‘The Brave Little African Girl’

‘The Brave Little African Girl’ by Thabitha Mathabatha is an insightful children’s book that sends readers into the jungles of Africa, where they meet Fofo – a young girl with a yearning for independence. When she ventures into the jungle alone to prove her self-sufficiency, she saves a baby lion as it is born, names the cub Angel and brings it back to the village. However, upon her return with her new cub, tragedy strikes. Fofo is devastated when officials tell her she cannot keep Angel. As readers share Fofo’s pain, they learn it takes an entire village to help a child cope with loss.

“The writing of this book is my journey to healing as I had to revert to the ‘Brave Little African Girl’ in me. I remembered that I was brave, fierce, and forged ahead for what I wanted in life,” Mathabatha said, adding: “Even grown-up girls and women can revisit the little girl in them, the little girl that they lost along the way. Parents, teachers should always appreciate the little girls and make them believe that they can be anything they want to be.”

Loss related to Coronavirus or having to stay away from loved ones because of the pandemic can be incredibly difficult for young children to understand. Younger readers will find solace in Fofo’s story as some of the emotions they are experiencing are being felt by this story’s hero as well. Parents will also find the book to be a useful tool in discovering ways to support their children during times of need and distress as Fofo’s teachers did for her.
Thabitha Mathabatha and her debut children’s book The Brave Little African Girl explore how parents and teachers can help children experiencing loss and to show children their heroes can have depression, too. 

 

 

 ISBN: 9781728351872 (softcover); 9781728351865 (hardcover)
Available at the AuthorHouse Online Bookstore, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Thabitha Mathabatha is an experienced writer, world traveller and explorer. Based in South Africa, she holds a National Diploma in Town and Regional Planning, a Master’s in Development Studies and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB). She is finalising her master’s degree in building project management in construction and was admitted as an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa. Mathabatha is also a sangoma and traditional healer utilising traditional ways and traditional medicine to heal people. The Brave Little African Girl is her debut book.