BOOK Southern Africa

Record Your New Baba's Milestones with Struik Lifestyle's Hello Baby Album

by Amanda on 05 Jan 2010   |   

Hello Baby is a charming album which makes it simple to record the milestones in a baby’s life from pre-birth to the first birthday. It is illustrated in full colour with cute animal characters.

The text provides the prompts to record the necessary details of a baby’s development and also includes relevant verses for the occasion or stage of development.

There is ample space to paste in multiple photographs or other keepsakes and mementos.

About the compilers

Scott Riddell and Kendal Smith wrote the copy for this album. Although, as the creative director of Brandnew Advertising agency in Johannesburg, Scott’s way with words enabled him to create the verses with Kendal’s help (she is a senior copywriter), it was his baby daughter, Shaeleigh, who was the inspiration behind the album.

Gabby Daniz and Natasha Marais, both graphic designers, were responsible for the design and the illustrations.

Hello Baby is also available in Afrikaans as Hallo baba.

Book details

• Hello Baby compiled by Scott Riddell, Kendal Smith
  EAN: 9781770078482
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• Hallo baba compiled by Scott Riddell, Kendal Smith
  EAN: 9781770078499
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Mom Pass the Broccoli: Cari Corbet-Owen's Tips on How to Get Kids to Eat Right

by Amanda on 24 Dec 2009   |   

Sometimes it seems that children instinctively gravitate to food that’s bad for them – you never have to beg them to eat ice cream or chocolate or chips. Vegetables are a different story entirely. Cari Corbet-Owen has good news for desperate parents in her book Mom, Pass the Broccoli: How to Empower Your Child with Healthy Eating Habits for Life.

The holidays are especially tempting times – they can devolve into a month of pure sugar overload! So how to cope?

On her blog, Corbet-Owen shares some of her tips from the book:

If you’re looking for idea on children eating healthy, you’ve come to the right place. It’s a subject close to my heart.

No matter where I’ve done workshops, the most common question I get from parents revolves around concerns about their childrens eating. Everywhere I go I hear about finicky eaters, obese children or children who are underweight and I sense the desperation of parents wishing they knew what was best for their children.

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Book details

• Mom Pass the Broccoli: How to Empower Your Child with Healthy Eating Habits for Life by Cari Corbet-Owen
  EAN: 9781770200876
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Image courtesy Ditch Diets Live Light

The Witness Reviewers Name their Top Books of 2009

by Ben - Editor on 30 Nov 2009   |   

BOOK SA members Lisa Lazarus,Gregory Fried, Hamilton Wende and André Brink caught the attention of the Witness’ book reviewers this year – along with a healthy number of other SA authors.

Here are the reads of the year from Julia Denny-Dimitriou, Christopher Merrett, Janet van Eeden, Moira Lovell, Stephen Coan, Stephanie Alexander and Yves Vanderhaeghen. One question: where are Margaret von Klemperer’s picks?

The book that affected me most has to be The Book of Jacob — a journey into parenthood by Lisa Lazarus and Greg Fried. It was painful but cathartic to read about this couple’s struggles as they navigated the treacherous waters of new parenthood. Like many, they were completely unprepared for the storm they sailed into when they had their son, Jacob. A courageous and beautifully written book.

I do sometimes get a chance to read works I want to read, as opposed to those I have to read. One is A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka. I laughed so hard in places that my husband came to find out if I’d finally gone completely loony. I wasn’t brave enough to tell him that the eccentric main character reminded me a lot of my father-in- law.

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Book details

• The Book of Jacob: A Journey into Parenthood by Greg Fried, Lisa Lazarus
  EAN: 9781770200227
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• The Virus, Vitamins and Vegetables: The South African HIV/AIDS Mystery edited by Kerry Cullinan, Anso Thom
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  EAN: 9781770096912
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• South Africa’s Brave New World: The Beloved Country Since the End of Apartheid by RW Johnson
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  EAN: 9780713995381
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• Choice, not Fate: The Life and Times of Trevor Manuel by Pippa Green
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  EAN: 9780143025337
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• House of War by Hamilton Wende
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  EAN: 9780143026099
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• We are All Zimbabweans Now by James Kilgore
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  EAN: 9781415200711
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• The Double Crown by Marié Heese
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  EAN: 9780798150361
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The Double Crown: Secret Writings of the Female Pharaoh

