CELEBRATING DIVERSITY IN SA KIDLIT: How Many Ways Can You Say Hello? takes top spot at SA Book Awards
PLUS! Five more culturally diverse books we’ve added to our bookshelf.
by Samantha Herbst
Refiloe Moahloli’s debut novel won the 2021 SA Book Awards.
It was a milestone moment for South African literature last week when Refiloe Moahloli’s debut children’s picture book, How Many Ways Can You Say Hello? was named overall winner of the 2021 SA Book Awards.
Not only that, but Refiloe also nabbed the SA Book Award for Children’s Books, landing a double whammy to further the author’s dream of celebrating South Africa’s multiculturalism and diversity, especially among young people.
Commenting on the win and what it means for local children’s literature, Refiloe told The Great Equalizer that the accolade shows there is interest in and engagement with our heritage.
Children’s book author and poet Refiloe Moahloli
“It’s a celebration of who we are, which is significant in a diverse country such as ours. It speaks to an openness and willingness to encourage authenticity in our ways of being and of relating with each other,” she says.
Refiloe further stresses the importance of engaging with children about their individuality, as it offers young people a safe space to fully express themselves in their uniqueness.
The Next Chapter
Having launched her career with How Many Ways Can You Say Hello? in 2017, Refiloe is the author of ten children’s books, her most recent being Know My Name, a chapter book for developing readers. Know My Name shares the journey of 10-almost-11-year-old twins, Rorisang and Morena. After moving two a new school, the siblings are forced to navigate the multiple challenges that come with a significant life change.
But the new school offers the twins a different perspective, and the protagonists begin to see how the names they were given, as well as their family and friends , play a role in the unfolding of their everyday lives.
“I recently did the first school visit for Know My Name, chatting to Grades 4 to 7, and it was amazing. We connected, and for me means the book is doing well. Where there is resonance and connection with the people the book is intended for, it is doing well.”
Refiloe further reveals that she has one more picture book coming out later this year (just in time for Christmas). You Are Loved will be published in English, isiZulu (Uthandiwe), Sepedi (O a ratwa) and Afrikaans (Jy is liefde).
Diversify your bookshelf
In the interest of recognising previously disadvantaged, oppressed and marginalised community, representation and diversity in children’s literature has never been more needed. It’s actually embarrassing that it’s taken the global publishing fraternity to come to the party and yet… Here we are, with a lot more work to be done.
With that said, parents have an important role to play here and the onus is on us to ensure that our children’s bookshelves are representative of our South African culture. Education around anti-racism, acceptance, human rights and inclusivity starts at home.
If you’re looking for a place to start, we are huge fans of initiatives like AndBathandwaReads, a subscription service that delivers diverse book bundles for children. For more on this Black woman-owned business that champions diversity and representation in stories, characters and authors, have a look here at founder Thando’s IGTV that explains AndBathandwaReads’ full service offering.
Our Recommendations
The team here at TGE have also got a few fave new additions that have added colour and representation to our bookshelves. We’ll start with another recent instalment by kidlit darling Refiloe Moahloli:
How Many Ways Can You Say Goodbye? is the sequel to Refiloe Moahloli’s debut novel.
If you have yet to include How Many Ways Can You Say Hello? to your bookshelf, be sure to pair it with its sequel, How Many Ways Can You Say Goodbye?
Sara and her friends, who journeyed through the first book learning how to say “Hello” in all official languages, make a return trip across South Africa to drop off the class friends one by one. As they do, they learn how to say goodbye to one another.
As a wistful ode to it’s prequel, How Many Ways Can You Say Goodbye? teaches young readers to navigate the heartache and hope that every “goodbye” holds. Protagonist Sara discovers that ‘goodbye’ can be the start of something new and something wonderful.
Illustrated again by Anja Stoeckigt this edition also comes with a free CD to ensure that the whole family learns together.
Click here for a live read to see if you love it as much as we do and be sure to check out The Great Equalizer’s interview with Refiloe ahead of her book launch:
I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James steps inside the mind of a confident Black boy narrator of this book who is proud of everything that makes him who he is.
I am a non-stop ball of energy. Powerful and full of light. I am a go-getter. A difference-maker. A leader.
This relatale little boy is representative of all little people who have big plans for their lives. He's creative, adventurous, smart, funny. A good friend. A superhero. Sometimes he falls, but he always gets back up. And other times he’s afraid, because he's often misunderstood. So, slow down, look and listen as he shows you who he really is.
The painted artwork in I Am Every Good Thing offers a colourful but realistic portrayal of Black boy joy, a visual feast that centralises the Black boy in a world that often villainises him, ensuring that every reader acknowledges the importance of their little life in the world. This is an important addition to the kidlit canon so desperately in need of Black male protagonists.
Click here for a live reading of I Am Every Good Thing.
Dedicated to anyone who isn’t sure if they matter, You Matter by young black author Christian Robinson deftly and empathetically explores people from all walks of life – from a pair of bird-watchers to the pigeons they’re feeding, from the hugest dinosaur to the tiniest fly.
The small stuff too small to see.
Those who swim with the tide
And those who don’t
The first to go and the last.
You matter.
This book invites every child to engage with the world in a new way and to see how everyone on earth is connected. Young readers will recognise themselves in Robinson’s Eric Carle-like illustrations. This is a beautiful ode to the spirit of ubuntu and unity that bind the human race.
Click here to watch a video of the author/illustrator engaging with his audience in a live read.
In a beautiful celebration of the variety of faiths central to South African culture, In My Mosque by MO Yuksel (illustrated by Hatem Aly) invites worshippers and newcomers alike to meet warm and welcoming mosque communities across the world. This book simultaneously acknowledges and affirms the Muslim culture while also teaching non-Muslim children about another faith and place of worship.
In my mosque, we are a rainbow
Of colours and speak in different accents.
As-salaamu Alaykum – I greet my friends
And newcomers too. Everyone is welcome here.
This book is a colourful appreciation of Islam, showcasing the warmth and hospitality of the faith (which is important in a post 9/11 world that sadly portrays Muslim s as the enemy). In My Mosque offers young readers space for reflection and contemplation, while giving them a platform to ask questions about their own religion or another.
Click here for a live read by the author.
Mzansi comes together against boring poems in lockdown mom Liza Seele’s hilarious Potjie Pot Poems. Illustrated by Shannan Gia, this fun book of poems brings together children across South Africa (from all demographics).
While South Africa seems to have lost its funny bone post-Covid, this little book will be sure to bring the laughs back. Potjie Pot Poems includes “poems to read to perform” with “rhymes in every shape and form”:
For kids, teachers, schools alike
Who have joined the Mzansi textbook strike:
It's time to march and then toyi-toyi. For every girl and every boyWho's had to sit at school and suffer
One dreary poem after another!
Bring back poems that hit the spot,Like those from the S'African melting pot…
We demand a brand-new rule:
No boring poems allowed at school!
Even though this book of poems is aimed at older kids, the younger TGE crowd found immense joy in the fun rhymes and silliness that’s so central to the joy of South African living.
Talk to us…
We’d love to know what diverse and representative books you’ve added to your kids’ bookshelves… Please let us know? How do you teach your kids about other faiths and cultures in South Africa? How do you celebrate their uniqueness?