books

Mandla Langa is an accomplished author whose book The Lost Colours of the Chameleon won the 2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Best Book Award for Africa., and his latest novel is The Texture of Shadows. Mandla speaks to us about growing up reading in a world where books were not a priority: I grew up in Mayville, Durban, as the fifth child in a family of nine, including my parents....

Nal’ibali Story Power book boxes are a practical and artistic way to get your child to fall in love with books, reading and creativity! Help your children to make their own Story Power book box, which they can use to store their favourite books and stories. They can keep it next to their beds so that reading and books become a part of their everyday life –...

August 2014 In celebration of International Youth Day this Tuesday August 12, the Nal’ibali national reading-for-enjoyment campaign held a special teen library development programme at the Grassy Park Public Library earlier this month. Aimed not only at fostering a love of reading amongst local teens, but also at developing and shaping our young adults, the programme used teen literature to highlight and discuss the challenges...

On a hot, dry February day, in a heat that would normally make the most attentive     student lethargic, a Grade 4 class is rapt. Seated cross-legged on the floor, their  mouths agape, eyes bright and never wavering, they focus intently on the woman turning the pages of ‘Jack’s Tractor’ by Thomas Taylor. Throughout the story, they repeat sounds and words back at...

Nal’ibali is about creating conditions that support learning. Children have to experience reading in the same way that adults do. They have to be able to choose books they like, read in the languages they want to read in, write what they like and find comfortable spaces to read in and feel nurtured. In reading club spaces, children have to feel the excitement we...

As part of their package of support to Early Childhood Development centres, Nal’ibali Literacy Mentors recently explored the power of Storyplay – a strategy using imaginative (pretend) play as a way to support young children’s exploration and understanding of stories, people and the world around them. Following a week of training with Storyplay consultant Sara Robinson, this is what we learnt: A factor that characterises...

The Open Book Festival is an innovative and exciting event that hopes to build a love of reading among South African youth. Ahead of 2012's Festival, where Nal'ibali participated in a panel on reading-for-enjoyment, we caught up with festival co-ordinator Frankie Murrey to talk literacy, libraries and growing a love of books and reading among young people. Join Nal’ibali for a panel discussion about the importance of...

Here’s a piece of common sense familiar to most of us adults (well, at least those of us who have ever watched an episode of the Dr Phil show on TV):  you can’t keep doing the same thing continuously and expect to get different results. So, if you’re faced with a huge challenge like improving literacy levels in South Africa, you clearly can’t be doing...

In this society, which urgently needs to educate citizens to be articulate and literate, there is something simple but profound we can all do – we can tell and read stories to children. Far from being a luxury, the story habit establishes in children the sturdy bedrock on which to grow the power of empathy and an educated mind. It starts with enjoyment. Take Tara: Tara’s...

Do you make resolutions at the beginning of each new year? Many people’s resolutions involve giving up something they enjoy to improve their lives. But that’s where reading resolutions are different – they are simply about doing more of what you enjoy! Try our suggestions below to make reading and stories a part of your family’s everyday life! And download our Story Power Pacts for you and...