PUKU.co.za

Lauren Beukes Brings Sloth to Life at Book Lounge Story-time

by Bontle on 07 Sep 2010   |   

Some of the best authors have not written children’s stories but great stories for grown ups (Alas). Lauren Beukes wrote an amazing novel this year called Zoo City, which features different animals and the best one of all was a Sloth. Today she is graciously coming along to do story time for us and she will be reading Sloth stories for us! Yeah, well, the sloths are excited, even if they don’t show it.

Story-time is every Saturday at 11am at the Book Lounge.

Book details

• Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
  EAN: 9781770098183
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Johannesburg Theatre Brings Children's Classics to Stage

by Bontle on 02 Sep 2010   |   

The Peoples Theatre once again brings the magic of live theatre to Joburg children in its new production Sleeping Beauty and Other Fabulous Tales, this September and October.

From 13 September to 10 October 2010, Jill Girard and Keith Smith will treat audiences to six beloved and familiar tales in an interactive show filled with humour, adventure and great musical numbers.

Adults and children alike will be bowled over by these creatively staged childhood favourites, brought to you by the team behind the sold-out success of The Jungle Book and Cinderella.

Besides Sleeping Beauty, the energetic cast will be bringing to life the stories of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Little Red Riding Hood, The Brave Little Rooster, Rumplestiltskin, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Elves and the Shoemaker and The Three Little Pigs.

Girard and Smith say the production aims not only to introduce young audiences to the joys of live theatre, but also to encourage reading – gently reminding children that books fire up the imagination and open up a world of wonder.

A cast of energetic professional actors immerse themselves in the fun and fantasy of true children’s theatre, involving the young audience members in the stories and enhancing the theatre experience for them

• Read the complete article at Artlink

Book details

• Sleeping Beauty by Heather Amery, illustrated by Stephan Cartwright
  EAN: 9780746058343
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

• Little Red Riding Hood by Nick Sharratt
  EAN: 9780333962176
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

• Three Little Pigs by Heather Amery
  EAN: 9780794506094
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Author Tours SA Teaching Children Emotional Intelligence

by Bontle on 01 Sep 2010   |   

Larné Neuland was a suicidal, emotional wreck when she first learned the power of her thoughts. She set herself on a journey, replacing her negative thoughts with positive “pink” ones. She wrote a book, touring the world, talking about her ideas and being called crazy by some media. Along the way, she realised that managing ones thoughts and emotions as a child was never a subject at school.

“I learnt that a child’s mindset and belief system is cemented by the age of about 10. I figured if you could get them early, it would make a difference to their lives.” So, she wrote a children’s book, Let’s Take a Peek at our Thoughts, which now comes with soft toy creatures – a pink “Love” and a grey “Grouch” – to better illustrate an elusive concept.

Neuland travels around the country – at her own expense – giving talks at schools (which she ensures parents also attend) and has started an educational programme that teachers can use to put her thoughts into practice (the lessons can also be found on YouTube).

Neuland doesn’t pretend to be a scientist, however. For her, it is simply a passion she feels compelled to share with others. “In my opinion, this is something we dare not not teach our children. I have often wondered whether I am a good salesman or if this is really working. I am still in the process of measuring my results, but a lot of parents, teachers and psychologists have given me great feedback.”

• Read the complete article at Timeslive

Book details

• Let’s Take a Peek at our Thoughts by Larné Neuland
  EAN: 9780620267878
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Gill Moodie Reviews the Latest Miss Behave Book

by Bontle on 01 Sep 2010   |   

Miss Behave and the League of the Crystal Ball by Camille Lagarrigue

Former primary school teacher Camille Lagarrigue is back with her fourth Miss Behave book for South African children and it’s just as compelling as the previous ones.This time Miss Behave, the good witch, and her two feline familiars, Bart and Blade, must stop their arch-enemies – the picturesquely named Miss Take, Miss Fortune and Miss Spell – from ruining the World Cup.

This must be gratuitous use of the soccer tournament, I hear you mutter, but Miss Behave is a very hip and happening young witch and the idea of her playing in a witches’ soccer league seems fitting. The story is loads of fun and the illustrations are packed with detail and a hidden motif on every page that is the star of the show as far as my five-year- old is concerned.

These are also uniquely South African tales in that they avoid South African stereotypes and have not one ounce of self-consciousness about them. Born from stories that Lagarrigue made up featuring her real-life cats in Grade 1 and 2 classrooms in Johannesburg, the Miss Behave stories concern good and evil in a magical package which just happens to be set in our fair land.

