At just nine years old, Tiaan Groenewald wrote his first book, Hoe ‘n 5-jarige moes leer om God te vertrou (How a 5-year-old had to learn to trust God), a powerful true story of faith and prayer.

The Grade Five learner from Selection Park was five when his father was hospitalised with Covid-19 in 2021. Tiaan says he found inspiration in his mother, who wrote six books last year.

“I wanted to follow in my mother’s footsteps, so I decided to write my own book,” he said.

His mother, Daleen, said she was not expecting Tiaan to write a book that was so raw, emotional and deep.

“I thought it would be a typical book written by a youngster: Full of fun, adventure and mischief. But when he told me the title, I realised he wanted to write about his testimony,” she said.

And so, Tiaan and Daleen began the process: He would tell his story aloud, she would type it, and then read it back to him.

“Whenever I read it back to him, he would tell me what changes to make. That is what makes the book so unique; it’s in his authentic voice,” she said.

In the book, he reflects on the lessons his parents instilled in him, which he put into practice during a difficult time.

“Before my father went to the hospital, he taught us to pray and taught us the scriptures. My bother, Zander, and I gave our hearts to the Lord, and we had already memorised about 50 scriptures,” he said.

He said it wasn’t difficult to write the book, but rather required a lot of focus. After a year of writing, the book was complete. They only printed 25 copies, which sold out in a month.

Tiaan described the feedback as heartbreaking. One lady said it brought closure on her husband’s death, while a local doctor said he felt humbled by how a boy as young as Tiaan could articulate such a story.

Tiaan is writing his second book, Flames Don’t Play, They Burn, a more in-depth testimony inspired by an accidental fire that nearly injured him but left him unharmed.

The book uses his experience as a metaphor to show how people often live close to danger yet remain protected through God’s grace.

“We are proud of him. It is amazing to witness a young child living in God’s word,” Daleen said.

Tiaan says his plans include becoming an author and poet and writing one book each year.

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