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• Summertime by JM Coetzee
  EAN: 9781846553189
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• A Fork in the Road by André Brink
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  EAN: 9781846552441
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London Book Fair here we come

by Colleen on 06 Nov 2009   |   

Yesterday, I got an email from Jane Henshall at the British Council, letting me know that Malika Ndlovu, author ofInvisble Earthquake has been chosen by the SA Focus Steering Committee to participate in the London Book Fair next year. This follows closely on the heels of hearing that Modjaji Books received one of the 10 places for smaller, independent publishers. All of this is enormously thrilling, and underlies my sense that it was right to start Modjaji Books; there is a place for a small press focusing on the writing of Southern African women.

Book details

• Invisible Earthquake: A woman’s journal through still birth by Malika Ndlovu
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  EAN: 9780980272932
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Invisible Earthquake: A Woman’s Journal Through Stillbirth

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Interview with Malika Ndlovu, author of Invisible Earthquake

by Colleen on 05 Nov 2009   |   

Makhosazan Xaba, author of Tongues of their mothers, interviews Malika Ndlovu about how it was to publish Invisible Earthquake, her poetic memoir about her experience of stillbirth. The interview appears in the November 2009 eidtion of the South African Labour Bulletin. Xaba is a poet, she has had two collections published already. She regularly interviews creative South African women for the SALB.

Book details

• Invisible Earthquake: A woman’s journal through still birth by Malika Ndlovu
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  EAN: 9780980272932
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Invisible Earthquake: A Woman’s Journal Through Stillbirth

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8 reasons why I recommend Maya Fowler’s “Elephant in the Room”

by Colleen on 28 Oct 2009   |   

1. As a parent of a girl, this novel makes me think I need to learn more about eating disorders and how they come about. Children can so easily become casualties of their parents’ inability to be present and aware.
2. Fowler takes us into the main character’s, Lily’s mind and body, her inner obsessions about food, eating and her body.
“My body screams for the icing, my mind says no, but its starting to quaver. My mouth waters as I beat the icing. It’s thick and glossy, made with real butter. The sweetness caresses my nostrils, and so does the rich bitterness of the cocoa; and then there’s the salty creaminess of the butter. Mind and body are fighting like mad. My body has transformed itself into a champion wrestler for the occasion. My mind is taking a beating.”
Fowler writes with vivid clarity about Lily’s inner torment, and she shows us the repetitive, circular patterns of Lily’s self destructive cocoon.
3. The style and language in this novel impressed me. So did the sense of place and the details that make Kalk Bay, Plumstead and the Karoo Farm come alive for me as a reader. The sound of the sea and wind, the stone walls of the Kalk Bay house and of the farm house in the Karoo. “Its windy and sand gets stuck in my teeth. I thought it would be a good idea to come out here to my lonely hill, but even the sheep are tucking their heads into their woollen armpits.”
4. We have a new, interesting voice in this young novelist. “The Elephant in the Room” is a strong debut novel and I look forward to reading more of her works.
5. The child’s perspective on family secrets, such as the death of Andre, Lily’s uncle and her grandfather and how their deaths came about.
6. The character of Gesiena, reminds me of characters in many South African farm novels, I loved her and was saddened by her life and her fate.
7. In spite of the tragedy/ies at the heart of the novel, Maya has a light touch, she writes with humour at times, deftly and seamlessly weaving in facts about anorexia, bulimia, butterflies and South African politics, so they are part of Lily’s life and engagement with her world and not the writer imposing her research or views on the reader.
8. As a parent, teacher or someone who knows young people you may be able to identify the early stages of anorexia or bulimia. Lily’s Gran and mother both ignore the signs, which seem to be quite obvious to this reader, in spite of how Lily goes to great lengths to hide her tracks and keep her awful secret.

Book details

• The Elephant in the Room by Maya Fowler
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  EAN: 9780795702846
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The Elephant in the Room

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Cari Corbert-Owen on How to Get Your Children to Eat Right

by Amanda on 19 Oct 2009   |   

How many times have you heard your child say, “Mom, pass the broccoli?”

Many parents find it a great challenge to encourage healthy eating in their children. In Mom Pass the Broccoli: How to Empower Your Child with Healthy Eating Habits for Life clinical psychologist Cari Corbett-Owen empowers parents to develop healthy eating habits in their families.

