Sunday Times Books LIVE Community Sign up

Login to Sunday Times Books LIVE

Forgotten password?

Forgotten your password?

Enter your username or email address and we'll send you reset instructions

Sunday Times Books LIVE

Penguin SA

@ Sunday Times Books LIVE

Archive for the ‘Children’ Category

Cover revealed for Marita van der Vyver’s new novel to be published early 2017

by Penguin Books on Nov 16th, 2016
Marita van der Vyver’s new novel to be published early 2017Marita van der Vyver’s new novel to be published early 2017
Swemlesse vir 'n meerminA Fountain in FranceOlinosters op die dakDie coolste ouma op aardeWinter Food in ProvenceWinterkos in Provence

 
Penguin Random House will be publishing Marita van der Vyver’s 13th novel, You Lost Me, early in 2017 in English and Afrikaans.

The author, who lives in France, will be in South Africa to promote the novel in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria in March and May 2017. Readers will also have the opportunity to see her in Stellenbosch during Woordfees, and at the Franschhoek Literary Festival.

You Lost Me is the story of Willem Prins, a disillusioned South African writer who, after little success, finds himself in Paris to promote an erotic novel he wrote under a pseudonym – to his great embarrassment. It’s here that he meets Jackie, a young South African who works in the city as au pair. The two of them happen to be together on the night that the Paris terror attacks strike.

You Lost Me is contemporary and thrilling; wickedly funny yet poignant. The novel reinforces Van der Vyver’s position as one of the country’s best-loved writers since the publication of her first novel, Entertaining Angels.

 
Related stories:

Photograph by Robert Hamblin for Vrouekeur

Book details


» read article

Try the New Sasol Young Explorer App, Available in English, Afrikaans, isiZulu and isiXhosa

by Penguin Books on Jul 3rd, 2015

Stuarts' Field Guide to Mammals of Southern AfricaStuarts se Veldgids tot Soogdiere van Suider-AfrikaPenguin Random House Struik is pleased to announce their new app Sasol Young Explorer – Mammals.

The app is in four languages – English, Afrikaans, isiZulu and isiXhosa. It introduces children to African mammals, teaches them calls and develops problem solving skills.

Read more about it:

Mammals come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, from tiny bats and mice to massive elephants and whales.

Sasol Young Explorer – Mammals is a beautiful, engaging and multilingual app that introduces young kids (3–8 years) to the wondrous world of southern Africa’s wild creatures.

Divided into ‘Learn’ and ‘Play’ sections, the app blends storytelling and game playing in a fun and educational way, and is packed with interactive features that will stimulate children’s development and broaden their knowledge.

Book details


» read article

Read Taiye Selasi’s “Poetic Tribute to Natural Hair”: Love Your Curls

by Penguin Books on Jun 30th, 2015

Ghana Must GoTaiye Selasi, best-selling author of Ghana Must Go, has written a short ebook entitled Love Your Curls: A poetic tribute to curly hair inspired by real women, as part of a Dove campaign.

The book, which is aimed at children, is available as a free download, and is intended to instill self-confidence and empowerment in young black girls with curly hair.

Read Selasi’s author’s note:

When my sister and I were younger, we used to play this game. We’d place our towels over our heads and tuck the cloth behind our ears. It was a gesture that we’d seen our straight-haired friends make every day. For us, the gesture embodied ease, beauty, self-assurance. Trouble was, our hair wasn’t “tuckable.” Our short, soft, springy Afros—while lovely to the touch—were too tightly coiled to be tucked behind the ear. No sooner had a chunk of hair been tucked in place than it bounced back. And so we turned to towels.

One night, with my towel-wig on, I went to brush my teeth. I was leaning over the sink when plop! My “hair” fell off. As I straightened up and looked in the mirror, I found myself staring back: me, as I was, no terrycloth-hair hanging down my back but a small buoyant Afro framing my face. Suddenly it dawned on me. I would never have straight hair. The ear-tuck would never be my trademark. But my pillow-soft coils—strong, beautiful, delicate—could be. Looking at myself in the mirror that night, I fell in love with my hair.

