Years ago, it was recommended that I get the book All About South Africa to teach my children about South African History. I was able to get an old copy of this book from the library and thought it was a good resource, so a friend & I each invested in a copy. We made a few unit studies from it for our children. At the time I was using KONOS, which is a unit study, so I just slotted in the unit studies we created between the KONOS studies we were using.
I am now using Tapestry of Grace (TOG), which is a classical curriculum that studies chronological history.
The older version All About South Africa has a list of suggested children's books that the newer copy does not, so I am going to include it below, with permission from Random House Struik.
Most of the books are out of print, but I am trying to get at least one from each section in the book. I have found some from Amazon, Loot.co.za, and Bid or Buy, as well as have purchased a few from library book sales. My intentions are to add these books to our Tapestry of Grace studies in the corresponding time periods, as well as have my children read the sections from All About South Africa about that time period.
I am going to do a series of posts about each of the sections in this book that include books I have been able to purchase, including links for you to follow so that you can purchase them, as well.
I was told by a few seasoned South African homeschool moms that if I can get my hands on Jenny Seed books to jump at the chance. She writes children's historical fiction based in South Africa. I will add any of her books that I can get to the appropriate time period in South African History.
Here is a link to purchase All About South Africa:
allaboutnature.co.za
| The San and the Khoikhoi | ||
| Men of Men | Candy Malherbe | |
| These Small People | Candy Malherbe | |
| The New Fire | Jenny Seed | |
| The Faraway Valley | Jenny Seed | |
| The Nguni Speakers | ||
| Zulu Traditions and Cultures | Aubrey Elliot | |
| The Xhosa and their Traditional Way of Life | Aubrey Elliot | |
| People of the Interior | ||
| The Ndebele Art & Culture | Aubery Elliot | |
| Abantu | Martin West & Jean Morris | |
| The Early Navigators - 1400's | ||
| Dias & De Gama | Brian Johnson Barker | |
| Early Navigators | Philip Gon | |
| Caravel to the Cape | Eve Merchant | |
| Early Days at the Cape - 1652 | ||
| Jan van Riebeeck and the Dutch Settlement at the Cape | Brian Johnson | |
| A Musket and Garden Hoe | J. Marais Louw | |
| Stowaway to Nowhere | Jenny Seed | |
| Slaves at the Cape - 1658 | ||
| The Cave | Peter Slingsby | |
| The Golden Kris | M Cassiem D'arcy | |
| Always Working | Candy Malherbe | |
| The French Huguenots - 1688 | ||
| The French Huguenots | Francois Theron | |
| The Huguenot Garden | Douglas Jones | |
| The Land of the Watching Eyes | Juliet Marais Law | |
| Change at the Cape - 1790's | ||
| Merino | Lesley Beake | |
| On the Move - | ||
| Heroes Tales | ||
| 10 Famous South Africans | ||
| Prince of the Bay | Jenny Seed | |
| Jock of the Bushveld | P. Fitzpatrick | |
| The 1820 Settlers | ||
| The 1820 Settlers of Salem | A E Meakin | |
| Living with the 1820 Settlers | Marian Robertson | |
| Settlers | ||
| The Great Trek - 1836 | ||
| The Great Trek | Brian Johnson Barker | |
| Black Sheep | Maretha Maartens | |
| The Message | John Coetzee | |
| The Warrior King - 1815 | ||
| Shaka Warrior King of the Zulu | Lynn Bedford Hall | |
| Voice of the Great Elephant | Jenny Seed | |
| Wars in the Eastern Cape - 1779, 1789, 1799, 1811, 1818, 1834, 1846, 1850, 1877 | ||
| Nongqawuse's Prephecy | Karen Press | |
| Conflict in the East 1834-1879 | ||
| Joseph Zulu | Bert Schroeder | |
| Boer versus Briton 1880-1902 | ||
| The Spy Hill | Jenny Seed | |
| Ring Around the Moon | Maretha Maartens | |
| South Africa's Rainbow People | ||
