Kali and Sida: Finding Home is an educational animal picture book for children written by Margaret Mendoza and illustrated by Oliver Kryzz Bundoc. Under normal circumstances, Kali and Sida would never have even met each other. Sida was a diminutive tarsier, which is a tiny tree-dwelling, nocturnal mammal; Kali, a massive tamaraw, is related to water buffaloes, and generally grazes diurnally. The two young animals ended up separated from their families after a typhoon struck the mountainous region where they lived. Could they work together to find their families again? How could they get past what seemed to be impassable barriers?

Margaret Mendoza’s Kali and Sida is a marvelous fable that shows children how even creatures who seem very different from one another can work together and help each other out, while it also introduces them to two very unusual animals, the tarsier and the tamaraw. The author’s Animal Profiles page teaches kids about each animal and discusses how one species is critically endangered and the other is “vulnerable to being endangered if not properly preserved and protected.” A great selection for storytime, this story is a marvelous way to address the subject of conservation and the growing threat encroaching civilization poses to creatures like Kali and Sida. Oliver Kryzz Bundoc’s illustrations are brilliant and give young readers a peek into life in a far-away place as they follow Kali and Sida in their search for their families. Kali and Sida: Finding Home is highly recommended.

In Kali and Sida: Finding Home by Margaret Mendoza, we are introduced to a tarsier monkey named Sida who lived on a large mountain called Mount Baco. Tarsiers are the smallest and slowest animals in the area. On the other side of the mountain, there is a tamaraw named Kali. Quite the opposite from Sida, Kali and his kind are the largest and fastest animals on the mountain. Everything was perfect until a powerful typhoon swept over the mountain, separating Kali and Sida from their families. Both animals were terrified and when Kali headed to the high ground like he was taught, he hit a tree where little Sida was hiding. Kali had never seen a creature quite like Sida and he asked what Sida was. When Sida explained that he was a tarsier, he asked in return and found out Kali was a tamaraw. Both realized that there were only a few of their kind left. Both decide to head to the high ground while looking for their families together. Going through many obstacles, the two stuck together throughout their journey to find their families.

Kali and Sida: Finding Home is a fun and informative children’s book that people of all ages can enjoy. I really like how the author chose two animals that aren’t really well known and not the typical creatures you would see in most books about animals. I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about tarsiers and tamaraws. After reading the book, I found myself Googling to find out more information on these two animals. Kali and Sida are very likable characters that are easy and fun to follow along on their journey to find their families. The illustrations are beautifully done and fit perfectly with the storyline. Overall, I found the book a great read, and Margaret Mendoza has done a wonderful job of telling the story of these two unique animals.