• Check Out Miss Behave’s Website

• Read the complete reviews

Sparkle and Spin Studio Talks Children's Books with Vanessa Badroodien

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 31 Aug 2010   |   

For those of you who are not aware, Vanessa Badroodien who is the former Founder Director of the Cape Town Book Fair has taken on another amazing role of running Sparkle and Spin, a Children’s Literature Blog. Still very passionate about books she has decided to focus on children this time around. She explains it here.

I am the parent of three wonderful children and consciously try and live a meaningful life.In my previous role as the Founding Director of the Cape Town Book Fair, I was fortunate enough to visit book fairs and literary festivals around the world. The beautiful books, the talented illustrators and authors had me forever captive.I love books, well-told stories, and illustrations that serve to enhance and deepen a child’s sense of story.

Today Vanessa welcomes spring with Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. This is what she has to say about it.

I am tired of winter. I want to wear open sandals and floaty tops and enjoy looking at green all around me. I asked a few of the parents who form part of the book group at my son’s school for recommendations on books that deal with the seasons. Numerous recommendations were shared but I am convinced that there are none as beautiful as this one. What can I say about Red Sings from Treetops but lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely and oh yes, lovely. Thank you Shan, for sharing it with me and allowing me to photograph some of the illustrations. Observation, discovery, connection . . . what a beautiful book to bring seasons to life and to introduce children to poetry. Red Sings From the Treetops embodies everything poetry is meant to be. The words of poet Joyce Sidman are fresh even though she is writing about the oldest of concepts. These words combined with gloriously hue-soaked pictures of illustrator Pamela Zagarenski combine to create a poetry book that is both thoughtful and exuberant.

• Visit Sparkle and Spin here

Book details

• Red Sings From Treetops by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
  Ages 5 to 8
  EAN: 9780547014944
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Oxford IsiZulu-English School Dictionary Isikhona

by Bontle on 24 Aug 2010   |   

As part of a commitment to growing multilingualism and the development of indigenous languages – and to support more than 2.8 million learners* who take IsiZulu as a language subject at school – educational publishers Oxford University Press Southern Africa have published a brand-new IsiZulu-English dictionary.

Oxford is the publishing house synonymous with dictionaries, and has a strong local dictionary programme of monolingual, bilingual and multilingual dictionaries created on South African soil for South African learners, students and adults.

The Oxford Bilingual School Dictionary: IsiZulu-English is the third in an award-winning range of up-to-date and easy-to-use bilingual school dictionaries for learners in Grades 4 to 9, providing support to IsiZulu children who are learning English, and English children who are learning IsiZulu.

“We at Oxford are proud to continue the dictionary publishing we are known and respected for around the world by expanding our reach into South African languages,” said Oxford Southern Africa Managing Director Lieze Kotzé.

Mali Storyteller Shares Tales of Childhood Through Books and Ceramics

by Bontle on 23 Aug 2010   |   

Growing up in the west African country of Mali, Baba Wagué Diakité heard stories so rich in detail that he still can remember how it made him see trees speak, shrubs move – dogs, elephants, logs, rocks, water, dirt, sun, moon, stars- all moving and speaking like humans.

Decades later, Diakité continues through art and literature the legacy of his grandmother’s stories. The Portland-based artist is now a storyteller and children’s book author. He’s preparing to lecture on his homeland and read from his memoir, A Gift From Childhood: Memories of an African Boyhood in the United States. His other books for children include a book written by his 12-year-old daughter, Penda Diakité, that Baba illustrated. The book, I Lost My Tooth in Africa, a warm story about the African tooth fairy.

Amina has a Wiggly Tooth. More than anything, she hopes it will come out while she’s visiting her family in Mali, West Africa. That way, she can put her tooth under a gourd, and the African tooth fairy will exchange it for a chicken! Will Amina lose her tooth before it’s time to return to America?

• Visit Babawague here

Book details

• I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakité, illustrated by Baba Wagué Diakité
  EAN: 9780439662260
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

• A Gift From Childhood: Memories of an African Boyhood by Baba Wagué Diakité
  EAN: 9780888999313
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Jozikids and Exclusive Books Team Up for Children's Book Competition

by Bontle on 18 Aug 2010   |   

To celebrate the nationwide Exclusive Books book sale, Jozikids is running a competition where visitors to teh Jozikids website can win book hampers of some of the children’s books on offer. The hampers are made up of four or five old classics and new favourites for children of all ages.

Included in some of the book hampers are oldies like Thomas & Friends, A Storybook For Every Day Of The Week by Brit Allcroft and Dr.Seuss’ Animal Antics. There are books to educate with fun facts like Why Pandas Do Handstands And Other Curious Truths About Animals by Augustus Brown and activities to keep kids busy for hours with Let’s Pretend, Fairies: Fun things to make and do by Priddy Books.

