Online Reporter
Mangaliso Kabulika
AWARD-WINNING author and poet, Maxwell Magaba, is set to publish a children’s anthology dubbed ‘Bush Wisdom: Stories for Young Minds’ next month.
The book is based on short stories about life in the bush drawing lessons of patients, helping others and respecting nature among children.
“It’s not just stories for fun though.
“Each one has a simple lesson kids can actually use like being patient, helping others, thinking before you act, and respecting nature and people around you.
“I used animals and everyday bush situations to make it easy for kids to understand, but the lessons work anywhere.
“The idea is to give young minds something that’s entertaining but also builds character early.
“Parents told me kids today are missing some of that old-school common sense, so I wrote it to bring a bit of that back in a way they’ll enjoy,” said Magaba.
He said the main challenge during the compilation of the anthology was simplifying the oral stories.
“I had to come up with into something kids would enjoy, without losing the lessons.
“Writing for children is difficult because you have to think like them while you’re writing.
“I also wanted the illustrations to feel authentically Zimbabwean, so I worked closely with a local artist to get that right,” he said.
Given the book market is shrinking in Zimbabwe, Magaba said he is not expecting a lot of profit from the book but to inculcate a reading culture in young minds.
“Like many creators right now, I faced challenges with publishing costs. Money is tight, and covering those fees was not easy.
“I’m not expecting much profit from this. My main goal is for kids to enjoy and love reading ‘Bush Wisdom’.
“I’ll sell to schools at a low price, and if they see the value, they’ll recommend it to others,” he said.
Magaba has been in the literature sector for several years now and has been focusing on poetry using indigenous languages which earned him various accolades at the Red Carpet Poetry Awards, cementing his status in the Zimbabwean literature landscape.