The book explodes the myths surrounding children’s food choices, explores scientific research into food preferences and the growing problem of childhood obesity, and exposes marketing methods that encourage unhealthy eating.

Packed with practical tips, Mom, Pass the Broccoli provides parents with the tools to tackle food challenges confidently and effectively. Essential reading for all parents.

Book details

• Mom, Pass the Broccoli: How to Empower Your Child with Healthy Eating Habits for Life by Cari Corbet-Owen
  EAN: 9781770200876
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The Book Lounge's Big Week: Creamy Ewok Baggends, Dennis Davis, Fiona C Ross and Raoul Goldberg

by Ben - Editor on 12 Oct 2009   |   

Alert! The Book Lounge has a big week coming up, with four events from Tuesday through Saturday. Let’s get right to it, courtesy their newsletter:

On Tuesday, 13 October, hip-hop performance poet Creamy Ewok Baggends will drop by here on his way to the Earthdance Festival, Poetry Africa and Rocking the Daisies, to wow us with his rhymes.
Date & Time: Tuesday, 13 October, at 5:30 for 6:00pm

Like many we’ve been somewhat bemused by some of the goings on in the judiciary over the last few months, so we’ve asked Judge Dennis Davis to come and share some of his thoughts in a talk entitled ” The past 2 years – how much damage has been done to our judiciary : is the crisis over? ” Judge Davis will be here on Wednesday, 14 October.
Date & Time: Wednesday, 14 October, at 5:30 for 6:00pm

Then, on Thursday, 15 October, we are welcoming Fiona C. Ross for the launch of her book, Raw Life, New Hope: Decency, Hope and Everyday Life in a Post-Apartheid Community. Ross has compiled a varied and entertaining ethnographic study of life in the Cape Flats, with a theoretical core, but also interspersed with recipes, anecdotes, photos etc.
Date & Time: Thursday, 15 October, at 5:30 for 6:00pm

Lastly, on Saturday, 17 October, at 3:00pm well-known Cape Town holistic therapist Dr Raoul Goldberg will be here to introduce and launch his new book, Awakening to Child Health: Nurturing Children’s Well-being. Drawing on Rudolf Steiner’s understanding of child development, health and holistic medicine, the book sets out the work Dr Goldberg has been doing at his Syringa Health Centre since 1983.
Date & Time: Saturday, 17 October, at 3:00pm

Book Details

• Precedent and Possibility: The (Ab)Use of Law in South Africa by Denis Davis, Michelle le Roux
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  EAN: 9781770130227
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• Awakening to Child Health: Nurturing Children’s Well Being by Raoul Goldberg
  EAN: 9781903458815
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Feature on The Book of Jacob Authors Greg Fried and Lisa Lazarus

by Jani on 25 Aug 2009   |   

Becoming a parent can be an awe-ful experience – or an awful one. While there is a plethora of books about the the basic facts and joys of parenthood, not too many dredge up its darker side – the stresses and strains of finding a way to cope with an entirely new lifestyle, virtually overnight.

Lisa Lazarus and her husband Greg Fried produced a refreshingly honest memoir about their journey into unchartered territory in The Book of Jacob.

The Witness‘ Sue Segar features the author-parent duo and their “gothic parenting” book:

CAPE Town writer Lisa Lazarus doesn’t mince her words when ­explaining why she wrote The Book of Jacob (see review here) — her joint memoir of a couple’s journey into ­parenthood.

“I wrote it because I was cross, in truth I was furious — the book really burst out of me,” she said at the recent launch of the book, which was ­co-written with her husband, University of Cape Town philosophy teacher Greg Fried. “It was this feeling that sparked the book, like I’d been conned in some way.”

Julia Denny-Dimitriou Reviews The Book of Jacob by Greg Fried and Lisa Lazarus

by Ben - Editor on 24 Aug 2009   |   

Verdict: carrot

Greg Fried and Lisa Lazarus’s book should be mandatory reading, says the reviewer:

IF I had the power, I’d make this book mandatory reading for anyone ­contemplating having a child. They wouldn’t be allowed to procreate until they’d passed a stringent comprehension test on its contents.

Like many new parents, Lisa ­Lazarus and Greg Fried were completely unprepared for the tsunami that engulfed them when they had their son, Jacob. No one told them about the consequences of becoming parents, and even more, parents of a “colicky” baby. No one warned them their life as they knew it was over: “Ploeps, just like that”.