Wanda

An empowering picture book from South Africa about a young girl who overcomes endless teasing

Skipping Stones Honor Award Winner 2021

Meet Wanda, with her beautiful head full of hair. She is brave and strong, but she's unhappy because of the endless teasing by the boys at school for her "thorn bush" and "thunderstorm cloud." Through Grandma Makhulu's hair secrets and stories she finds the courage to face her fears and learn to appreciate that her hair is a crown' "not a burden'" and it is something to be proud of. This book is about identity and beauty, celebrating how cultural pride is learned and passed on over generations.

Author: Sihle Nontshokweni, Mathabo Tlali
Publisher: Crocodile Books
Published: 03/01/2021
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.97lbs
Size: 10.40h x 9.20w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781623718640
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/15/2021
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2021
Booklist 03/15/2021 pg. 68
School Library Journal 04/01/2021 pg. 114

About the Author
Nontshokweni, Sihle: -

Sihle Nontshokweni is a PhD candidate at KU Leuven, South Africa. Her research is focused on the successes and failures of school desegregation in post-apartheid South Africa. Prior to that, she lived in China, completing a master's at Peking University, where she studied the aspirations of African migrant entrepreneurs living in Guangzhou, south of China. She has a deep interest in how racialized contexts affect identity and aspirations. Sihle is an avid reader and is passionate about creating positive content through YouTube and her personal blog sihlesapplecrunch.com. She is a lover of adventure and fitness, having completed a marathon and the popular Cape Cycle Tour.

Tlali, Mathabo: -

Mathabo Tlali was born and bred in the Eastern Cape of South Africa and has the yearning to understand and engage the thoughts and realities of others through various artistic and digital platforms. A thespian at heart, she is a practitioner who currently engages the form of contemporary performance in order to translate her ideas; writing, directing, physical performance and producing are her key areas of interest. She is currently completing her second undergraduate major in sociology at Rhodes University, after completing her primary major, drama and performance studies. She seeks to explore intersectional ways of connectivity between the past, present and future, more so pertaining to identity politics within the performance and academic space.

Thorne, Chantelle And Burgen: -

Chantelle and Burgen Thorne are internationally published illustrators with over 20 years' experience in educational publishing. Their focus is picture books for children with several more titles being released internationally this year, because the magic of children's books is that they're not just for kids. Avid bookworms themselves, they take great delight in the visual storytelling of picture books, art and text working together, every word and every image adding to the reader's experience. Both have fond memories of being read to as children and this inspires them to make their illustrations as engaging, honest and relevant to young readers as they possibly can--what a wonderful way to spend one's working day!