Five reads that will take your child on a world of discovery

Five awesome books your children can get into this festive season. With the year coming to an end, children across the country are once again preparing to be home for long periods of time. Many will travel, some will be busy with friends and family but Book Circle Capital‘s Sewela Langeni insists that every child should have an interesting read by their side at all times. The Melville- based book store owner shared five books that the curious wonder’ers of the youth can get themselves into this holiday season.

Thabo the space dude – Log Book 1 and 2, by Lori-Ann Preston. Written in the format of logbook entries, Thabo, the Space Dude chronicles Thabo’s last days on Earth, as he prepares himself for the daunting adventure of space travel and leaving his friends (and the girl he has his eye on) forever. As the countdown to lift-off grows ever nearer, this coming-of-age tale follows Thabo through the ups and downs of the tween years. Astro Girl, by Ken Wilson-Max. The stars are the limit for a little girl who acts out her wish to be an astronaut – inspired by a very special person. Astrid has loved the stars and space for as long as she can remember. ‘I want to be an astronaut!’ she says to everyone who will listen. While her mama is away, Astrid and her papa have fun acting out the challenges an astronaut faces on a space mission – like being in zero gravity (‘I can do that all day long!’ she says), eating food from a kind of tube and so much more. Mpumi and Jabu’s Magical Day, by Lebohang Masango There’s magic in the air as Mpumi and Jabu play. They sign and laugh, as they become friends. “Oh what fun!” they say. A story of friendship between a hearing girl and a deaf boy. Learning different modes/languages in order to communicate effectively. The Forgotten Scientist, The Story of Saul Sithole, by Lorato Trok. Unrecognised, ignored and forgotten. The Forgotten Scientist: The Story of Saul Sithole is the untold story of a pioneering black scientist who made a great contribution to the fields of anthropology and ornithology in South Africa. Saul Sithole was so committed to his craft that even the weight of apartheid did not stop him from giving 62 years of his life to the scientific world of birds and fossils. South African Animal Portraits A – Z, by Nicolaas Maritz. Meet the mammals, reptiles, insects and birds who populate the veld, desert, forests and ponds of South Africa. From the ant-eating aardvark to the zebra spitting cobra, there is a new friend on every page. Packed with vivid and charming illustrations and includes the scientific name of each animal.