FREE E-BOOKS

1. Sign up for the newsletter ”Stories for Everyone”, and every week you’ll get an email in your inbox with a free PDF version of an illustrated story. You can print your favourites, of course, or let your child sit on your lap at your computer and read them with you. The stories typically focus on respect for nature, tolerance, tenderness, responsibility and solidarity. They all aim at developing reading skills, as well as allowing some moments of reflection and dialogue about topics connected with human values. Send an email to afi@storiesforeveryone.com or stories4ev@gmail.com to sign up.

2. Make it a habit to check out the Book Dash website on a regular basis. New books are released after their book creation events. They are on the website, free for all to read, download, translate, adapt and share. Visit bookdash.org/books. Our current favourites are Zibu & Zizo, a story about twin brothers, What’s Next?, about after-school adventures with Grandpa, Alex’s Super Medicine, The Box and Sam’s Treasures. Sign up for the Book Dash newsletter and follow them on social media. You might just be inspired to join in when they create books again.

3. Cadbury (yes, the chocolate people) say that in a country where more than 80 percent of people speak a first language other than English, only 2 percent of children’s books are published in local African languages. We agree with them that representation matters and that reading in your mother tongue is essential to learning. Access wonderful stories in indigenous languages in the Cadbury digital library. There are already more than 500 stories here, and Cadbury hopes to grow this to 1 000 by the end of the year. Here’s where you come in. Scan the QR code on the Cadbury Homegrown Story Edition packs to open WhatsApp and follow the prompts to share a story in your beloved home language either via voice notes, typing your story or uploading a PDF. ●