The sale started on July 29th and the competition runs until September 5th. Only residents living within the borders of Gauteng province can qualify for a prize.

• Visit the Jozikids Website to Learn More

Book details

• Thomas and Friends: A Storybook for Everyday of the Week by Brit Allcroft
  EAN: 9780603563331
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

• Dr. Seuss’s Animal Antics by Dr Seuss
  EAN: 9780007241941
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

• Why Pandas Do Handstands…: and Other Curious Truths About Animals by Augustus Brown
  EAN: 9780593056936
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

• Fairies: Fun Things to Make and Do by Priddy Books
  EAN: 9780312502348
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

SCBWI Hosts Events in Cape Town from August to December 2010

by Tumi on 17 Aug 2010   |   

SCBWI South Africa hosts two events for Open Book Day and Critique sessions as well as a year end book party in December

August 2010 Cape Town

SCBWI (SA) Open Book Day & Critique session at Marjorie’s Home

Region: Cape Town, South Africa

Date: Saturday, 28 August 2010

Time: 11h00 – 17h00

Venue: 153 Beach Rd, Gordon’s Bay. e-mail for directions – scbwi.za@gmail.com
RSVP: Please e-mail scbwi.za@gmail.com before 23 August and put Book Day in subject line.

Cost: R50.00 per person (includes a snack lunch and coffee and tea)

Description: SCBWI SA will have a Get-together… Publishers, writers and illustrators are invited to spend a day with Marjorie at her home to talk, and talk, and talk about children’s books. Writers and illustrators will have a chance to show their illustrations or read an extract from their work in a critique session.

Marjorie van Heerden (Co-RA) will tell all about her trip to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2010

October 2010 Cape Town

SCBWI (SA) Open Book Day & Critique session at Marjorie’s Home October

Region: Cape Town, South Africa

Date: TBC – visit puku homepage for updates

Time: 11h00 – 16h00

Venue: Bellville Public Library, Bellville, Cape Town e-mail for directions – scbwi.za@gmail.com

Cost: SCBWI members R60 and non-SCBWI members R100 (this includes tea/coffee and lunch).

RSVP: e-mail to scbwi.za@gmail.com and (NB!) October Talk in your e-mail’s subject line. Deadline TBC

Description of Event
Author Chris van Wyk and illustrator Paddy Bouma, will talk about the creative process of writing and illustrating Long Walk to Freedom, the picture book version of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography. Paddy, international award-winning illustrator, will explain and show in some detail the process she followed to research and create her stunning authentic illustrations, explaining her methods and techniques and tell about the research.
Chris, winner of the 1979 Olive Schreiner Prize and the 1997 Sanlam Prize, will talk about memories and translating them into stories. About the process of adapting Mandela’s autobiography into a picture book.

Enquiries: By e-mail to scbwi.za@gmail.com and (NB!) please put Enquiries – October Talk in your e-mail’s subject line.

DECEMBER 2010 (Cape Town)

SCBWI (SA) End-of-Year Season’s Greetings Book Party

Region: Cape Town, South Africa

Date: TBC – visit puku homepage for updates

Time: 11h30 – 15h00

Venue: TBC – visit puku homepage for updates

Cost: Free & gratis (SCBWI will pay for the coffee and tea!) but bring a plate of goodies to share and eat )

Enquirers: Please e-mail scbwi.za@gmail.com and put SCBWI SA Party in subject line.

Description: Writers, illustrators, or anyone interested in children’s books are invited. Bring along a small inexpensive wrapped gift, AND a plate of decadent stuff to eat. We will exchange gifts, talk Children’s Books, eat, drink coffee and tea and be merry. A space will be available where you can display recently published books or work in progress. (Publishers are also welcome to come and show us their latest books!)

Elaine Ridge and Marjorie van Heerden

Co-Regional Advisors of the South Africa Branch of the SCBWI

153 Beach Road, Gordon’s Bay 7140, South Africa; Tel & Fax: 021 856 0432

e-mail: scbwi.za@gmail.com

Book details

• Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, Chris van Wyk, illustrated by Paddy Bouma
  EAN: 9781405091886
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!

Sindiwe Magona Does Story Time at The Book Lounge

by Tumi on 16 Aug 2010   |   

South Africa is rich with story tellers, and one of our favourite story ladies, have to be the beautiful Sindiwe Magona. She came to visit recently and loved it so much, she wants to do it again! She has promised to come and tell us some more stories we have not heard before. This is a real treat and not to be missed.

Story time is every Saturday at 11 at the Book Lounge

Book details

• To My Children’s Children by Sindiwe Magona
  EAN: 9781566566490
  Find this book with BOOK Finder!