| Jakey (1994) | Lesley Beake | |
| Caravel to the Cape | Eve Merchant | |
| A Time to Scatter Stones | Jenny Seed | |
| Black Nationalism 1910-1990 | ||
| Cry the Beloved Country | Alen Paton | |
| A Time to Scatter Stones | Jenny Seed | |
| Government Policies | ||
| The Day Gogo Went to Vote | ||
| Milestones of the 20th Century | ||
| Illustrated History of South Africa | Reader's Digest | |
| Traditional African Crafts | ||
| Tribal Dress | Aubrey Elliot | |
| Art in South Africa | ||
| 150 South African Paintings | Lucy Alexander and Evelyn Cohen | |
| Books | ||
| The Public Library | Zirkea Ellis | |
| How a Book is Made | Aliki | |
| Books | Diane McClymont | |
| 10 Famous South Africans | ||
| Homes and Houses | ||
| A Concise Guide to Cape Dutch Houses | Phillida Brooke Simons | |
| Charley's House | ||
| Musical Medley | ||
| Sing Africa | Patricia Schonstein | |
| Stop Those Children | Jenny Seed | |
| Sport and Recreation | ||
| The Allied Book of Sports Facts & Records | SASBOR | |
| Towns and Cities | ||
| The Strollers (1987?) | Lesley Beake | |
| Hurry, Hurry Sibusiso | Jenny Seed | |
| Rescue Services and Road Safety | ||
| Road Safety | Loiuse Landsberg | |
| Caring for Others | ||
| Nursing | Anne Hugo | |
| A Cageful of Butterflies | Lesley Beake | |
| A Star Spangled Sky | ||
| Night Skies | Peter Mack | |
| Halley's Comet | Peter Mack | |
| Keeping in Touch | ||
| The Post Office | WA von der Linde | |
| Lighting up the Land | ||
| The Orange River | Carmen Welz | |
| The Orange River Project | JC de Korte | |
| Transport | ||
| Transportation | Melane Basmon | |
| The Journeys of Josephine | Siegfried Stander | |
| Arms and Armour | ||
| South Africa At War | Peter Joyce | |
| The Armed Forces | Helmoed-Romer Heitman | |
| Mining Gold and Minerals | ||
| Gold | Carmen Welz | |
| Struben's Golden Valley | John Coetzee | |
| Gold in South Africa | Ted Scannell | |
| Turning our Wheels | ||
| Oil & Gas | Jacqueline Dinen | |
| Coal | BJ Stuart | |
| South African Mining | Anthony Hosking | |
| Diamond Mining | ||
| Diamonds in Southern Africa | Peter Joyce and Ted Scannell | |
| Canvas City (1866) | Jenny Seed | |
| South Africa at Work | ||
| South African Industry | Tony Koenderman | |
| Killing our Planet | ||
| Nature in the Balance | Rob Marsh | |
| Nature Conservation | JN Steyn | |
| Working the Land | ||
| Erosion | Suzette Bosmon | |
| Food for Thought | G Standning | |
| Stock Farming | ||
| Merino | Lesley Beake | |
| Crop Farming | ||
| From Wheatland to Bread | EAG Styne | |
| Money and Banking | ||
| Money in SA | CL Engelbrecht | |
| Fun with Money | Louise McDermott | |
| Our Coasts and Oceans | ||
| Stormy Seas at Clearwater Bay | Pieter Pieterse | |
| Seashore Life | ||
| Marine Life Along Our Shores | Pauline Harding | |
| Encounters With Sea Life | Lynn Hurry | |
| Shells | Diedre Richards | |
| Explore the Sea Shore of South Africa | Margo Branch | |
| Estuaries | ||
| Seashore Life | Charles and Roberta Griffiths | |
| Water for a Thirsty Land | ||
| The Orange River | ||
| The Orange River Project | ||
| River & Dams | Martyn Bromwell | |
| Mountains and Caves | ||
| The Building of the Berg | AR Wilcox | |
| Dragon's Wrath | RO Pearse and James Byron | |
| Land of Wonder | ||
| The Singing Grass | Freda Linde | |
| Flint and the Red Desert | John Coetzee | |
| Erosion | ||
| Soil Conservation | JC de Korte | |
| Grasses, Grains & Conservation | Joan Munday | |
| The Weather and Climate | ||
| The Weather | John Earle & Denis Bagrall | |
| Soil | R Thomas | |
| Forecasting the Weather | ||
| Air | J. Williams | |
| Natural Disasters | ||
| Earthquakes | Piet von Rensburg | |
| Grasshoppers & Locusts | William de Villiers | |
| The Dove | Dianne Stewart | |
| Preserving Our Country | ||
| Nature in the Balance | Rob Marsh | |
| Bush School | Lex Hes | |
