Books with author Maryanne Bester

Early one morning three tired, dirty, hungry elders – Blessing, Wisdom and Love – knock on the door of a family home. The family wishes to invite them in but they can only choose one visitor to enter their home. Which of the three do they pick? This fable is told across the continent and belongs to all of Africa and its people. Although the setting and characters are quintessentially African – from the rhythms of their speech to the patterns on their clothes – the message is universal. This is a book for every child and family. Well written and beautifully illustrated, this book will have children wanting to read it over and over again. This story originally appeared in the Sunday Times Storytime: 10 South African Stories for Children in 2014.

This is the third story about the cool Nguni calf named Gaps. This time, Gaps and his cousin Sugarbean want to grow mielies and beans for the Farmers' Show. Will they win the prize for the best crop? Gaps's real name is 'Gaps between the Branches'. This is because it looks like he is sitting in the shade of a tree, and the sun is making shadows on his hide. Sugarbean's name is 'Sugarbean' because her hide looks like speckled sugar beans.

This richly illustrated story is about a young Nguni calf, who questions his identity in relation to other cattle breeds, and his loving mother, who responds by telling him a tale of the origins and importance of his own breed, the indigenous Nguni. She also explains the names of his relatives and shows him the multicolored and patterned hides which make Nguni cattle unique. The hand-painted original illustrations and sensitive text draw upon Africans' love and respect for Nguni cattle, explaining to a new generation the importance and myths surrounding them.

Based on a classic tale told all across Africa that teaches children to think about the consequences of their actions, this charmingly illustrated book follows Sheep, Goat, and Dog as they impulsively decide to take a taxi ride to the sea, only to discover they can't pay the fare. Loved because it belongs to all of Africa and its people, this version of the story was inspired by the author's trip to the Comores Islands, during which she heard the tale for the first time—from a local taxi driver.

Gaps and his cousin Sugarbean want to play a game of soccer before sundown. Help them find their missing ball, hidden somewhere in this wonderful African setting. The rhythmic text of the Cool Nguni series helps build children’s reading skills while they are absorbed in the inventive illustrations and the lives of the imaginative characters. This is the fourth story about the Cool Nguni calf named Gaps from the award-winning Bester sisters. Gaps's real name is ‘Gaps Between the Branches’. This is because it looks like he is sitting in the shade of a tree, and the sun is making shadows on his hide. Sugarbean's name is 'Sugarbean' because her hide looks like speckled sugarbeans.

A creative and engaging tale, this book presents a fable to justify Dog’s frightened behavior around storms. Accompanied by delightful illustrations, it explains why Dog’s eyes grow wild and why he shivers and shakes and hides away. Demonstrating how the mischievous cattle trick Dog into letting them out of their kraal, this account will capture children’s imaginations.

Gaps the Cool Nguni takes his “know-it-all” companion, the cattle Egret, on a gentle journey of discovery Continuing the Bester sisters’ beloved Cool Nguni series, I Know That! follows Gaps, the Nguni calf, as he introduces his friend, the youngest cattle Egret, to the library. The little cattle Egret is anxious for Gaps to think of him as smart, and every chance he gets he claims to know almost everything about everything. But when Gaps shows him the exciting world of reading and books, the Egret discovers that there is so much more to get from learning than just shouting “I know that!”

An adaptation of a traditional African folktale, this tale finds Gaps, a young Nguni calf, in the midst of frantic, colorful preparations for his big sister's wedding. The problem is that the trousers his father has given him to wear to the wedding are much too long! Every cow in the family is too busy to shorten the trousers when Gaps asks them, so he gives up and goes to bed leaving the trousers laying in the kitchen. Early the next morning, the family members enter the kitchen one by one and see the neglected trousers. Of course, they all shorten them so the trousers end up much too short, but everyone has a good laugh in the end.

Gaps, the endearing Nguni calf, and his cousin Sugarbean—named because of her speckled, sugar bean-like hide—want to play a game of soccer before sundown, but they must first find their missing ball, hidden somewhere in Africa's vast, majestic landscape. With a quirky African take on a situation all kids can relate to—losing a favorite toy—this visually engaging tale continues the series' trend of entertaining children while exposing them to a unique and exciting culture.

Based on a classic tale told all across Africa that teaches children to think about the consequences of their actions, this charmingly illustrated book follows Sheep, Goat, and Dog as they impulsively decide to take a taxi ride to the sea, only to discover they can't pay the fare. Loved because it belongs to all of Africa and its people, this version of the story was inspired by the author's trip to the Comores Islands, during which she heard the tale for the first time—from a local taxi driver.