I was able to find quite a few books written set in South Africa, and many by South African authors/illustrators, and one translated book, all which you can read more about below.
New Africa Books is a publisher of both adult and children’s books in South Africa which publishes in all 11 official languages. They have a few new children’s books coming out soon that look fun, and hopefully will make their way over to the states soon. They are definitely a publisher to check out if looking for books from South Africa.
One book of note which did not make our list this week, but only because my girls are too young, is A Good Day for Climbing Trees by Jaro Jacobs, a South African author who has written more than 140 books, and translated by Kobus Geldenhuys. It was written in Afrikaans and translated into English, and is for upper elementary/middle grade children.
This week I was happy to find books about kids in South Africa which celebrated joy ~ Goal!, Jamela’s Dress, & My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me. There are many books about apartheid, Nelson Mandela, and race relations, which are important, but I also want my girls to see stories about everyday kids doing everyday things in different parts of the world.
I would love to hear about other great picture books set in, or about South Africa, or by a South African author/illustrator. If you know of any please email me, or DM me on Instagram so I can add them to my list.
Kid Reads
I Am You: A Book About Ubuntu
A peace prayer (based on one said by Gandhi) has made its way from my daughter’s classroom to mealtimes in our home.
I offer you peace.
I offer you love.
I offer you friendship.
I hear your cry.
I see your beauty.
I feel your pain.
This caring flows from my spirit within.
I salute that spirit in you.
Let us work together for peace.
When I Am You: A Book About Ubuntu landed on my doorstep, my daughter and I immediately read it and recognized similiar ideas to those found in her prayer.
Ubuntu is the belief that we are all connected. It means “I am, because you are.” This bright, beautiful book, with simple, lyrical text is a great introduction to ubuntu and the connectedness of all people. Lively scenes of diverse children (racially, physically, culturally, geographically, and religiously) help show youngesters what it means to be connected to all others regardless of our difference, to laugh as they laugh, cry as they cry, to love yourself because you love them. The text also introduces the idea that by hurting someone else you are in fact hurting yourself.
As an adult, this book has pushed me to think about the differences between eastern and western philosophy. In the east, there is more of a focus on the group and society as a whole, collectivist, as opposed to the west where we tend to be more individualistic. This book is firmly rooted in the eastern philosophy and can open the door to some great conversations with our children, even older elementary and middle grade children, who at first glance may seem too old for this book.
Learning about how people’s beliefs around the world differ from ours has been one of the happy side effects of this picture book journey. Books like this make me question the status quo and help me be more intentional about my parenting choices. I highly recommend for both children and adults.
I Am You: A Book About Ubuntu is by best-selling South African author Refiloe Moahloli, is illustrated by award-winning South African illustrator Zinelda McDonald, and is published in English by Amazon Crossing Kids in North America. It was first published in South Africa by Pan Macmillan South Africa. Thank you Amazon Crossing for sending me a review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Armien’s Fishing Trip
I was talking with someone last week about how difficult it is to find books set in countries in Africa (and some other places too for that matter) about everyday people, not about race, trauma, celebrities, or great leaders. Because of that conversation, I was thrilled when I found Armien’s Fishing Trip, which is set in the little village of Kalk Bay at the southern tip of South Africa.
Armien’s Fishing Trip is the story of a young boy who is visiting his aunt and uncle in their village for the weekend. To show off to his friends, he says he is going out on his uncle’s fishing boat, something children are never allowed to do. After stowing away on the boat, Armien quickly finds out why children are not allowed. He gets seasick and almost gets washed away. Armien does save the day when one of the fishermen does end up tossed into the sea.
This is a nice story, one we have read a few times, about something most children long for, a chance to prove they are grown up. Scenes of modern South African village life are beautifully rendered in watercolors and add to great deal of depth to the story. Characters of different races and religions appear together, which is explained by the author’s note at the start of the book. Kalk Bay was settled two hundred years ago by Filipino fishermen, European sailors, and freed enslaved people from Malaya and Java. This also explains the importance of fishing to the village.
Armien’s Fishing Trip is by Catherine Stock and published by Morrow Junior Books.
I borrowed this book from our local library.
Gift of the Sun: A Tale from South Africa
This bright sunny book just begs to be read this time of year when New Jersey is in the deep throes of winter. We are now all dreaming about gardening, sunflowers, and the warm summer sun, just like Thulani, the main character in this delightful story.
