Juvenile Fiction

The epic game begins!

That night, as agreed, the two children ask the moon: “Please let our snowpals play soccer.” Then each child adds a secret wish upon the stars: “I wish that my snowpal wins the soccer match!” 

After the storm and after the children build snowmen comes a whimsical tale. In the light of moon and stars, the snowpals come to life to play an epic game of soccer. A story of joy and the delight of play for all children. A primer in sportsmanship in English and French, this analogue book, illustrated with stitch and seam, harkens back to an era before the uniformity of computer generated illustrations.

The magical Council of Aunties are the only ones who can decide if Max and Meera can adopt a baby of their very own. 

To prove they can become parents, Max and Meera must complete three challenges–collect enough joy, love, and hope for the Aunties. Each task seems overwhelming, but a child is waiting, and they are determined to be ready, too.

Everyday Magic is inspired by the adoption process, and recreates it in this fairytale, about what it means to build a family. 

Dark clouds roll in as thunder rumbles through the streets of a small town. Two children team up with town locals in a rhythmic race against the rain, rushing to make it home before the downpour begins. But when they’re just a moment too slow, the storm catches up—snapping the stoplight and leaving everyone stranded in the heart of town. In a surprising twist, an unexpected hero swoops in, guiding traffic safely through the chaos with the grace of a conductor leading a community concerto!

Beat the Rain is a colorful and whimsical children’s read-aloud book that captures the vibrant culture and charm of daily life through rhythm, repetition, and onomatopoeia. 

The giant couldn’t believe it. He had found the perfect Olive. So round, so shiny, so black—he must show all of his friends! So starts the journey of The Giant as he runs to share his happiness with everyone and the sorrow and joy that grows from his jubilation. 

Leo Daly, the son of iconic South African illustrator and writer Niki Daly, re-imagines the universal tale of loss, grief, and the joy of new beginnings. A simple but empathetic story borne from the pain and loss of a miscarriage, this big-hearted, humorous story of a tall Giant in love with a little Olive examines our loves, passions, and the destruction of loss. A breath of fresh air that unflinchingly tackles our greatest fear. 

Like Where the Wild Things Are or Frog and Toad, A Lost Button, The Giant and the Olive tackles our fears and triumphs with humor and grace. A tale for any age from the kindergartner to the octogenarian.

Mercy lives in modern-day Pietermaritzburg, South Africa with her eccentric foster aunts—two elderly sisters so poor, they can only afford one lightbulb. A nasty housing developer is eying their house. And that same house suddenly starts falling apart—just as Aunt Flora starts falling apart. She’s forgetting words, names, and even how to behave in public. Mercy tries to keep her head down at school so nobody notices her. But when a classmate frames her for stealing the school’s raffle money, Mercy's teachers decide to take a closer look at her home life.

Along comes Mr. Singh, who rents the back cottage of the house on Hodson Road. When he takes Mercy to visit a statue in the middle of the city, she learns that the shy, nervous “Mohandas” he tells stories about is actually Gandhi, who spent a cold and lonely night in the waiting room of the Pietermaritzburg train station over a hundred years ago. It marked the beginning of his life’s quest for truth…and the visit to his statue marks Mercy’s realization that she needs—just like Gandhi—to stand up for herself.

Mercy needs a miracle. But to summon that miracle, she has to find her voice and tell the truth—and that truth is neither pure nor simple.

Part of Niki Daly's Lolo series

Hooray! Hurrah! Hurray! for Lolo, the energetic, curious, and fun-loving girl at the center of Niki Daly's series of books for beginning readers. She's thoughtful, funny, and always ready for anything. Whether it's helping to babysit baby Bongi or learning all about the library, she's sure to do it with kindness and humor.

In this collection of easy-to-read stories, we meet Lolo, a girl who lives in South Africa with her mother and grandmother, Gogo. Charmingly illustrated by the author, Hooray for Lolo follows Lolo as she explores her world, and the new adventures each day brings.

In Hooray for Lolo, Lolo she gets angry with her best friend, finds a favorite library book, goes to the hospital, and helps to look after Baby Bongi.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Part of Niki Daly's Lolo series

Hooray! Hurrah! Hurray! for Lolo, the energetic, curious, and fun-loving girl at the center of Niki Daly's series of books for beginning readers. She's thoughtful, funny, and always ready for anything. Whether it's helping to babysit baby Bongi or learning all about the library, she's sure to do it with kindness and humor.

In this collection of easy-to-read stories, we meet Lolo, a girl who lives in South Africa with her mother and grandmother, Gogo. Charmingly illustrated by the author, Hooray for Lolo follows Lolo as she explores her world, and the new adventures each day brings.

