Storytime
Contents Foreword
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Amazing Daisy! by Nozizwe Herero Illustrated by Siya Masuku Grandpa Farouk’s garden by Matthew Kalil Illustrated by Sam van Riet
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I don’t want to go to sleep! by Sarah McGregor Illustrated by Subi Bosa
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The lost laugh by Michelle Preen Illustrated by Karen Lilje
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Project conceptualising and management: Patti McDonald PattiM@arena.africa Story selection and adaptation: Arabella Koopman Design and typesetting: Lisa Borman Proofreading: Ilse von Zeuner
Foreword I’m so happy to write this foreword. To help deliver good news. The Sunday Times, in collaboration with the dedicated and phenomenal folk from Book Dash, has decided to publish these four wonderful South African stories for children. Stories for children are stories of hope. Something we all desperately need. Something our country desperately needs when the terrifying statistic is that eight out of every ten children in South Africa can’t read properly. This is something that the Sunday Times and Book Dash have taken to heart. Book Dash (a registered Public Benefit Organisation) believes that every child should own 100 books by the age of five. They do this by asking authors, illustrators and others involved in the publishing industry to volunteer to create new, African storybooks that anyone can freely translate, print and distribute. We are so incredibly lucky to be part of this by helping to print and distribute a few of these stories. There are numerous benefits to reading. It’s not only a way for children and adults to learn invaluable cognitive skills and life lessons, but books are also gateways to freedom, pleasure, rapture, fulfilment, happiness and delight. Children can go on adventures, learn empathy, learn how to understand the world and most importantly, understand themselves in the world and the power and potential they have. These four stories give that and more: you can be the outcast chicken who wants to fly; the boy who wants to help out his grandfather in the garden; the little girl who does not want to go to sleep; or the hyena who is desperately looking for its lost laugh. Magical, warm stories illustrated with verve and colour. It’s simple. Children need access to books. They need to read and to be read to. It’s the only way forward for our country. Because everything changes when we read. We can communicate with each other, we can exchange ideas and viewpoints and we can understand each other. Through reading we learn that we have the incredible power to change the world. Jennifer Platt Sunday Times Books Editor
D g a n i z i sy ! a m A
Written by Nozizwe Herero Illustrated by Siya Masuku
Once upon a time on a little farm near a little village, there lived a little chicken called Daisy.
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“When I grow up, I want to fly high into the sky,” Daisy said.
But all the other chickens laughed at her. “You are so weird,” they said. “We won’t play with you anymore.”
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“Daisy, we can all flap our wings, but it’s very difficult for chickens to fly,” Mama told her.
Daisy wouldn’t give up. Every day she practised by herself, flapping her wings. Flap, flap, flap – she would flap her wings, but she couldn’t get off the ground.
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While she practised, she imagined herself flying high into the sky and looking at the chickens below. She imagined herself flying past the sparrows and past the swallows. “Wow!” the birds would say. “A chicken that can fly!”
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So … flap, flap, flap – every day Daisy would flap her wings.
She would lift off the ground, but fall down again.
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“I’m never going to fly!” Daisy cried to Mama. “The others are right.” “Daisy, you are different from the other chickens. They don’t want to fly, but you do! You can do it,” Mama said.
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The following day Daisy climbed to the top of the chicken coop and – flap, flap, flap – she flapped her wings. She flew into the air and flapped her wings … and flapped her wings … and flapped her wings … and …
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! M A B
The other chickens laughed out loud. “Ha, ha, ha! We told you! Chickens can’t fly!”
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But the next day Daisy climbed even higher, right up to the top of the rondavel. Flap, flap, flap – Daisy flapped her wings.
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She flew into the air and flapped her wings … and flapped her wings … and flapped her wings and … 14
… she kept flying! The wind beneath her wings grew stronger and stronger and she flew higher and higher!
The sparrows and the swallows said, “Amazing! A flying chicken!” 15
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And the other chickens wanted to be just like her. They said, “Oh Daisy, you’re amazing!”
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Grandpa Farouk’s garden Written by Matthew Kalil Illustrated by Sam van Riet
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Deep in the city, surrounded by houses and bricks and tar, you’ll find Grandpa Farouk’s garden.
