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[[:Category:Beverley Naidoo|Beverley Naidoo]] is best known for her award -winning fiction for older readers but in this title , in the World Alphabet series , she brings her native country of South Africa to life for younger children. Starting with A for the Apartheid Museum and finishing with Zoo Lake in Jo’burg she covers many different aspects of life including traditions, food, landscape, animals, music and family life and each subject is accompanied by one of Prodeepta Das’s stunning photos. The poetic text flows and this would work well read aloud.

I think that the balance between providing information and ensuring that this is an enjoyable book to either read alone or to listen to is well done. The strikingly colourful presentation is eye -catching and should be very appealing to young readers. Many of the photos are of young South African children making it easier for boys and girls here to relate to a lifestyle that may be very different to from their own. Even children who are unable to read the text will learn a great deal from the photos themselves and I think that this book would be a delight for a child to browse through.

In her introduction the author refers to the beautiful land ''made ugly by racism'' and this together with references to both apartheid and the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela give ample opportunity for further discussion on the sad history of South Africa. However , this book has a joyous, positive feel and the line ''our rainbow nation children are calling for change. Yebo! Yes , we can!'' conveys a wonderful feeling of hope.

Parents would find this book very helpful for answering children’s questions about the lives of people in a far off country and also for encouraging them to find out more. It would be a brilliant resource in schools and is a must -have for every primary school library.

Young children who want to find out more about African wildlife may enjoy [[Elephant by Suzi Eszterhas]] another book with stunning photos. For a history of South Africa, have a look at [[A Rainbow in the Night by Dominique Lapierre]].