In Hooray for Lolo, Lolo gets angry with her best friend, finds a favorite library book, goes to the hospital, and helps to look after Baby Bongi.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

A 2024 Skipping Stones Honor Award winner 

Winner of The Next Generation Indie Book Award 

From the award-winning author of Small Mercies, named a Best Middle-Grade Book of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews

When Boipelo Seku learns about a man who traded his way from a paperclip to a house, he starts a trade of his own in his small village of Cedarville, South Africa, accidentally setting in motion a string of good deeds that will change his community forever.

"I’ve decided that some people put out fires and leave the world cold and hopeless and others nurse the kindling, blow like mad and fan the flames with whatever they have at hand - so that everyone feels its warmth."

A lot of things can feel just out of reach in 12-year-old Boipelo Seku's small, impoverished village of Cedarville, South Africa. The idea of one day living in a house that's big enough for his family is just a faraway dream. But when Boi stumbles on a story about a Canadian man who traded his way from a paperclip to a house, Boi hatches his own trading plan starting with a tiny clay cow he molded from river mud. Trade by trade, Boi and his best friend Potso discover that even though Cedarville lacks so many of the things that made the paperclip trade possible, it is fuller than either of them ever imagined.

In a chain of events that turns Boi's tiny spark into a warming fire, Boi learns the power of friendship and community, and finds that something’s value isn’t in what you can trade for it, but in the good it brings to the people you love.

With a motley crew of characters, wholehearted humor, and a whole lot of hope, The Cedarville Shop and the Wheelbarrow Swap is a joyful read for lovers of The Penderwicks or classics like The Moffats.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Part of Niki Daly's Lolo series

Lolo's back for a whole new set of adventures in You're a Star, Lolo, the third book in Niki Daly's Lolo series for beginning readers. Whether it's turning her garden into a snail farm when snails eat up her precious tomato plant, or using her hair ribbons to save the day when a friend's car breaks down – there's a unique solution to every problem, and Lolo is going to find it!

These stories invite young readers into the life and adventures of fun-loving, clever, and curious Lolo, a young girl living in South Africa. Along with her mother and grandmother, Gogo, she can always find a way to make the best out of any situation— even when things don't go as planned.

In You're a Star, Lolo, join Lolo as she makes her mom an extra-special soup, goes on vacation with her Gogo, and even tracks down the scary Ghorra-Ghorra-Hoooaaah-Bwoooooo-Monster sound she keeps hearing at night!

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Part of Niki Daly's Lolo series

Lolo's back for a whole new set of adventures in You're a Star, Lolo, the third book in Niki Daly's Lolo series for beginning readers. Whether it's turning her garden into a snail farm when snails eat up her precious tomato plant, or using her hair ribbons to save the day when a friend's car breaks down – there's a unique solution to every problem, and Lolo is going to find it!

These stories invite young readers into the life and adventures of fun-loving, clever, and curious Lolo, a young girl living in South Africa. Along with her mother and grandmother, Gogo, she can always find a way to make the best out of any situation— even when things don't go as planned.

In You're a Star, Lolo, join Lolo as she makes her mom an extra-special soup, goes on vacation with her Gogo, and even tracks down the scary Ghorra-Ghorra-Hoooaaah-Bwoooooo-Monster sound she keeps hearing at night!

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

A 2023 Skipping Stones Honoree

A School Library Journal Best Book of 2022

Part of Niki Daly's Lolo series

More fun is on the way for Lolo in Fly High, Lolo, the fourth book in Niki Daly's Lolo series for beginning readers. Lolo is kind-hearted, creative, full of joy, and— whether it’s making homemade Christmas decorations from recycled plastics, or stepping in when the school play goes awry—she always knows just what to do to save the day!

In this collection of easy-to-read stories, we meet Lolo, a girl who lives in South Africa with her mother and grandmother, Gogo. Charmingly illustrated by the author, Fly High, Lolo follows Lolo as she explores her world, and the new adventures each day brings.

In Fly High, Lolo, Lolo gets an unexpected role in the school play, meets Miss Teen the Beauty Queen, goes on a beach clean-up with Mama’s new friend, and makes beautiful recycled Christmas decorations.

2023 ALA Best Graphic Novels for Children

The daughter of a river god, raised by a human father and bound to a tragic destiny. An African fantasy-adventure graphic novel inspired by the mythology of the Zambezi River and the history of the Kariba Dam, one of the largest dams ever constructed.