Gift of the Sun: A Tale from South Africa had mechuckling the first time I read it. Thulani wants to do nothing but laze around in the sun all day, so decides to sell their cow so he won’t have to milk it anymore. After that he makes a series of bad deals, a goat who eats all their corn seed, a sheep he declares is too much work, geese when his wife wants seed. Eventually he trades the geese for some seeds (like his wife asked), but she is enraged to discover they are sunflower seeds! From there things begin an upward climb for Thulani as he feeds the seeds to the chickens who lay more eggs, which he can sell for animals, which leads him to an exciting life at last.
While there is a lesson tucked into this story, it is not a didactic tale by any means. It is a fun story to read aloud to my girls who love all the animals. It was also a welcome opening to talk about what flowers we will plant in the spring. Last year we had huge sunflowers, just like Thulani ended up with in this story. The next time we get seed catalogs in the mail we are definitely creating some vision boards for our backyard gardens.
Gift of the Sun: A Tale from South Africa is by South African author Dianne Stewart, illustrated by Jude Daly who lives with her husband in South Africa, and is published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
I borrowed this book from our local library.
Jamela’s Dress
Do you know young children who like to dress up in their parent’s clothes? Over the weekend both my girls spent a lazy Sunday in their father’s large undershirts saying they were cozy dresses. They could pull their arms in and wrap the shirt bottom around their feet so they were all tucked in. They could totally relate to Jamela in the story of Jamela’s Dress, who winds up wearing the fabric her mother bought for a wedding dress, causing quite a stir.
Jamela’s mom worked hard to buy the beautiful fabric she would wear to a wedding, so took special care to wash it, hang it to dry, and left Jamela to watch over it. When the wind wraps the fabric around her, Jamela cannot help but stroll down the street daydreaming about wearing the beautiful material herself. Soon the people in town are cheering her on and one even takes a photograph of her wearing the beautiful fabric. However, when her mother discovers her beautiful material has been torn and dirtied, both Jamela and her mom are upset. What will Jamela’s mother wear to the wedding? And will Jamela be able to find a solution in time?
Jamela’s Dress is by South African author/illustrator Niki Daly. He has written and illustrated many picture books. The book is published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
I borrowed this book from our local library.
The Herd Boy
The Life of a herd boy is anything but easy, and anything but boring. But Malusi in The Herd Boy, never dreams he is gaining the skills necessary to be a great leader of his country.
Every day Malusi takes care of his grandfather’s sheep and goats. He protects them from baboons and the donga, which would trap them. He is lucky to have a friend to pass the time with, but dreams of having a dog of his own who will help prevent baboon attacks on the young sheep. He also dreams of being president. While carrying home a wounded sheep one day, he meets an old man in a car who tells him a herd boy would make an excellent president. After that statement, looking back through the story, you can see the skills Malusi is learning that would help him become a great leader.
Back matter explains that former president Nelson Mandela himself came from humble beginnings, was a herd boy, and went on to become the president of South Africa, just like Malusi dreams of. Did Mandela have the same dream? Was it his days as a herd boy that laid the foundation for him to become such a great leader? This story definitely makes you think about the qualities a good leader has and how they are aquired, but is also a fun adventure story of a boy and his flock.
The Herd Boy is by South African author Niki Daly. It is published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
I borrowed this book from our local library.
Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom gives the reader a crash course in the recent history of South Africa told through the life of Nelson Mandela. I learned a ton, which is being reinforced and expanded on by my adult reading this week. This book covers Mandela’s life from birth through when he was elected president of South Africa in 1994. He dedicated his adult life to building a county where all people were seen, heard and lived in peace.
If you are studying South Africa, this is an excellent place to start. The concepts embedded and the length make this book perfect for upper elementary/middle grade aged students and up. You get a feel for the political and social climate of South Africa during apartheid, as well as an introduction to the many native tribes and areas which make the country unique. There are mentions of death and armed resistance, so make sure you are ready to talk about these things before you read this to your kids.
A timeline and glossary can be found at the back of the book.
Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is the official picture book of Mandela’s bestselling autobiography. It was abridged by South African writer Chris Van Wyk, illustrated by South African artist Paddy Bouma, published by Roaring Brook Press.