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Amir visits Grandpa once a week. He loves the leaves and flowers and trees. Amir helps to water the plants.
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He helps with the compost, and works with his Grandpa all day. And when they finish, they feast on a harvest of fruit.
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One day, Grandpa didn’t eat his pear. “What’s wrong?” asked Amir. 25
“My garden is dying,” replied Grandpa. “Why?” asked Amir. “Look closely,” said Grandpa. “Some pests are eating the plants.”
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“We need ladybirds!” said Grandpa. “They are the bugs that eat the pests that kill the plants. Without ladybirds, the garden will die.” “I’ll bring you a bug or two,” said Amir.
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For a whole week, Amir looked and searched and collected. He found one ladybird on the sports field.
Two more at the shop.
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Three at the park.
And four behind the TV.
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The next week, Amir went to visit Grandpa Farouk, and showed him his jar of ten bugs. “You’ve done well, oh my boy, you’ve done well,” Grandpa said, with a tear in his eye. Grandpa was very happy. 31
The ladybirds were very hungry! They ate the pests …
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… and the garden blossomed. From that day on, Grandpa Farouk’s garden did what gardens should do. It grew and grew and grew.
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Written by Sarah McGregor Illustrated by Subi Bosa
“Goodnight, Nandi.”
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“I
’t n do
o to sleep!” g o nt t a w
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“That’s enough now. Goodnight, Nandi.”
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… sleep. … to … go … to t n a w … “I … don’t er book.
r … anoth e p p u s nt more
I wa
” ? y r o t s e r o m e n Just o
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“It’s time to go to sleep now. Goodnight, Nandi.”
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a , I ne e d “Mam ag Please?
Please
.
lass
of w
ater.
I DON ’ T WANT TO G
!” P E E L S O TO
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Mama sighs, “What about an adventure? Do you want an adventure?” “Yes!” says Nandi.
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“Do you want to creep through the jungle on the trail of the fearsome hippocrocoturtleduck?”
“ Yes! Yes!
Yes!”
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“I w
s e h t s s o r c ly a f o t t n a
Leap f
rom star
Fill my p oc
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k e ts
… y k
… r a to st
with stardust!”
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t a Nandi-sized glass n a w “I sub m ar r e u t s a e a r t c e t ine h h t e bott to see om p e a t d of the g n i a a n … t n s a e q uid oc to d r e e w h t t i o e t l h l a b m r e e t !” wa
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gs
in
y rfl
w
tte u fb o r ky i s a “I want p he to build myself a t f of o o r e rld and zoom to th o ew h t l l where I’ll see a it!” n i i ng h t y r e v an d e
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“Look here, Nandi. Here is your very own adventure boat. It’s waiting to take you wherever you want to go. See, put your head here … that’s right … and I’ll just tuck you in … there we go … now, off you go! Adventure awaits …”
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i.” d n a N “Goodnight,
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The lost
laugh Written by Michelle Preen Illustrated by Karen Lilje
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Spotty, the hyena, was very sad. He had lost his laugh.
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“Please help me find my laugh, Giraffe,” he asked.
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“I can’t hear
a laugh up here,”
said Giraffe.
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“Please help me find my laugh, Hippo,” said Spotty.
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“I can’t hear a laugh down here,” said Hippo.
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“Please help me find my laugh, Monkey,” said Spotty. “How did you lose it?” asked Monkey. “When I laugh, you can see my big teeth. That makes everyone frightened,” said Spotty. “Then I got sad and my laugh just disappeared. I can’t find it anywhere.”
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“But you were looking in the wrong place,” said Monkey as she hopped out of the tree and picked up a feather. Then she began to tickle Spotty all over.
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Slowly Spotty started smiling, and then he let out a big, loud laugh. He laughed and laughed until he was rolling around on the ground.
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All the other animals started laughing too.
“Where did you find his laugh?” they asked. “His laugh was inside him all the time. I just made him happy and out it came,” explained Monkey. 62
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They all laughed and laughed so that their teeth showed too.
“I’ll never lose my laugh again,” said Spotty, the happy hyena.
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Free online books and tips for reading with young children at
bookdash.org
