adminPaul Pindani in CHINHOYI
IT is not easy to unpack a combination of entertainment, vivid storytelling and education in a single children’s book, with only 33 pages.
But, for Auxie Mzil-Lehang, she did just that in her work, “Rob and The Soccer Ball Tale.”
The short children’s story, written by the Zimbabwean author, who is now based in South Africa, was published last year by Hoart Benom in Cape Town.
The captivating story is set somewhere in rural Africa where the author was careful enough not to specifically mention, in order to relate to a wider audience.
Even though Ndebele connotations are entangled around some names, the book remains a story for Africa.
The African rites and baobab trees mentioned inside the work, brings it closer home for the continent’s readers and, resultantly, promotes a reading culture.
The usage of Ndebele nouns comes from the author’s experience in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Robson Ndoga, the protagonist of Auxie’s work, is a young orphaned boy who had his wish-list like any other typical child of his age.
Living in a village with grandmother Ma’Dube and grandpa Dube, who had advanced in age and living a modest life, chances of getting a real soccer ball of his own were next to impossible.
He kept dreaming.
His peers could not play with him since he did not have a ball of his own.
He tries to make a makeshift soccer ball using plastics and clothes but this only adds to his hopelessness.
In the final twist of events, Rob miraculously finds a ball floating in the river while fetching water early one morning.
The ball was like no other he had ever seen and it was signed by a famous footballer abroad he had only seen on television.
This rekindles his desire to play football.
Auxie balances language appropriate for the target audience with great lessons carried on the wings of themes such as endurance, hope and family and social unity.
Krozlar, the footballer who had set the ball out in a small hot-air balloon to bless someone somewhere, did not know that he was opening doors for young Rob’s shattered hopes.
This shows how the author intended to put across the effect of kindly deeds.
This does not only uplift the young lad’s spirits but helps put smiles on the whole village’s faces as they are led to hold a traditional feast.
Besides the classical antagonism of poverty that the young boy has to face, there are peers who look down on him as well as one Mr. Razor, who cannot tolerate the boy’s celebrations.
This lesson comes in handy in every young man’s life and it makes the book such an appeal to every young boy.
The simplicity of the language used poses no literal threats against the young readers and the ambition and success approach is enough to electrify the intended audience.
It also comes with good narrative skills that will help them write better compositions at school as the book breaks from the norm of a flat-out plot into a rounded plot with something new to discover on every page.
Online Reporter