Kids learn through play with new nature book
Heléne Booyens (Conservation Ecology class of 2014) wrote and published the first title in a series of nature books for children this year. Book one is about mammals, and came out in English and Afrikaans. Mammal Safari is a fact-and- activity book, with games, puzzles, mazes and brainteasers, as well as interesting stories about more than 70 mammal species – from the giraffe to the little elephant shrew. Heléne says:
Where did the concept come from?
I studied conservation ecology as an undergraduate, and still remember how a lecturer once gave us a quiz: How many antelope species can you identify? Gemsbok, Kudu, Sable. . . Those were still easy. But how many duikers do you know? Which is the nyala and which the bushbuck? Even a group of ecology students struggled! At school and as a child, you learn more about large, famous animals, such as the Big Five. So, I wanted to do a children’s book that shows off all South Africa’s mammals – including the lesser known ones, such as the bushpig, reedbuck and our hordes of different mongooses.
Which mongoose is your favorite?
Definitely the dwarf mongoose, Africa’s smallest hunter. Full of personality and plans.
How long does such a project take?
It was almost a year’s work, but only part-time. (I work full-time at Struik Nature, where I work on field guides, such as Spiders of South Africa and Proteas of the Fynbos.) Photo research took the longest, because you are looking for nice action-packed pics that show interesting behavior: zebra stallions fighting, mother lions carefully carrying cubs around, elephants snorkeling in the water. .
What comes first, the pictures or the words?
For me, the pictures. I am also a layout artist, and first designed the book and laid it out with dummy text before I filled in the text boxes. I kept a species list of African mammals handy to make sure that every animal got its chance in the
spotlight – even the moles and rats.
What’s next?
Birds are next in the Safari book series, then reptiles. I’ve also just published two story books at LAPA, about Jorsie die Worsie, a dachshund who solves mysteries.