This book is dedicated to all the curly-haired girls, big and small, who have fallen in love with theirs. For the little girls whose buoyant, boisterous hair reflects their personalities; for the mothers who see in their daughters’ ringlets free and fearless spirits; for the women who have learned to love—lo, to flaunt!—their natural hair, whose curls tell the world who they are: this is for you. May you find in these painted pages a reflection of your beauty, a celebration of your uniqueness and an expression of your grace. Here’s to you and your gorgeous curls!

Curly and proud,
Taiye Selasi

Selasi chatted to The Cut about why she participated in the project, as well as about her views on about skin lightening, her poetry, and the objectification of natural hair:

Have you always worn your hair naturally?
I had straight hair when I was young and I never want it again. But you know what? It doesn’t suit me. I want to be really clear. I don’t say that as sort of a pat on the back. My sister wears her hair straight. She looks amazing with it. It’s her choice. What I love is that she made that choice being fully empowered. She doesn’t feel like she has to have straight hair, she’s just enjoying this haircut right now. And I don’t look at her and think, You’re self-hating. But me, I just like it better like this. I have a big face. I have a big mouth. I have big cheeks. I have big eyes. I have big shoulders. I should have big hair.

Book details


» read article

Win One of Four Christmas Book Hampers for Him, Her, Teens and Kids

by Penguin Books on Dec 19th, 2014

Penguin Books is giving away one of four Christmas Book Hampers: for men, women, teenagers and children. The four categories contain the publisher’s pick of exciting titles, just in time for the festive season!

Competition: Win Christmas Book Hampers
More Fool MeThe KeeperHeroes of Olympus: The House of HadesThe Roald Dahl Treasury

 
The books hamper for him contains More Fool Me by Stephen Fry, as well as books by Jeremy Clarkson and Clive Cussler. Books for her include The Keeper by Marguerite Poland and more books by Marian Keyes, Jojo Moyes and Sylvia Day.

Treat your teens with a selection of books for young adults, including Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades, The Revenge of Seven and Fifth Wave: The Infinite Sea. Last but not least, the book hamper for kids contains Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Angelina’s Christmas, The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Christmas 123 and The Roald Dahl Treasury.

To enter, visit the Penguin Books website and click on the Christmas stocking of your choice. You may enter a maximum of 10 times per category. The competition closes on Tuesday, 23 December, at 11:59 PM.

Book details


» read article

Bring the Kids to the Launch of Jeff and George and the Totem Pole at The Book Lounge

by Penguin Books on Aug 13th, 2014

 
Jeff and George and the Totem PoleCome have fun with Jeff and George at The Book Lounge for the launch of Jeff and George and the Totem Pole, written by Emily Child and illustrated by Julia Anastasopoulos.

The launch will take place at The Book Lounge on Saturday, 16 August 2014 and will start at 11 AM.

See you there!

Event Details

Book Details


» read article

Six Tasty Children’s Recipes from Jackie Cameron

by Kate on Mar 19th, 2014

Jackie Cameron Cooks at HomeJackie Cameron, author of Jackie Cameron Cooks at Home, invited some children to share their favourite recipes.

Twins Georgina and Annabelle brought along a recipe for Crumpets, and there were Banana Muffins from Paige, Zoë’s Macaroni and Cheese, Ntando’s Amagwinya, Merrick’s Bacon and Baby Marrow Frittata and Phoebe’s Chunky Chocolate Cookies.

The children were photographed proudly showing off their prepared dishes – made with the help of a parent, no doubt, but a great idea to encourage children to develop their skills in the kitchen.

Ntando’s Amagwinya Recipe

“Happy Anatoria Dube works in the housekeeping department. She loves to help us bake so her daughter Ntando invariably gets stuck in too. Her freshly-baked hot amagwinyas go down as a treat with all of us. Most of the women eat them plain – not me. I take a half and layer thick lashings of butter and marmalade jam onto it. I am tempted to eat the other half – but resist. With her apron on, Ntando was ready to strike a pose for the camera.” — Jackie Cameron

Makes: 10
Ingredients:

5 cups Cake Flour
30ml White Sugar
7.5ml Instant Dried Yeast
800ml Water
2l Sunflower Oil

Book details


» read article

Sean Fraser: The Best Way to Learn About Our People is to Read Their Life Stories

by Kate on Nov 21st, 2013

The Children's MadibaSean Fraser spoke to the Se7en + 1 blog about his book The Children’s Madiba, explaining that he believes “that the best way to learn about our people is to read their life stories”.