I borrowed this book from our local library.
Goal!
With spring approaching I know we will be outside playing more soon. One of the things my girls, and the neighbor boys enjoy playing together, is soccer (or football as it is called everywhere else, and will be called for the rest of this caption). Last spring and summer they spent a lot of time in the front yard kicking a ball around with my husband. There seems to be universal appeal to the game of football; it is arguably the most popular team sport in the world.
Mina Javaherbin captures this appeal beautifully in her picture book Goal!. Set in a town in South Africa, Ajani and his friends are ecstatic to play football after Ajani wins a real regulation size ball for his reading ability. They know the streets are not always safe, but nothing can stop them from playing, not even the neighborhood bullies who they end up outwitting in order to keep their new ball.
The text in this stunning picture book is poetic, with a refrain “Left is clear. Right is clear. The streets are not safe, but I have a plan.” letting the reader know just how important the game of football is to these boys. It helps them forget their fears and worries, if even for a short time. It helps them hang onto their childhood, even if there are chores waiting for them. It helps them build community with each other.
This book is a great way to open up a conversation about other cultures and other children around the world, using a sport known to billions worldwide. Readers see others who may live somewhere different from them, look different from them, and live differently from them, but who share a common interest, one that brings joy. What a powerful experience.
Goal! is by Mina Javaherbin, illustrated by A.G. Ford, and published by Candlewick Press. Javaherbin is an Iranian- American author who has written other picture books I featured when we read books about Iran and Brazil. She is an author I would highly recommend.
I borrowed this book from our local library.
A South African Night
A great book for preschool aged kids, A South African Night beautifully shows what happens at night in a National Park when a little child falls asleep after a long day in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The first few spreads in the book showcase what big city life looks like in Johannesburg, but most of this story belongs to the animals found in Kruger National Park. What are they up to at night while you’re sleeping? It seems most are hunting for, or looking for, food. The book ends with the city waking up as the animals head to sleep in the shade.
Rachel Isadora’s illustrations steal the show in this picture book that was inspired by one of her many trips to South Africa. The watercolor illustrations are stunning. Her use of light in the darkness is breathtaking. Both my girls have enjoyed reading and looking through this book this week.
A South African Night is by Rachel Isadora and is published by Greenwillow Books. Isadora lived and traveled in Africa for 10 years. She has written and illustrated a long list of children’s stories.
I borrowed this book from our local library.
My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me
We love a good chicken book in our house. We got chickens in August and my girls adore them. We have found reading books about chickens to be a good way to explore the world, and this book is no exception.
My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me, a photographic story of a South African girl and her chicken is written by poet Maya Angelou. The photographer, Margaret-Courtney-Clarke was born in Namibia, just north of South Africa.
The 8 year old in the story, Thandi is a girl from the Ndebele tribe, known for their decorative homes, and colorful dress, both which are featured prominently in the photos in this book. Thandi’s best friend is a chicken who she can tell all her secrets to, and who won’t tell anyone else. She enjoys helping her mother paint their house with the feathers she steals from her chicken, and longs to be old enough to sit with the older women and make the clothing they wear. She tells the reader about what the children do in their free time, their school clothes, how the women dress when they go to the city, and her mischievous brother.
One of the things that stuck out to me about this book is that the Ndebele people don’t use the word “beautiful”, only the word “good”. It made me think about the difference between the two words, and how I myself often consider beautiful things more important than good things. Something to think about.
The photographs in this book are amazing, and paired with Angelou’s words, this is a great introduction to one group of people who call South Africa home.
My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me is by Maya Angelou with photographs by Margaret Courtney-Clarke. It is published by Clarkson Potter, Inc.
I borrowed this book from our local library.
Adult Read
Cry, the Beloved Country, by South African author Alan Paton, was a reread for me this week. I had fond memories of reading it a few years ago, but when placed in the context of our reading trip around the world, it had a lot more power. It is a book which explores a lot of issues the world is still grappling with today, and leaves the reader with more questions than answers.
I’m going to take the easy way out here and put a link for a Goodreads review which I feel beautifully sums up and is able to express the importance of this story better than I could right now. Check out John’s review.
I’d love to hear what books, projects, artists, music, and other fun things you’d recommend from South Africa. Email me, message me, or comment/DM on Instagram.
Kids Read the World 