PUKU.co.za

2011 Cape Town Book Fair Cancelled

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 26 Jan 2011   |   

The Cape Town Book Fair for 2011 has been cancelled, with plans underway to bring the show back in 2012 “in a new and remodeled format,” run in parallel with the IPA Publishers Congress, set for June 12th through June 14th, 2012.

The organisers say that “publishers in South Africa have voiced their support for a bi-annual Fair.”

iAfrica adds that “a letter from Publishers Association of South Africa president Brian Wafawarowa indicated that one of the factors for the event’s postponement was the ‘non-participation of key publishers in last year’s Book Fair.’”

• Read complete article at Booksellers

The Challenges of Publishing for Children in Africa

by Bontle on 11 Aug 2010   |   

Trying to persuade parents to buy children’s books instead of toy guns and cars is just one of the challenges facing Africa’s publishers. Cape Town International Book Fair gave industry executives and publishers from around the continent a chance to learn from each other, share experiences and ideas for the future of children’s publishing on the continent.

Publishers said that they also face the challenge of not having a strong reading culture across Africa and being heavy reliant on skills-enhancing textbooks over novels for sales, a primarily urban reach, and small, local print runs. Glossy bookstores are rare outside major cities, and non-fiction accounts for 45% of sales. Most fiction titles are imported from abroad.

The sales model in Nigeria largely bypasses book stores; instead, mobile sellers approach offices, restaurants and police stations, where they sell 30% of the stock.

A quarter of sales are in book stands in non-traditional outlets like hairdressers, cafes, boutiques and spas.

As in Zimbabwe, political turmoil wiped out Uganda’s book world after the rise of former dictator Idi Amin in 1971 erased a post-independence boom, but steady growth has returned in the past two decades.

• Read the complete article at The Star

PUKU in Conversation With Equal Education at CTBF

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 02 Aug 2010   |   

Elinor Sisulu who was one of the brains behind starting Puku, had a very encouraging session with Book SA’s editor, Ben Williams on some of the challenges and great contributions a Children’s Literature website such as Puku could bring to the table around issues of increasing access and improving the quality of books for children particularily in schools. Zachie Achmat who was to represent Equal Education(EE), unfortunately did not join the panel as planned, possibly because of the Fast lead by EE, for School libraries to show government that all children deserve a quality education which include properly stocked libraries, managed by librarians.

The main issue that always seems to come up when one talks about a website such as Puku is, accessiblity. A common question is ‘how can all people around the country be able to access such a useful tool?’ Well this is why Equal Education is running such an important campaign because they are saying that every single school in this country should have a library and librarian. So lets take that further and say that each library should have computers which will give children, teachers and librarians access to net which means access to information.

• Visit Equal Education here to learn more

Archbishop Desmond Tutu Launches Children of God at the CTBF

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 01 Aug 2010   |   

As I sit here at the 2010 Cape Town Book Fair for the launch of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu‘s children’s Bible I’m amazed to here that over 200 000 copies have already been sold worldwide, but then again why should I be amazed afterall this is Desmond Tutu, right? He has come up with this wonderful idea of combining modern challenges with the old Bible by tackling all sorts of issues such as Gender and race and it has worked.

The Children of God Storybook Bible, written by Archbishop Tutu, retells more than fifty of his best-loved stories from the Old and New Testament, artfully highlighting the universal thruths and multi-cultural messages stemming from God’s desire for all people to live in community.

It is designed to help children read the bible, not as part of a system of belief to the theology of the Bible and doctrines of the different churches, but to help them understand Christianity as a ‘Way of Life”. The title has been published by Lux Verbi.BM (who is also the product developer) in South Africa, and Zonderkidz (a developing partner and a division fo Zondervn) in the United States and HarperCollins in the United Kingdom.

The Children of God Storybook Bible, written for children between the ages of four and seven, is the biggest children’s Bible project the world has ever seen. Ten publishers worldwide have already signed up to be part of this exciting publication and the number is growing.