“Biographies can tell us a lot about culture, the society in which we live, the kind of people who inspire us and the sort of people we want to become,” Fraser said. He wrote the book because he wanted children to be able to read about Nelson Mandela’s life in a format that is affordable and accessible to them.

What is your work-style, what would be a great working day for you?

My wife says I’m the most disciplined person she has ever known. Every morning, I’m at my desk at 8am and finish at exactly 5pm so that I can spend time with my family and just be a dad. There are few exceptions to my rule.

A good working day for me would be to spend half the day writing my own books (I write a lot about travel in South Africa), and then getting to work on someone else’s book – I’m a book editor most of the time, so I get to help other authors write better books and tell better stories.

Book details


» read article

Sean Fraser Presents The Children’s Madiba: The Life Story of Nelson Mandela

by Kate on Nov 12th, 2013

The Children's MadibaDie kinders se MadibaNew from Penguin Books South Africa, The Children’s Madiba: The Life Story of Nelson Mandela by Sean Fraser

This is the story of how a young Xhosa herdboy, growing up among the green hills of the Eastern Cape, became the first black president of South Africa.

As he studied and became a lawyer in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela saw more and more how unfair the laws of the country were to black people, and how they suffered because of it. And the worst of it was, they had no power to set it right because black people were not allowed to vote for a government of their choice.

So Tata Mandela decided to give all his time and strength to fight the government’s big plan called apartheid. Apartheid meant that black and white people were kept apart and that the best of everything was for white people only.

Soon, his actions got him into trouble, and he was locked up for 27 years. But when he got out of there, everything had changed, and he was made the first-ever president of all the people of the land, black and white. He became a hero for all in South Africa and the world over, and this book tells his story.

Also available in Afrikaans as Die kinders se Madiba: Die lewensverhaal van Nelson Mandela.

Book details


» read article

Excerpt: A Peek at Alex Latimer’s Illustrations for Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories

by Kate on Sep 17th, 2013

Just So StoriesAerodrome have shared some of the pages from Alex Latimer’s illustrated book of Rudyard Kipling’s classic Just So Stories. Click on the images below to read about how the elephant got its trunk and see Latimer’s illustrations:

Book details


» read article

Winners of Random House Struik and James Patterson Short Story Competition Announced

by Amanda on Jun 20th, 2013

 
Random House Struik recently held a short story competition inviting young readers to write short fictional stories with the chance to win a cash prize of R5 000 as well as books for their school library to the value of R10 000. The winning school will be able to nominate a disadvantaged school of their choice who will receive a further set of books to the value of R10 000.

The winner in the 9-12 age group is Haytham Jeppie from SACS Junior School in Cape Town, whose story titled “Ghost School” impressed the judges (see picture above). The judges also recognised great talent in young writer Tom Vidal from Bishops College in Cape Town, and he was chosen as the winner in the 13-17 age group for his story titled “Broken Wings”.

Maximum Ride: AngelWitch and Wizard: The FireMaximum Ride: NevermoreConfessions of a Murder SuspectDaniel X: Watch the SkiesDaniel X: Armageddon

James Patterson is passionate about encouraging children to read. He was inspired by his own son, who was a reluctant reader, to write books specifically for young readers. Random House Struik supports this initiative and with this competition, we hope to inspire more young South Africans to become passionate about books, reading and writing.

The competition was judged by Marj Brown and Jay Heale. Marj is Senior Librarian at Roedean, SA Coordinator of the International Kids Lit Quiz, and Founder and Coordinator of the literacy quiz, Phendulani. Jay is the author of many children’s books including Hooked on Books. He reviews children’s books regularly on the Book Choice programme of Fine Music Radio.

Book details


» read article
 
 
© Times Media Group. All book excerpts remain copyright their authors. All subdomain blog posts remain copyright their authors.