Review by Jennifer Gouck Fifteen-year-old Amandla’s mother, Annalisa, has had a vision: if Amandla wears a blue bedsheet hastily fashioned into a dress to school today, its magic will bring her father, who has been missing since before she was born, home forever. Annalisa has lots of visions. She also has a broken memory that … Continue reading #IntlYALitMonth Review: Sugar Town Queens
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Kariba
Originally published in 2018 as part of a Kickstarter campaign and forthcoming to a more global audience this August from Catalyst Press, Kariba is an adventurous fantasy middle grades graphic novel. As the South African-based creators note in an afterword, Kariba "draws heavily upon historical fact," taking its name from the real life Kariba Dam … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Kariba
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: It’s Just Skin, Silly!
Meet Epi Dermis! Who is Epi Dermis, you might ask? Your skin, of course! Forthcoming July 2023 from South Africa based Catalyst Press, It's Just Skin, Silly! is a friendly and accessible introduction to the evolution of skin color. Anthropologist Nina Jablonski and historian Holly McGee draw upon their more than 40 years of combined … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: It’s Just Skin, Silly!
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: Pearl of the Sea
Set in South Africa, Pearl of the Sea* is a beautifully illustrated coming-of-age graphic novel for upper middle grade and YA readers. Pearl, whose mother abandoned the family long before the start of the story, lives with her father, Vernon—a restaurant owner and chef who is sinking deeper and deeper into financial trouble—and her beloved … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Pearl of the Sea
#WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Best Meal Ever!
Set in Gugulethu and signalling to the persisting inequalities that define both this Apartheid-era established township and South Africa as a whole, The Best Meal Ever! by Sindiwe Magona is a heart-warming story of hope amidst trying times. Written for children ages 7-9, this picture book features beautiful watercolor illustrations by Paddy Bouma. The story … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Best Meal Ever!
#WorldKidLitWednesday: Meet Reviewer Lebohang Masango
Photo credit: Austin Malema Please extend a warm welcome to Lebohang Masango who joins the #WorldKidLit Wednesday team at the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative blog as a regular reviewer. Lebohang is a writer, poet and anthropologist with an impressive range of publications to her name, including Mpumi’s Magic Beads, a picture book for which … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Meet Reviewer Lebohang Masango
South African Writing – Day 20: An interview with two South African librarians
South African public libraries are a vital resource for South Africa's readers. They are incredible spaces of creation and learning and connection. I interviewed two local librarians to find out more about their work. Elzana Dlomo Elzana Dlomo is the senior librarian at Central Library in Cape Town. Central Library is located in the CBD … Continue reading South African Writing – Day 20: An interview with two South African librarians
South African Womxn Writing – Day 19: 245 South African Womxn’s novels you should read now (2015 – 2019)
In early 2020 I started making a list of all the fiction novels written South African women writers published between 1994 and 2019. I wrote more about this project, here. When I began I thought it would be labour intensive, but not overly complicated. I was right in one respect. Making a list of the … Continue reading South African Womxn Writing – Day 19: 245 South African Womxn’s novels you should read now (2015 – 2019)
South African Writing – Day 18: The literary festivals and podcasts
South Africa is home to some fantastic literary festivals every year, and to some podcasts that you might like to listen to from afar. The literary festivals took a knock in 2020, but many of them will (fingers crossed) be back in action this year. I thought I'd share some of these so you could … Continue reading South African Writing – Day 18: The literary festivals and podcasts
South African Womxn Writers – Day 16: Coloured literature and the chance to be remembered – Terry-Ann Adams
I remember the day I read a poem written by a Coloured woman in Kaaps. That day was the start of my process of becoming. I felt like I had just been reborn into a world where it is okay for me to be seen. Before that day, I didn’t think that my culture or … Continue reading South African Womxn Writers – Day 16: Coloured literature and the chance to be remembered – Terry-Ann Adams
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 