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A Wish This Big for Storytime at the Book Lounge this Saturday

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 09 May 2011   |   

What Rashied wants most is something round. “Something round?” Grandpa asks at bedtime, and the following morning at breakfast. When Rashied pours milk around the porridge in his blue bowl, he suddenly sees an island in the bowl in front of him! Could it be Robben Island? Then Grandpa tells the story of his time on the island, years ago, and how their soccer games made them forget that they were imprisoned, made them feel free again like the birds hovering over the island. A Wish This Big is a gentle, poetic picture book that will warm the hearts of grandparents and grandchildren alike. Also available in Afrikaans as Soos ‘n wens, so groot.

Storytime is at 11am every Saturday.

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Book details

• A Wish This Big by Ingrid Mennen, Katrien Coetzer
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  EAN: 9780624048831
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Latest Release from Tafelberg

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 23 Mar 2011   |   

A Wish This Big by Ingrid Mennen and Katrien Coetzer
What Rashied wants most is something round. “Something round?” Grandpa asks at bedtime, and the following morning at breakfast. When Rashied pours milk around the porridge in his blue bowl, he suddenly sees an island in the bowl in front of him! It’s Robben Island!

Then Grandpa tells the story of his time on the island, years ago, and how their soccer games made them forget that they were imprisoned, made them feel free again like the birds hovering over the island.

This is a gentle, poetic picture book that will warm the hearts of grandparents and grandchildren alike.

• Visit NB Publishers

Book details

• A Wish This Big by Ingrid Mennen, Katrien Coetzer
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  EAN: 9780624048831
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Nuwe Boek Spookskip Kom Gou van Tafelberg Uit

by Chelsea on 02 Mar 2011   |   

Tafelberg to release new Afrikaans children’s story, Spookskip, next month. Written by Antoinette Diedericks, and illustrated by Astrid Castle, this Hout Bay tale is not to be missed!

Tweelingbroers Christo en Andre ontdek ‘n glasbotteltjie in ‘n winkeltjie vol seevaartaandenkings in Houtbaai. Die eienaardige rooi gloed en die vreemde klomp syfers wat een nag uit die botteltjie stroom verander hulle ietwat vervelige vakansie by ouma en oupa eensklaps in ‘n opwindende avontuur! Die derde boek wat as vervolgverhaal in KleinB, Die Burger se kinderblad, verskyn en daarna deur Tafelberg uitgegee word. Die eerste was Fanie Viljoen se Kaptein Hamerkophaai en daarna het Harlekyn, deur Jaco Jacobs, gevolg. Skole het weekliks saamgelees en die klasaktiwiteite voltooi wat spesiaal vooraf deur ‘n span opvoeders uitgewerk is.

• Visit Tafelberg here

Book details

• Spookskip by Antoinette Diedericks, Astrid Castle
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  EAN: 9780624052845
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Bookchat Announces it's Top Children’s Books of 2010

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 16 Feb 2011   |   

Bookchat, a website for South African Children’s Books, has made public its short-list of children’s books that were nominated last year for being “Books of the Year”.

The nominees for “Best Fiction”:

Children of God – A Storybook Bible retold by Desmond Tutu
Goal! by Mina Javaherbin, illustrated by A G Ford
Just Sisi by Wendy Hartmann, illustrated by Joan Rankin
Nosipho Comes to Stay by Sarah Oosthuizen, illustrated by Catherine Groenewald
Pops and the Nearly Dead by Edyth Bulbring
Surfing Sally by Mary Duncan, illustrated by Wendy McKeag
The Mystery of the SS Waratah and the Avocado Tree by MJ Honikman, illustrated by Brice Reignier

The nominees for “Best Non-fiction”:

African Seashores by Sally MacLarty
Ecaleni Komlambo / Along the River / Rivierlangs by Reviva Schermbrucker
Great South African Inventions by Mike Bruton
Trevor Manuel by Pippa Green They Fought for Freedom series
My First Book of African Seashore Life by Roberta Griffiths, illustrated by Judy Maré

The Top Read of 2010 as voted for by Bookchat goes to Just Sisi by Wendy Hartmann and illustrated by Joan Rankin