Twenty of the finest artisit (including our very own Marjorie Van Heerden) from around the world have been selected to illustrate the stories. In an attempt to create the first truly global Bible for children, the artists have been invited to portray the stories with the style and richness of their own culture. Their stunning color illustrations allow readers to experience the Bible stories as if they were there- with Adam and Eve in the garden, with Noah on the Ark, with Abraham in the desert, and with Jesus on the mountaintop.

“One could say the pictures are the spectacles through which children read God’s word”.
-Archbishop Desmond Tutu-

Book details

• Children of God by Desmond Tutu, illustrated by Various
  Ages 4 to 7
  EAN: 9780310719120
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Authors and Industry Insiders Discuss Children's Literature in Africa

by Bontle on 28 Jul 2010   |   

This Friday at the Book Fair, Carole Bloch (author/PRAESA’s Early Literacy Unit), Niki Daly (author/ illustrator), Arabella Koopman (publishing consultant), Nombulelo Baba (Centre for the Book/National Library) and Pamela Maseko (UCT) will all be discussing Creating literature for children in Africa.

The discussion starts at 12h00 and is expected to end at 13h30 in Room 1.42 of the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Librarians, educators and others concerned with creating literature for children in Africa, come and share your ideas about what books our children should be reading, what they should look like AND how we get these books to them!

• Visit the Jacana Website

Book details

• Not so Fast Songololo by Niki Daly
  Book homepage
  Ages 3 to 6
  EAN: 9780711217652
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

• A Song for Jamela by Niki Daly
  Book homepage
  Ages 3 to 6
  EAN: 9780624047704
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

• This Baby by Carol Bloch
  Ages 0 to 2
  EAN: 9781919888422
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

SCBWI Gives an Opportunity for Involvment in the CTBF

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 21 Jul 2010   |   

If you want to do more than just attend the fifth Cape Town Book Fair SCBWI is giving you that opportunity. Read more here to see how you can be an active part of the CTBF with SCBWI.

The Frankfurt (European) Book Fair and PASA will be organising the Fifth International Book Fair in Cape Town. Venue: The Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Their aim is to create the most stimulating and exciting fair yet, with far more events.

SCBWI (SA) will be having a stand as usual where SCBWI members can display their work. Our aim is to publicise the advantages of SCBWI membership, to display the work of our members and to help South African writers and illustrators to make contact with the representatives from the international and local publishers coming to the Fair.

We also need your help to run the stand. Celeste Loriston (see contact details below) will be organising this and urgently needs to know the times when you can help.

Non SCBWI Members – We need quite a few people to man our stand during the Book Fair – So if you are not a member yet – if you can help us at man the stand for an hour or two, you can display your books/work in progress. We need two people manning the stand at all times.

Please contact Celeste Loriston (083 708 4917) celloriston@yahoo.co.uk as soon as possible but NOT LATER THAN 19th July 2010 to let her know ASAP what time slots you are able to do (we need two people at a time). Ideally we need you to do a two-hour stint but if that is not possible, a one-hour stint.

More Information about the Book Fair

Inquiries: info@capetownbookfair.co.za

Phone: +27 (0) 21 4185493
Fax: +27 (0) 21 4185949

Entry Fee

Adults – R60 per day except Friday – see below

Students & Pensioners – R25 per day

Children until the age of 13 – Free

Friday 30th July 2010 will be the very first Cape Town Book Fair Professional Day with a professional programme for all exhibitors and trade visitors.

