in where Marlu is initially shunned-away from playing with the other lunchkins because he is too young, it really isn’t the storyline which captures the imagination of this fanciful world. Sure, as Marlu is upset because the others are playing with a kite and he isn’t invited, he nds solace when talking with his Daddy. Then when the string of the kite gets stuck in a tree, it is Marlu that runs so fast he begins to y! Reaching the top of the tree he retrieves the string, and learns quickly a lesson about ying – in which you best know how to land before you take off.

It is, however, the marvelously original computer-enhanced art which captivates the attention of readers. The lunchkins have shapes and features incorporating shading, soft colors and shadowing over backgrounds of various focal-lengths with fauna and patterns. The illusion of using 3-dimentional depth of the drawings along with the galley text superimposed over the pictures creates wonderfully artful pages; ideal for the wandering eyes of youngsters seeking out the details of the story both by reading the words and by viewing the pictures.

As an added bonus, at the end of the story are fun- lled facts about the mango, referred to as “The King of the Fruits.” With a long history of over 4,000 years and a part of many cultures, reading about Marlu will have everyone going to the market to buy a mango to enjoy. Not just any mango, but organic mangos! Yes, healthy choices are at the core of the author and her colleagues from the www.lunchkins.com organization.

Simply stated, “It’s all good.” A good story, with excellent artwork, offering healthy advice on eating organic, and supporting the love of a family unit – it all comes together in Marlu – The Mango Lunchkin. One more thing, when I rst saw the word “Lunchkin,” it made me chuckle inside to myself; very cute indeed. Your family library is not complete without this gem.