If your children have to read Afrikaans stories for school and you have absolutely no idea where to start looking… then this is the blog post for you. Somewhere in your child’s homework book, carefully forgotten, is a little sentence “Read an Afrikaans book.” And honestly, you haven’t read an Afrikaans book since you were in school and you have no idea where to start…
Second language reading books have to be interesting and engage your reader at the level they can read the language at. Not always easy, but this selection of bookstore ones that have been winners in our home.
Picture Books
Siembamba: Ek lees sing-sing self
A collection of five little books packed with rhymes and songs for little people. Alphabet rhymes and counting poems, lullabies and sleepy time poems, folksongs and tongue twisters… These are delightful little books, the illustrations are fabulous and perfect for introducing youngsters to Afrikaans rhythm and rhymes. My favourite booklet is the one packed with folksongs, or volkliedjies. It is filled with little songs from my childhood that we sang as we went on long hikes in the mountains.
Very Easy Chapter Books
These are easy readers and really great reads for primary school children who have to read an Afrikaans book, for a book report or oral, before the end of term. They are full of lovely colourful illustrations, the chapters are short and sweet and the stories very exciting.
Die Ware Avonture Van Adelie & Riley
If Afrikaans books had been this is exciting when I was a kid then I would have inhaled them. The true adventures of Adelie and Riley, incredible full colour illustrations throughout with short-sharp chapters for beginner readers or for parents to read as bedtime stories. Adelie is an adventurous girl ready to conquer the world and Riley is her very spirited best friend, her Boston Terrier.
Die Swembadmonster:
In this adventure Adelie and Riley find out that a quick play on the jungle gym can suddenly become an adventure in the Amazon Jungle. Her blow-up unicorn has become a pirate on the wild ocean of the swimming pool.
Die Amadadis:
We are back in the Amazon Jungle, with beautiful card board box boats… and the local hadida is actually an Amedadis. Quite a rocking and rolling adventure… and a perfect beginner reader!!!
Zoem!
This is a wonderful adventure series, bright colourful illustrations and something wonderful to look at on every double page spread. Alex’s hero, his older cousin gets his own car, with a special button called, ZOEM. Together they unexpectedly get taken on time travel adventures…
Avontuur op ‘n Eiland:
The first book in the series and we are introduced to the magical car, and taken back into the time of pirates a wild adventure with treasure abounding.
‘n Oerwoud vol Dinosaurusse:
Way back in time to the time where dinosaurs stopmed on the earth, this is the perfect adventure for children that love wild dinosaur stories.
Sneeuman Swem
This one is more of a middle grade read, an adventurous, easy reading chapter book. Packed with great illustrations and nice short chapters. The Langeberg Primary school is going on a swim tour, to schools throughout the region. Piet Poggenpoel, the school clown, who everyone calls “Padda” and his friends are off on the bus and excited about the swimming they will be doing. Only, as they are driving through the mountains their bus breaks down and of course the weather turns and it is wild and stormy. Padda, Wayde and Trish head out into the wild to get help… and they are followed by a large icy snow man, is it a yeti? They are terrified and find themselves flying through the woods. This is a great read with a lovely little plot twist near the end and all’s well that ends well.
Karatekas Dorings en Drake
Another adventurous easy reading chapter book for younger readers, I love the “newspaper” feel of this book, and the integration of full colour comic strips in the book. Honestly, what more could you do to a book to encourage a young reader. This an exciting story about a young karate team on tour. Their sensei takes them on a “strengthening camp” and of course there is an adventure and a competition. Any active young person will love the sporty vibe of this book.
Middle Grade Reads
Jy Handel Dit Net
This is such a heart warming story, of a youngster called Drikus, he is twelve years old and feels the weight of the world on his shoulders. Everybody is better at rugby than he is, he doesn’t have any friends and he has a problem with his bike. But he is exceptionally good at chess. However, playing chess is not going to gain him any status “whatsoever.” Drikus has an urgent need to earn cash, and he needs to at least sort out his bike situation. He has no means to make money, but he decides to start a boerewors stand… and while he is getting to grips with with his small business he makes friends with a street lad, Donovan Davids. And herein lies the story… this a great introduction for middle grade kids to the gnarly world of street kids. There is sad ending (there will most likely be tears) and a triumphant ending, Drikus learns a lot about friendship and even more about what is really important in life. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, that went so much deeper than I thought it would.
Reg in die Middel van Nérens
This was a fantastic read, and who knew how much drama could be included inside one book. As usual, with an Afrikaans story, no emotions are held back… this is the story of Vandre, he is the somewhat unpopular, not great looking, not a little geeky, low self esteem kid, on a journey through the veld to visit and surprise his grandparents. His father has collected him from the airport, Vandre lives in the UK with his mother, and is on holiday to visit his father… on their journey through Boesmanland the dad loses control of their bakkie and they are in a nasty accident. Vandre decides to leave the car and go and seek help, and within minutes he is completely lost and disorientated. Vandre has no survival skills, and no way of communicating and, help is not on the way. In fact, no one has any idea that he is wandering around in the wilds all alone. His father is taken to hospital, but no one knows that Vandre was traveling with his dad, so no one is looking for him at all. This is an exciting, coming of age story. Who knew so much could happen while wandering around in the veld. It is an excellent read, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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These books were given to us for review purposes by Penguin Random House South Africa and Lapa Publishers. This is not a sponsored post and opinions expressed are entirely our own.