Kloof author pens children’s book

SELF-PUBLISHED author, Zama Kubheka grasped the love for reading at an early age.

The Kloof resident recently released a book, called Khozana and the Coop, a 33-pager children’s book which is available in both English and isiZulu.

At the age of two, Kubheka said she already owned a book set which her mother bought for her.

“I guess that instilled the love of books in me,” she said.

Growing up, Kubheka said she enjoyed listening to and writing folk tales. “When I was at school, I would write a short story whenever I got bored, I can say writing was my scapegoat,” she said.

The book speaks about Khozana, a little eagle who lives in a nest with her family. She is separated from her mother and brother during a storm and has to make new friends.

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This delightful book takes you on a journey of discovery with Khozana as she tries to find her way back home. It is a feel good book about courage, friendship and helping each other, even our enemies.

The 31-year-old highlighted that the book which is aimed at children between the ages of 0 to 12 years, seeks to teach children about kindness and ubuntu although told through the story of a lost eagle.

The mother of two said her book was inspired by her recent interests in birds. “In Kloof we are surrounded by beautiful birds and I have taken a liking into bird watching.”

“I wrote the book in 2018 and to tell the truth, I forgot about it, my husband has been encouraging me to publish it,” said Kubheka.

But what drove her to publish was when she had her first child in 2019.

“I struggled to find good books for children especially in isiZulu. The folk tales we grew up reading had that deep meaning and hidden message, so last year, I made an effort and reached out to Reach Publicity who assisted me a lot,” she said.

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Kubheka said her mother was also her inspiration as she was a writer and wrote a number of poems although she never published any of her work.

The mother of two advised parents to teach their children to start reading at a young age.

“They need to write and read for leisure, reading also helps with imagination, it helps the child’s creativity.”

She added that she published the book in two languages as she believes it is important for children to be multilingual and not loose their mother tongue.

She said her goal is to work on writing and publishing more books. The book costs R120 and it is available on the online store, Takealot.com, alternatively people can WhatsApp 067 683 1225.

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