Thusi�s Little Yungo to inspire children to read
Maureen Odubeng | Friday January 30, 2015 14:14
While some local authors such as Lauri Kubuitsile have written children’s books, one young man who goes by the name, Hani Thusi, stands out. At the age of 18, Thusi wrote an impressive children’s book titled Little Yungo; The Village Savior, which has an impressive story line.
The book is appealing and will definitely appeal to primary school children, especially those in standard five and six, in terms of reading. But the illustrations will most definitely catch even the younger children’s eye.
The story is written in simple English, with a tight story line, which will be easy for young children to follow.
Thusi, who wrote the book while doing his International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) at Maru-a-Pula, told Arts & Culture when he decided he was going to write a children’s book, he did not have a clear storyline.
He said all he knew at the time was that he wanted his book to focus on the importance of perseverance.
He gave a brief background on how he ended up penning the magnificent story, which will most be enjoyed by the intended audience.
He said his motivation to aim high and reach for the stars was in a way influenced by Maru-a-Pula School alumnus, Barolong Mouwane.
“Mr Barolong Mouwane introduced an extra-curricular activity called The Mini Company, where a group of 10 to 15 students would start a business and run it,” he said.
He explained that under the mentorship of Mouwane, they formed Sechaba Prime.
In addition to that the young man and other colleagues were columnists for Business Weekly and Review.
He said these activities awoke the drive in him to do more, which led to him committing to write a book. This, he said will not only inculcate a reading culture in young children, but also motivate to contribute positively in their communities.
The book follows young Yungo as he embarks on a journey to save the village by rebuilding his school.
The school was struck by lighting, the result of a wicked witch, who hated people, especially children. The witch devised a plan that for her to drive villagers away she would have to destroy the school.
The witch hoped to force parents to move to other villages so that their children can continue with school by striking the school with lighting.
The witch’s plan seems to be working, as villagers start considering moving to other villages for their children to study there, until young Yungo decides to take matters into his own hands.
He enlists the support of his friends to raise funds to rebuild the school, knowing that should the school start operating again, the villagers will not have to move.
Yungo and his friends become entrepreneurs and start selling Morula juice to raise money. The children come across challenges, but in the end they are able to persevere and get enough money to rebuild their school.
“I wrote the story in an attempt to highlight the importance of perseverance, financial literacy and how essential social entrepreneurship is in our community. I believe the book will contribute to moulding the next generation of Batswana into becoming great and responsible people who will carry this nation to great heights,” he said.
Thusi wishes the book would be accessible to children in both public and private schools.
To him, the importance of encouraging reading culture in young children cannot be overemphasised.
Through reading, Thusi believes young children can develop positive behavioural trends, which will see them setting goals, and striving to achieve them.
“I want it to be an iconic story that children will always remember, like the story of Pinocchio, which teaches children not to lie. Through Little Yungo, I want children to learn that perseverance is important,” he said.
Thusi, who is currently doing Form Six at Maru-a-Pula, engaged a fellow student, Thero Makepe, who did illustrations for the book.
As interesting as the storyline is, illustrations in the book are exquisite; they serve their purpose of driving the point home.
All the pages have beautiful matching illustrative pictures that Makepe deserves a pat on the back for.