Mail & Guardian

Young reading

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An exquisitel­y illustrate­d fable from the brilliant Oliver Jeffers. This is a timeous tale for children and adults alike. It reminds us of the destructiv­e nature of the human drive to have more; that if enough is never enough, we endanger not only our own moral and physical lives but also that of our precious planet. Jeffers crafts a big message for our age, using simple words and drawings. A collector’s dream. and the sooner kids can appreciate the wonders of these jewels of the air, the better. Unlike other dumbed-down guides for children, this one will help your youngster identify every single bird in South Africa. Faansie has cleverly assembled bird groups that will make sense to a child, and the simple layout makes it super easy to navigate. You’ll probably learn a thing or two too.

South African Animal Portraits A–Z explaining in simple language and exquisite illustrati­ons concepts such as natural selection, adaptation, fossils, evolution and much more. Sabina Radeva brings an understand­ing of Darwin’s finches and the giant tortoises of the Galapagos to magical life for your youngster.

The earth and its creatures take centre stage in Ben Rothery’s exquisitel­y illustrate­d book. He says of it: “This is my love letter to planet Earth … A celebratio­n of her hidden species, from the bold and the beautiful to the interestin­g but ugly. I hope that this collection gives a glimpse of the outstandin­g diversity of nature.” This and other books like it give us hope and remind us that the time for talking is over — our urgent action is required. in the stunning illustrate­d Harry Potter editions. Jim Kay perfectly captures the dark and menacing mood of this story of magic and wizardry, without ever letting us forget that it’s all just fantastica­l fun.

The great Philip Pullman brings us volume two in the Book of Dust trilogy, set in a parallel world to the one created in the His Dark Materials trilogy. It features Lyra Silvertong­ue, once known as Lyra Belacqua, and like all Pullman’s work, it is thoughtpro­voking, powerful and epic storytelli­ng.

 ??  ?? Fun and games: Jamela and friends perform a play in It’s Jamela (above), and a meercat is one of the creatures in
(below)
Fun and games: Jamela and friends perform a play in It’s Jamela (above), and a meercat is one of the creatures in (below)

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