• Visit Bookchat here

Book details

• Children of God by Desmond Tutu, illustrated by Various
  EAN: 9780310719120
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• Goal! by Mina Javaherbin, illustrated by A.G. Ford
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  EAN: 9780763645717
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• Just Sisi by Wendy Hartmann, illustrated by Joan Rankin
  EAN: 9780798152204
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• Nosipho Comes to Stay by Sarah Oosthuizen, Catherine Groenewald
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  EAN: 9781770098343
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• Pops and the Nearly Dead by Edyth Bulbring
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  EAN: 9780143026501
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• Surfing Sally by Mary Duncan, illustrated by Wendy McKeag
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  EAN: 9780620463157
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• The Mystery of the SS Waratah and the Avocado Tree by Marilyn Honikman, illustrated by Brice Reignier
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  EAN: 9780624048176
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• African Seashores: To Read, Colour and Keep by Sally MacLarty
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  EAN: 9781770078925
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• Great South African Inventions by Mike Bruton
  EAN: 9780521746632
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• Trevor Manuel: ‘n lewensverhaal by Pippa Green
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  EAN: 9780624047247
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• My First Book of Southern African Seashore Life by Roberta Griffiths, illustrated by Judy Maré
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  EAN: 9781770078222
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Jay Heale Speaks Visual Language With Four New SA Children's Books

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 24 Jan 2011   |   

Today I’m going to introduce you to four South African illustrators. The first thing children look at is the pictures. But do you know how to look? Can you look into the pictures? Do they show details that are not in the text? Do they convey atmosphere?

All four books are impressive, hard-cover volumes. Three are published by Human & Rousseau; the one illustrated by Fiona Moodie comes from Tafelberg. They are all in Afrikaans. I admit happily that I have absolutely no right to comment on the writing in the books because I don’t know enough of the language. But I do know a little about visual language.

• Read complete article at Gorrybowestaylor

This Months Recommended Books for Preschoolers and Early Graders from Cape Town's Child

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 03 Nov 2010   |   

Rainforest Touch and Feel Adventureby Harper Collins

Your baby will love discovering the rainforest by touching realistic textures. You can point out colours too, as you introduce your child to different furry bumpy and fuzzy animals. Babies as young as six month are introduced to tactile elements, the first words and bold bright colours. The sturdy, hard-board cover is easy for toddlers to handle and the glossy pages can be wiped

Sing a Song of Bottoms by Jeanne Willis

Bottoms are top in this laugh-out-load Jeanne Willis. Join her in the funniest talent show ever. In a fabulous rhyming text, meet bears with baggy bottoms, pigs with perky pinky ones, rhinos with wrinkly ones and peacocks that love to put theirs on display. Perfect for reading aloud and guaranteed to cause fits of giggles, one thing’s for sure, whoever is the winner, you and your child will enjoy this book.

The Little Brianwaves Investigate…Animals by Lisa Swerling

This book for animal-lovers between five and seven years of age explores teh furry feathered, fascinating world of animals with the little brainwaves. they’re small enough to explore a mouse hole, brave enough to look up an elephant’s trunk and crazy enough to get between the teeth ot a tiger. The inquisitive and fun-loving Little Brainwaves will bring your child closer to animals where they can learn, for example, how different the male orang-utan looks from the female ( he grows a moustache and a beard!) and that a birds bones are full of holes to make them lightweight.

Nici’s Pocket Present by Marion Drew

This book is perfect for readers eight to 10 years old. Nici is looking for gifts to take back to her cousins after her holiday in Cape Town. She looked on the beaches for seashells and even considered taking a rock from Table Mountain, but she knew her cousins would not be happy. All that was left, was the gifts they had asked for… a seagull for Mally and an octopus for Tim. How Nici gets these presents to Johannesburg has some wildly entertaining consequences. This tongue-in-cheek book might be a good launching pad to chatting about animal rights with your children.

Book details

• Sing a Song of Bottoms by Jeanne Willis, illustrated by Adam Stower
  EAN: 9780141328805
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• Rainforest Touch and Feel Adventure by Harper Collins
  EAN: 9780007278619
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• The Little Brainwaves Investigate… Animals by Lisa Swerling
  EAN: 9781405351799
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• Nici’s Pocket Present by Marion Drew
  EAN: 9780624048442
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iBiblionef ina Uhambo LukaMusange isiZulu

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 01 Nov 2010   |   

If your in Cape Town and like me your always trying to find books in your mother-tongue, which is Sesotho in my case, then Biblionef is the place you need to visit. I really urge you to take some time and go visit them in Pinelands. They have a wide variety of children’s books to chose from, but here’s the best thing about them…they have them in all 11 languages. I visited them recently and came across Uhambo LukaMusa by the same duo who did the award winning Siyolo’s Jersey, writer Mari Grobler and illustrator Elizabeth Pulles. Read here for more about the book.

