Literacy Association of South Africa

Book Dash

Gauteng International Book Festival Ho etsahala hosane!

Gauteng International Book Festival Link: https://www.writingafrica.com/gauteng-international-book-festival-2023-program-revealed/

Throwing it back to the 📸 moments at 📸✨

Celebrating ! 🏆✨ Meet Sinethemba Mthimkhulu, the 2023 Best Student Presenter Awardee! 🌟 Recognized for the outstanding presentation on 'The Interrelation Between Language and Reading Literacy.' 📚 Currently pursuing a Master's in Assessment and Quality Assurance in Further Education and Training at the University of Pretoria's Faculty of Education. 🎓 🌐

Calling all final year students and newly qualified teachers! The NQT (Newly Qualified Teachers’) Project is in full swing, and we're thrilled to promote it for the upcoming year.

Join University of Cape Town's NQT Course for a year of professional development workshops, mentoring, and a supportive community of practice. Even if you're not currently employed, this is a fantastic opportunity to grow and connect with fellow educators.

Register now and share these resources on your networks to spread the word! Here's to empowering the next generation of educators! Find more info at www.nqt.co.za

Upskill yourself and open up new career opportunities.

Learn more: https://mailchi.mp/macmillan/etdpseta-accredited-courses-2024-231115-schools

🤍

We've partnered with Kibooks to give you FREE access to thousands of training materials, stories, and play-based learning activities!! Join Nal'ibali's digital community here https://shorturl.at/jAKSV or WhatsApp your name to 064 801 5496, and enjoy the FREE learning resources with your family, pre-school, or reading club.

This is our vision for the world. It motivates us in the work that we do, and informs every decision that we make as an organisation.

Book Dash aims to increase ownership and access to beautiful, affordable and relevant books for young children through innovative open publishing and distribution models. We reduce the time and costs that it takes to make great books for children so that every child can afford to own many!

In this world, all children, families and organisations working with young children have increased access to quality African storybooks necessary for improved family literacy practices.


Photo credit to Rogan Ward

Meet the amazing Ben Rycroft who is part of the Western Cape Branch!

Funda Wande is hiring!!

Nal'ibali is hiring!!

We are looking for a new Director to lead our team! If you think you're the right person, apply here https://nalibali.org/work-for-us/director-kenilworth-cape-town

🏆✨ It's ! 🌟 We're thrilled to spotlight Julia Norrish of Book Dash, the 2023 recipient of the Significant Contribution to Literacy Award! 📚🌍This honor recognises individuals or organisations actively working in the literacy field and society. 👏🎉 Kudos to Julia of Book Dash 📖💖 🏅👩‍🏫

Funda Wande Project Manager: Universities at Funda
https://fundawande.erecruit.co/candidateapp/Jobs/View/AGO231106-3

Meet the amazing Jamiellah Domingo who is part of the Eastern Cape Branch!

to the 18th Annual LITASA Conference with a shout-out to our amazing keynote speaker, Khulula Manona 📷📷

Check it out! Click here: https://rw.org.za/

An 80 page feast recommended for children aged 4 to 10 years old. Discover the amazing diversity of the African continent in this gorgeous book, with words by the brilliant Atinuke and lively illustrations from Mouni Feddag.

This is a major publishing event: accomplished 's first non-fiction work and a celebration of all the countries on the African continent! Her beautifully-written text captures Africa’s unique mix of the modern and the traditional, as she explores its geography, its peoples, its animals, its history, its resources and its cultural diversity. The book has divided Africa into five sections: South, East, West, Central and North, each with its own introduction. This is followed by a page per country, containing a delightful mix of friendly, informative text and colourful illustrations. Who was the richest king, where are the tallest sand dunes and the biggest waterfall on the planet are all here, alongside drummers, cocoa growers, inventors, balancing stones, salt lakes, high-tech cities and nomads who use GPS! This is non-fiction at its most exciting, exhilarating and energetic, illustrated with passion and commitment by great talent, Mouni Feddag. A great resource for the classroom or home! Get your copy now at www.ethnikids.africa.

📖Book-sharing has tremendous benefits for young children, but also for parents! This includes lower parental stress, improved parenting practices, and more active engagement with children and a closer bond. Both the caregiver and child will benefit from the improved relationship formed as a result of book-sharing so what are you waiting for?

Make time to enjoy the story "Sisanda's gift" with children in your family, pre-school or community in your home language here
https://nalibali.org/story-library/multilingual-stories/sipho-sasisanda this week. Do the fun story activities afterwards.

Sisanda’s gift
Author Gcina Mhlophe
Illustrator Jiggs Snaddon-Wood

Every day when eight-year-old Sisanda gets home from school, she changes out of her uniform, eats her lunch and plays a game of umlabalaba with her grandfather. They have so much fun flying their “cows” around the board that she doesn’t want to stop. But then he reminds her that she wants to become a bank manager one day when she grows up.

“How will you do that if you don’t go to high school?” jokes her grandfather.

Sisanda just laughs. “I will go to high school and university too. That’s why I work so hard at school!”

Sisanda is quite tall for her age − she takes after her father. Her round face and beautiful smile are her mother’s. Both her parents get up early each morning to go to work at the game reserve close by. By the time Sisanda and her friends start school, coachloads of tourists are already arriving to spot Africa’s finest animals.

