Local online bookstore Ethnikids was founded by five moms set on empowering African children by making diverse reading materials easily accessible. We spoke with one of the founding members, Khumo Tapfumaneyi, about a book series young readers are bound to love.
She talks about two top local choices and why book series are great for keeping kids busy during cold winter days.
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Better Reading listed some reasons why kids love a good series, and this includes giving children a sense of familiarity while also making book selection less intimidating as they already know more or less what to expect from a book when they have read another in the collection, she told us.
"Reading similar material on a regular basis gives a child's reading momentum, and series have a collectability factor to them. Many children love collecting things!"
The books make great gifts - especially if you know that the child is already interested in a particular series. And most importantly, they can give children a sense of achievement as they work their way through the various titles.
"That more or less sums up my reading experience as a child, as I worked my way through the Sweet Valley High books series!" Khumo says.
Here are two of her favourite local kids series:
The Shadow Chasers series
The Shadow Chasers series is a fantasy African adventure written by great wordsmith, Bontle Senne. It already has four books, and follows the experiences of feisty Nom and Zithembe as they battle monsters.
The isiZulu version was penned by Sifiso Mzobe, and the books are suitable for more advanced readers and/or children aged 8 to 11.
Have your children fallen in love with any local book series? We'd like to share them, so please do tell.
The African Folktales series
Another excellent option is the African Folktales series written by Sindiwe Magona and illustrated by Nicole Blomkamp. There are 9 books in this collection, they are easy-to-read and reminiscent of the stories your grandmother would tell you.
They are available in all 11 official languages and are great bedtime reads with a lesson or two thrown in.
Chat back:
Have your children fallen in love with any local book series? We'd like to share them, so please do share.