Musa is looking for a present for his mother, and he has a magic bag to put it in. Things don’t turn out quite as he imagines, but he still manages to give her the best present of all… A charming picture book that teaches children in a fun way about counting and numbers. With delightful illustrations by an accomplished South African illustrator. It has a companion volume, Lulama’s magic blanket, by the same writer-illustrator team. An excellent teaching aid for second-language speakers.

Also available in Afrikaans, English

Book details

• Uhambo LukaMusa by Mari Grobler, Elizabeth Pulles
  EAN: 9780624043003
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Bouwer, die Doyenne van Afrikaanse Kinderliteratuur, Sterf ná Koma

by Bontle on 12 Oct 2010   |   

Alba Bouwer (90), die doyenne van Afrikaanse jeugliteratuur, is oorlede. Bouwer het Dinsdagaand in die aftree-oord Helderberg Village in Somerset-Wes in ’n koma verval en gesterf.

Haar debuut, Stories van Rivierplaas (1955) en sy opvolg, Nuwe stories van Rivierplaas (1956) verskyn aan die vooraand van die sestigerjare. Stories van Rivierplaas het as reeks in Sarie verskyn en is nie in die eerste instansie vir kinders bedoel nie. Stories van Ruyswyck (1963) is ‘n opvolg van die Rivierplaas-stories. Alie het intussen grootgeword en is bykans dertien jaar oud as die storie begin. In Stories van Bergplaas (1963) staan die tienjarige tweeling, Bramie en Grietjie, in die sentrum op die Bolandse plaas, Sadewee.

Die eerste M.E.R.-prys vir kinder- en jeugliteratuur word in 1984 vir Vlieg, swaeltjie, vlieg ver toegeken. Die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns stel in 1987 die Alba Bouwerprys vir kinderliteratuur in wat driejaarliks toegeken word.

Sy het die Scheepersprys vir jeugliteratuur twee keer met dié boeke gewen en het die C.P. Hoogenhoutprys vir die beste kinderboek drie keer ontvang in 1961, 1971 and 1983.

• Lees die volledige artikel

• Lees meer oor Alba Bouwer

Book details

• Rivierplaas: ‘n Alba Bouwer-omnibus by Alba Bouwer
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  EAN: 9780624045311
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Ngiyolibala ngifile is Not Easily Forgotten

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 07 Sep 2010   |   

Khanyisile has eventually divulged to her mother, MaKhoza, that her baby was conceived after she had been raped by her own father, Jabulani Madonsela. MaKhoza is devastated by this information and tries in vain to calm down Khanyisile. MaKhoza learns about this while Madonsela, who has risen to be a prominent government official, is still away in the USA on an official visit.

This story is captivating, especially because of the narrative techniques employed by the author. The author strategically zooms from the present to the past to link the different phases of the story with admirable effect.

The writer is dealing with one of the topical social evils. The youth, which is the targeted readership, will benefit in many way from reading this book. The young people are implicitly encouraged to be vigilant and to speak out.

The story addresses one of the current challenges of the abuse of daughters by their own fathers and advocates for no compromise in exposing such indiscretion. The whole story is a piece of art which will be a contribution to the development of the novel in isiZulu.

Book details

• Ngiyolibala ngifile by Dumisani Sibiya
  EAN: 9780624049203
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Tafelberg Publishes it's First Youth Fiction in Sesotho sa Leboa

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 07 Sep 2010   |   

Ke a hwa, ke a ikepela by Motimele Goodwill is a light, humorous read and is the first work of youth fiction in Sesotho sa Leboa (Northern Sotho) to be published by Tafelberg.

Mmasetswetswepa makes a decision to go and visit Molatišwa whom he loves but he has not yet uttered a word about his love for her. He has reserved this for the New Year celebration and he does this at 12 o’clock midnight. He runs to Molatišwa’s home and surprises her family. He is clumsy and has a huge body that makes him look like a giant to his peers and others.

At Molatišwa’s home, Mmasetswetswepa claims that Molatišwa is his lover and that he will not leave until he talks to Molatišwa. Molatišwa’s father, a reverend, comes between the couple and they must do their best to convince him that they are truly in love.

Book details

• Ke a hwa, ke a ikepela by Motimele Goodwill
  EAN: 9780624049197
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