Tag Archives: books

Navigating the toddler years can be both exhilarating and challenging for parents. Understanding the developmental needs and behaviours of toddlers is important for fostering a healthy, happy, and cooperative child. Whether you’re a new parent or a seasoned caregiver, the right resources can make all the difference. Here, is a …

According to the National Reading Survey more than half of South African adults still live in households without literature and this is not improving over time. It also reports that some 65% of children turn 10 years old without having a single picture book in their homes. “This is a devastating statistic,” …

The tween and teenage years are a unique phase of development where young minds undergo significant changes emotionally, physically, and socially. As a parent, navigating this transitional period can be both rewarding and challenging. Fortunately, several insightful books offer guidance and support, helping parents understand and effectively parent their tweens. …

If you want to raise avid readers in your home this post is for you. Plenty of research suggests kids who learn to read books from a young age can enhance their cognitive and verbal abilities. Reading offers an essential relaxing activity for children. It is an excellent way to …

A love of reading is sparked when children see themselves in stories and relate it to their lives, even more so when it is shared in their home language. Xolisa Guzula – early literary specialist, author and translator – agrees that when children learn to read in their mother tongues it’s …

I’m a huge fan of books that teach my children important lessons and I am also a big advocate of the important of mental health, for adults as well as for children. So when Mayuri Naidoo contacted me to review her book REMY – A Book About Believing In Yourself …

As soon as your child opens a book, something magical happens. From wondrous journeys through lands unknown and epic adventures, to lessons on kindness, courage and compassion. Inside every book’s cover is a whole new world just waiting to be discovered! Beyond the tales of bravery, enchantment, hopes and dreams, …

Remy is an eleven-year-old, intelligent, but unhappy boy who lives in a beautiful coastal South African town. Self-conscious about his appearance, he is quite shorter than other children his age and has very small eyes, Remy lacks self-confidence and struggles with insecurities and anger issues.  Remy is often mocked by …

If you’re keen to put some meaning back into giving gifts this festive season, consider purchasing from the READ Online Shop! The READ Online Shop is an initiative by READ Educational Trust, a South African NGO promoting literacy in schools for over 40 years. A literate society will surely change …

In her debut memoir, “The Art of Determination,” Isla Stone discloses personal, profound journal entries that chronicle her experiences with rehabilitation, empowerment and remarkable spiritual growth. In her youth, Stone was sexually assaulted by a family member and endured abuse from her stepfather, which created a shaken and battered tone …

For over 50 years, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has celebrated International Literacy Day, and with good reason. Literacy plays a pivotal role in life. The late Kofi Annan coined it when he said, “Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which …

Books Beyond Words, the weekly online storytelling event hosted by South Africa’s annual reading awareness week, National Book Week (NBW) is bringing an all-women line up of storytellers this weekend in the spirit of Women’s Day. Living treasure Naledzani Netshirembe and the infectiously exuberant Malefu Mahloane will grace the stage to …

It’s been over 100 days since the coronavirus outbreak forced South Africans into a lockdown. A truly global event, it sent a third of the world’s population indoors, many working from home and nowhere to go. It is the arts and the stories that they turned to for comfort, entertainment …

The ancient art of storytelling, muted in the preceding years of the pandemic is seeing a revival in living rooms as families take shelter to escape the scourge of the coronavirus. Notwithstanding the provincial borders which remain sealed to contain the virus, every weekend at 11:00am they are dissolved as …

Substance abuse and addiction can be such a difficult topic to discuss with kids, especially when they are facing confusing and hurtful circumstances related to a parent’s or sibling’s addiction. “As an addiction treatment professional, a person in recovery, and a father, I know from personal experience how important it …

Empathy is the ability to experience and have an understanding of the feelings of others and responding in useful ways. For some children it is easier to develop empathy more inherently than others, but this is a crucial life skill that needs to be taught to all children. Children with …

The coronavirus has irrevocably changed how we live our lives. From baby showers to get togethers, the global pandemic has reduced our social life to streaming events revealing the unique nature of this crisis which has forced people indoors and feeling lonely. To beat the stress of keeping children entertained …

National Book Week’s Books Beyond Words online storytelling event hopes to give South Africans a good reason to stay home and stay safe as the country moves from Level 5 restrictions to Level 4 from tomorrow under the risk adjusted strategy adopted by the government. Under the Level 4 guidelines, …

South Africa’s annual reading awareness week, National Book Week (NBW), dedicated to encouraging leisure reading and promoting the importance of books has launched an online storytelling event on Facebook. The event, Books Beyond Words, is aimed at bringing parents and children together as a family around a screen to listen to the …

When you’ve lost a loved one or a beloved family pet, children cope with the loss in different ways, depending on how close they were to the person or animal that passed away, their age and the support they receive at the time. Here are some tips for helping your …