South
Africa
Special Mention
23
Magona, Sindiwe (text)
Bouma, Paddy (illus.)
The best meal ever!
Cape Town : Tafelberg, 2006. – [32] p.
ISBN 0-624-04254-5
(parallel Xhosa ed.: Esona-sona sidlo!)
Sister – Siblings – Hunger – Imagination – Hope
Night is falling, and Siziwe’s four little siblings are terribly hungry. When Mama left to look after their ill grandfather in a distant village, she asked her eldest daughter to take care of her little monsters. But what is Siziwe to do without so much as a morsel of food in the cupboards. Shall she send the young ones to bed disheartened and desperate? Putting on a bright smile, the girl quickly lights a fire, merrily stirs a big pot of water, and keeps her brothers and sisters so busy with laying the table, brushing their teeth, and changing into their pyjamas that they eventually drop off into the land of dreams with the filling smell of an imaginary »soup of hope« in their nostrils. This heart-warming tale about the power of hope narrated in an easy-flowing voice is translated into tender watercolour illustrations. They perfectly capture the story’s changes of mood from frightened and grumpy to hopeful and satisfied. (5+)