After watching her two sons struggle to express their feelings, Sewela Langeni was inspired to write Making Friends with Feelings.
It’s a compassionate story that teaches boys that it is okay to cry when they are sad and that it is healthy to express their emotions.
If this book was a cake, then all boys going out into the world to practise what they have read would be the icing – and the cherry on the top would be Langeni’s recent Pendoring Award at which she won silver in the Publication Design category.
“This category recognises the quality of design work that has gone into the book which speaks to the quality of illustration by Subi Bosa, the illustrator who worked on my book, one of the best in the industry,” she said.
“I am so grateful that he agreed to work on the book which meant a lot for him on a personal level as well.”
It was her publisher, Dusanka Stojakovic, of New Africa Book, who entered the book into the awards.
For Langeni, who is also the owner of Melville-based bookshop, Book Circle Capital, attaining this award was nothing short of amazing. “With this being my first children’s book, I am blown away that it was even up for consideration. When I wrote the book, I did not even have awards in mind. I just wanted to tell this story of compassion and validation as inspired by raising my two boys.”
When taking into account that this was a win for her first children’s book, it’s gratitude for her talent that fills her with pride. She added she was grateful for her publisher, her team and the book’s illustrator, ‘not to mention all the people who have gone on to buy the book which is available in 11 South African languages’.
Langeni is writing more stories based on this book’s main character, Lubabalo. We can expect the next one in the first half of 2024.
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