Here are some good books about children in the countries of South Africa and Zimbabwe.
We read these books in our classroom and really like them.
You can learn some Zulu, Venda, and Shona names and words from the stories.
1. "Ntombi's Song" written by Jenny See and illustrated by Anno Berry. Beacon Press, Boston, 1987.
This is a story of a young girl in South Africa named Ntombi who wants to show she can help with the family errands and that she be grown-up like her cousin, Zanele.
2. "Where Are you Going, Manyoni?" by Catherine Stock. Morrow Junoir Books, New York, 1993.
This is the story of Manyoni, a girl in Zimbabwe and her walk to school each day. You will learn about the land and the animals of Zimbabwe in this book. You will learn about the Venda language and people of northern South Africa and Zimbabwe.
3. "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters" by John Steptoe. Scholastic, Inc., 1987.
This is a story from Zimbabwe that John Steptoe dedicated to the children of South Africa. It tells the story of two daughers, Nyasha and Manyara, of an African king.