For her last birthday, Sisanda had a special treat – her parents got permission for her to have a party at the game reserve. The giraffes at the reserve were curious about this group of people. They stretched out their long necks for the best view of the party and they even seemed to want some of the birthday cake! Sisanda loved the giraffes. All animals were special to her, but it was the quiet and gentle giraffes that stole her heart. She could spend all day watching them.

One Friday, Sisanda’s father came home from work early. He looked very upset.

“What’s wrong, Baba?” Sisanda asked.

“Today a swarm of bees stung a mother giraffe,” explained Sisanda’s father. “Her head was so swollen from all the stings that her beautiful eyes were closed. We tried everything to help her, but it was no use – she died. And the saddest part of all is that she had a young calf that still needs her.”

“Oh no!” said Sisanda starting to cry. “I wish there was something I could do. The baby giraffe must be crying just like me.”

Sisanda cried and cried. Her mother tried to comfort her. She even read Sisanda an extra story at bedtime to help her forget how sorry she felt for that baby giraffe. Eventually, Sisanda drifted off to sleep to the sound of her mama’s voice.

The next morning Sisanda woke up with an idea!

“Can I go to work with you today?” she asked her baba. “I have a gift for the baby giraffe.”

Her parents looked at each other, smiled and said, “Yes, of course you can come with us.”

It was a warm but cloudy day. Everything in the reserve seemed unusually quiet.

“I think the sun isn’t shining today because it’s sad about the baby giraffe,” said Sisanda.

A great big elephant gazed at the family walking by.

“Maybe he’s wondering why a little girl is going to work with her parents,” said Sisanda’s mother.

Sisanda nodded. “He’s going to get a surprise when he finds out,” she thought.

They found the baby giraffe standing alone. His willowy neck drooped and his big brown eyes looked dull. Sisanda stood as close to him as she could. She opened her small bag and took out a book. Then, to her parents’ surprise, she began to read to the baby giraffe. He turned his head towards her voice and listened as if he could understand every word. At first, Sisanda’s parents thought reading to a giraffe was a strange thing to do, but they changed their minds when they saw how peaceful he looked − his gentle eyes looking at Sisanda.



“My story made him feel better,” Sisanda told her grandfather when she got home.

Sisanda went to visit the little giraffe most afternoons and over weekends. And every time she went, she took another story to share. The two new friends looked so good together that even passing tourists took photos of them.

Slowly the little giraffe grew stronger. People at the game reserve were taking really good care of him and all the love from his new friend, Sisanda, worked like magic.

One day the reserve manager asked Sisanda to give her new friend a name.

“I think Thokozani is a good name,” said Sisanda.

The next day the reserve manager phoned Sisanda’s teacher. He invited all Sisanda’s classmates to come and meet Thokozani. The handsome giraffe had grown taller and stronger in the three months since Sisanda’s first visit.

On the day of the outing, forty Grade 3 children waited eagerly for the reserve gates to open. Then Sisanda proudly led everyone to Thokozani. Some of the children looked at the tall giraffe in amazement. Others giggled nervously. Their teacher, Miss Khanyile, just smiled.



“Your friend is beautiful, Sisanda. You have been so kind to him,” she said gently.

“What is his name?” asked one of the boys.

“Thokozani,” answered Sisanda.

“Thokozani means ‘rejoice’,” explained Miss Khanyile.

The children sat down and listened while Sisanda read the story she had read to Thokozani on the day they had first met. The reserve manager took photos. Some tourists passing by took photos too. Even a photographer from a local newspaper clicked away. He promised that a photo of them would be in the local newspaper very soon. Everyone cheered.

What a gift! Reading to heal a friend.

We are excited to share FOUR amazing new books available to read and download on BookDash.org! 🌟
These beautiful new African storybooks books are now ready for you to read, enjoy, and share with friends and family.

Monkey Business
Amahle wants to help!
MUD!
Let's Party!

Read and download Book Dash books here https://bookdash.org/books/

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐳𝐢 𝐋𝐰𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐮 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝?

Yes, Ulwazi Lwethu Graded Readers and Storybooks have been assessed, quality assured and evaluated by the University of Pretoria/Universiteit van Pretoria’s Department of Early Childhood Literacy. Furthermore, the Project is supported by the Department of Basic Education (DBE). All material is CAPS aligned.

Educators, parents, caregivers and learners can access, download and print the reading materials for FREE in all 9 African Languages at www.ulwazilwethu.org.za

Book Dash

Do you want to implement Wordworks programmes in 2024?

Join our online information session to help you make decisions about which programmes you would like to choose. Please note what date is relevant to you.

We look forward to meeting SCHOOLS on this link from 14:30 to 16:30 on November 7- https://meet.google.com/eyk-jmiz-gwm

And ORGANISATIONS on this link from 10:00 to 12:00 on November 8 - https://meet.google.com/wxk-kafw-ytx

Refresh your memory about our programmes here:
https://www.wordworks.org.za/our-early-literacy-programmes/

Meet the amazing Sharleen Haupt who is part of the Western Cape Branch!

to the 18th Annual LITASA Conference with a shout-out to our amazing keynote speaker, Trina Spencer! 🎙✨

Meet Leoni Williams, a passionate poet and the driving force behind the Poetry and Reading Club at Helenvale Primary School. Recently, she presented at the 18th Annual LITASA Conference, shedding light on the conditions of literacy in Helenvale, Gqeberha. 📚💫

Meet the amazing Kelly Long who is part of the Eastern Cape Branch!