8am till 6pm – Trade Visitors and Exhibitors only

If you want to attend this day, as a writer and/or illustrator, to show your illustrations and/or manuscript to publishers, you have to register as trade visitor – the cost os R 335 per person for the day – for more info and what the benefits are, go to http://www.capetownbookfair.com/trade-visitors/information-for-trade-visitors

To register, go to http://www.capetownbookfair.com/trade-visitors/registration/forms

Writers and/or illustrators who want to show their work to publishers on Saturday, Sunday and/or Monday after 10:00, do not have to be registered as trade visitors. The cost will only be the R60 per visitor for the day

Times:

Saturday 31st July 2010

8:00 till 10:00 – Trade Visitors and Exhibitors only

10:00 till 18:00 – All visitors

Sunday 1st August 2010

8:00 till 10:00: Trade Visitors and Exhibitors only

10:00 till 18:00- All visitors

Monday 2nd August 2010

8:00 till 10:00: – Trade Visitors and Exhibitors only

10:00 till 16:00 – All visitors

Exhibiting your work

Illustrators

* Boards will be displayed in a V shaped poster holder so visitors to the stand can page through them (MAXIMUM OF TWO BOARDS ARE ALLOWED PER ILLUSTRATOR)
* You can display published or unpublished work suitable for children’s books

Instructions

* Use two sheets of Tripex board (620 grams and 1020x770mm) @ R35.00 and Acetate 175 microns (762 width) @ R35.90 a metre. ( Both these products are available at Deckle Edge (Woodstock (021) 448 6800 or Stellenbosch (021) 880 2816)
* Cut 4 mounting boards (50×70 cm) (Two to be used for backing and two for windows)
* Cut window mounts. (leave 2-3 cm breathing space and 3 cm between each illustration)
* Cover each illustration with acetate (Before positioning in the window mounts).
* Attach the extra boards to the back of the board on which you have mounted your illustration for strength and for it to look neater.
* Illustrations must be firmly secured to the board and be displayed on one side only (you can have more than one illustration per board).

Writers

* A limit of 15 published Books per person. These books should be DIFFERENT publications and not copies of the same publication. Choose your best work, not necessarily your most recent publications.
* We will also have a work in process section
* In the past the work-in-progress area looked a bit untidy so this year we will have a ring binder with plastic sheets in which writers’ and writer/illustrators’ work in progress can be displayed.
* Each person can have 6 X A4 pages in plastic sleeves for the SCBWI SA ring binder book
* If you would like to display your work/manuscript or picture book dummy separately it must be neatly bound
* Please include a CV which includes a photo and/or images; a list of your publications (Two A 4 pages maximum) and a synopsis of your story and an example of your manuscript (the way you prepare your work for Publishers Day)

Please note:

* Every book or artwork should be clearly marked with your name and contact details.
* NO information about of any company or organisation can be displayed.
* SCBWI (SA) does not accept liability for loss of or damage to property.
* All material must reach us by NO LATER than Tuesday 28 July 2010. Otherwise you will have to bring it to the SCBWI stand at the Cape Town Book Fair before 11h00 on Saturday 31 July.

E-mail scbwi.za@gmail.com to get the address to which your material can be posted or delivered to and if you have any inquirers

Please arrange for your books or art works to be collected on Monday 2 August 2010 (16h00-17h00). Any material that has not been collected will be donated to a school of our (SCBWI SA) choice.

• Read more about SCBWI here

Tutu's Children's Bible to be a Highlight at the Cape Town Book Fair

by Bontle on 10 Jun 2010   |   

Among the highlights of this year’s Cape Town Book Fair is the launch of the first ever global children’s Bible written by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The book, called Children of God Storybook Bible, features illustrators from around the world contributing their interpretations of Tutu’s favourite bible stories. The result is a glorious, and great value, package that will inspire a generation of children.

Cape Town Book Fair will take place from July 30 to August 2 2010.

The Book Fair this year hosts 270 different events in its halls and visitors will be able to meet and talk to up to 187 attending authors. The event is one of the most prestigious in the publishing world with book company professionals from 31 countries arriving in Cape Town for the fair.

• Read the complete article at Response Source

Book details

• Children of God Storybook Bible by Archbishop Desmond Tutu
  EAN: 9780007349845
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!