The Book Tree Podcast

Get your child hooked on creative writing. The Kingsmead Young Writers’ Competition 2025 is open to all 6-18 year olds and it opens on February 3rd and closes on March 31st 2025. Entry forms here: https://kingsmead.co.za/bookfair/young-writers-comp/ywc-2025/

For tips on how to make your writing stand out and avoid some common pitfalls, we chat to author and judge, Nicole Rimensberger.

We then look at why we still LOVE fairy tales – and you should too - and review My First Lift the Flap Fairy Tales for ages 2-5.

Show And Tell by Marleen Lammers is a wonderful local book teaching acceptance and diversity for ages 5-7.

Finally, our parent’s pick is the bestselling Let Them by Mel Robbins. Find out why this mantra will leave you happier and less controlling.

Discover the best children’s books to buy, with Verushka Louw, Children's Sales Representative at Jonathan Ball Publishers. Find out why non-fiction books make the best gifts for kids, and get expert tips on how to get your children reading. Plus, we’re all joining the heartwarming “Jolabokaflod’ trend from Iceland where everyone cosies up with a good book on Christmas eve!

Lori-Ann Preston, author of the Trixie and Thabo series, talks about her writing process, writing competitions, rejection letters, mischievous characters and the power of self-publishing.

Plus our favourite picture book of the year: Big Shoes To Fill, an exciting new debut from Upile uThixo Bongco. And The Garbage King, a moving story written by Elizabeth Laird for ages 10-15, about the power of courage and friendship between two boys living on the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Have you heard about the Substack phenomenon? Everyone's on it. We share a list of great children's book authors' substacks to follow.

Dyslexia & Reading Skills

How can you help dyslexic children with their reading skills? And how old should children be when they learn to read? Annelize Clark, Occupational Therapist with a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Intervention, and Foundation Phase Teacher at Bellavista SHARE, a remedial school in Johannesburg, shares her insights.

https://bellavista.org.za/

Plus two of the best new children’s books:

A page-turning middle grade reader, Pinch Perkins and the Midsummer Curse by Cathy Fitzgerald (Jonathan Ball Publishers) and the perfect local early chapter book for age 6-9 year olds: Cook-Off At Gogo’s Spaza by Salamina Mosese (Human & Rousseau).

Lorato Trok, director of Nal'ibali, a national reading campaign, explains how teaching in mother tongue may improve SA’s literacy levels and why hearing stories is as important as reading them.

https://nalibali.org/

Plus a few book recommendations. Best new picture book, Who Ate Steve, by Susannah Lloyd (Nosy Crow), the trending Lottie Brooks tween series by Kate Kirby (Puffin Books) and Singing for Mrs Pettigrew, stories and writing inspiration from one of the world’s best loved story tellers, Michael Morpurgo. (Walker Books).