When Tongai ventures to the Kariba Dam to find a cure for Siku and never returns, she sets off to find him with the help of Amedeo, the young son of Kariba’s chief engineer. Together, they traverse elephant graveyards, rugged jungles, and ancient ruins, outrunning pirates, bootleggers, and shape-shifting prophets ready to use Siku to their own advantage. But Siku soon discovers that her father has been shielding a terrible secret: Siku is actually the daughter of the Great River Spirit, Nyaminyami, and the only way to bring about the necessary rumuko - a ritual which has brought balance to the Zambezi for centuries - is for Siku to give up the only life she's ever known.

With the future of the Shonga resting on her shoulders, Siku must journey to the source of the river to understand the ancient power hidden within her. 

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

A 2023 Skipping Stones Honoree

A School Library Journal Best Book of 2022

Part of Niki Daly's Lolo series

More fun is on the way for Lolo in Fly High, Lolo, the fourth book in Niki Daly's Lolo series for beginning readers. Lolo is kind-hearted, creative, full of joy, and— whether it’s making homemade Christmas decorations from recycled plastics, or stepping in when the school play goes awry—she always knows just what to do to save the day!

In this collection of easy-to-read stories, we meet Lolo, a girl who lives in South Africa with her mother and grandmother, Gogo. Charmingly illustrated by the author, Fly High, Lolo follows Lolo as she explores her world, and the new adventures each day brings.

In Fly High, Lolo, Lolo gets an unexpected role in the school play, meets Miss Teen the Beauty Queen, goes on a beach clean-up with Mama’s new friend, and makes beautiful recycled Christmas decorations.

• A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
• The 2024 Skipping Stones Honor Awards
• A 2024 IBBY Honour List Selection
• A 2023 Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor Book
• Winner of the 2022 South African Literary Awards Children's Literature Award
• Honorable mention, 2023 Children's Africana Book Awards
• A Cooperative Children's Book Center 2023 Choices Pick  

Whether it’s jumping in puddles with Tata in the rain, greeting the neighborhood cat on the quiet back streets with Gogo, or holding hands with Mama while rushing to make the bell, walking to school with family is the best. But nothing is better than walking to school with Papa. From high above, resting on Papa’s shoulders, all of the town is in perfect view, and Papa always says “I love you” when he says goodbye. 

A sweet ode to fatherhood and the special relationships children share with each member of their family, On My Papa’s Shoulders reminds us that it’s not about where we’re going, but rather the people who walk with us along the way.

Part of Niki Daly's Lolo series

For Lolo, every day's a new adventure. Whether it's earning gold stars at school or returning a lost ring, she's ready for anything. Follow along with Lolo as she learns lessons about sharing, being brave, and being a good friend.

In these easy-to-read stories, we meet the curious, fun-loving, adventurous Lolo, a girl living in South Africa with her mother and grandmother, Gogo. Woven with heart and humor, and illustrated with charming black-and-white drawings, these stories are perfect for the beginning reader.

In Here Comes Lolo, Lolo gets a gold star at school, longs for a cute floppy hat, finds a missing ring, and helps to rescue a dog, all with her trademark humor and quirky style.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

A CBC Spring 2024 Showcase Selection

No matter where she goes, or how big she grows, Wanjikũ knows her name.

In the lush Kenyan countryside, a young Gikũyũ girl helps her grandmother with daily tasks. Here, as she tends to the cows, carries water, and plays in the fruit trees and sugarcane, she is called Wanjikũ.

On the busy city streets of Nairobi, where she goes to school, she is called by her English name, Catherine. But at home with Wangarĩ, the maid who cooks and cares for her, she is again Wanjikũ.

All grown up in boarding school, Catherine is the leader of her class, surrounded by friends from different cultural backgrounds. But at night, when she gathers with her fellow Gikũyũ sisters to speak her mother tongue, she is Wanjikũ once more.

Gloriously illustrated, alive with the joie de vivre of girlhood, and based on the author's own beloved childhood memories, Wanjikũ, Child of Mine is an ode to the heritage that walks alongside us, and a love song for the sisters we make on the journey.

In KARIBA, a young girl’s strange abilities to manipulate water grow out of control. When Siku’s father goes to the Kariba Dam in search of a cure and never returns, she set off on a dangerous journey to find him, through Zimbabwe’s rugged jungles, elephant graveyards, and ancient ruins. On the run from pirates, bootleggers, and shape-shifting prophets ready to use her power to their own advantage, Siku soon discovers a terrible secret that will change her life—and her people—forever. 

In Pearl by the Sea, a young freediver named Pearl struggles to fit into her life on land in her impoverished South African town, where her father can’t pay the bills, and every encounter with her crush Naomi seems to go horribly wrong. But when Pearl meets a giant sea monster in need of a friend, she’ll need help from the people she loves—and her one-eyed pup sidekick—to save him from evil poachers.