| Nature Conservation | JN Steyn | |
| A Bushveld Safari | Nadine Clarke | |
| Endangered Wild Life | ||
| Question & Answers: Endangered Wildlife of South Africa | J. Conrie-Greig | |
| Discovering Our Mammals | ||
| Question & Answers: Mammals of South Africa | D. Richards | |
| South African Animal Adventures | Jay Heale | |
| The Cat Family | ||
| The Cheetahs of De Wildt | Anne von Dyk | |
| Encounters with Wildlife | L. Hurry | |
| Land Mammals of South Africa | Reay Smithers | |
| Antelopes and Buffalo | ||
| Signs of the Wild | Clive Walker | |
| Jock of the Bushveld | ||
| Curious Creatures | ||
| Mammals | J. Skinner and Penny Meakin | |
| The Wildlife of South Africa | Paul Rose | |
| Bush School | Lex Hes | |
| Question & Answers: Snakes and Reptiles of South Africa | R. Patherson | |
| Amphibians | ||
| Pond & River Eyewitness Guide | ||
| Discovering Amphibians | FAC Tiedt | |
| Freshwater Fish | ||
| Freshwater Fishes of South Africa | M. Bruten and P. Jackson | |
| The Fresh H20 Fishes of the Kruger National Park | U. de Villiers Pienaar | |
| Aquaculture | T. Hecht | |
| Sea Fish | ||
| Common Sea Fishes | Rudy von der Elst | |
| Fish | DR Schreuder | |
| A Guide to Common Sea Fishes of SA | Rudy von der Elst | |
| Whales, Dolphins and Sharks | ||
| Question & Answers: Mammals of South Africa | D. Richards | |
| When Wales Go Free | Dianne Hofmeyer | |
| Venomous Creatures | ||
| Venomous Creatures | Gerry Newlands | |
| Things that Sting | Eric Worrell | |
| Spiders | Gerry Newlands | |
| Incredible Insects | ||
| Insects | E. Holm | |
| Harmful Instects | AJ Schoeman | |
| Grasshoppers & Locusts | William de Villiers | |
| Field Guide to the Butterflies of South Africa | I. Migdoll | |
| Birds of Prey | ||
| Birds of the National Parks of SA | T. Campbell | |
| Question & Answer: Birds | ||
| Birds of Prey | I. Sinclair | |
| Our Coastal Birds | ||
| Question & Answer: Birds | ||
| Birds Around You | ||
| Backyard Wildlife | L. Hurry | |
| A Beginners Guide to Our Birds | Jo. Oliver | |
| Birds of Southern Africa | Ian Sinclair | |
| Where they Grow | ||
| Nomaqualand | Brian Johnson Barker | |
| Explore the Cape Flora | Margo Branch | |
| Common Trees | E. & G. Moll | |
| Flowers and Trees | ||
| Tree | D. Burnie | |
This looks wonderful Mary, I look forward to seeing more about it. I have a lot of these books, which I love, and Jenny Seed is my favourite! I also love Ring around the Moon.
ReplyDeletewow! What a fantastic list! I'm bookmarking it for we are doing SA history at the moment and I need some more inspiration to add to what we are doing. Thank you for sharing! :-)
ReplyDeleteIf you don't mind the personal plug, my book Seekers of the Lost Boy (Taryn Hayes) is also a worthwhile SA read. It teaches a lot about the Group Areas Act and forced removals from District Six, as well as life on the Cape Flats and other local areas in Cape Town. Time period extends from 1960s-2010. :-) You can get it locally. ISBN: 978-1-920654-04-7
I don't mind at all, Taryn! I was actually thinking today that I needed to find out where your book would fit in! :) Thanks for sharing!
DeleteHi Mary,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your findings. Our SA community is so small when I see the great offerings for history of America and Europe. I would also encourage you to look through some novels, which are historical pieces in their own right!! I am thinking, for example, "The Farm in the Karoo" by Mary Carey-Hobson, published 1883, or Thomas Reid's "The Bush Boys" published 1856 or E.A.Kendall's "The English Boy at the Cape" published 1835. The English used and the culture of the time is a study in itself, and will open some very interesting discussions about how our view of the world and people have changed over time, and what has brought about those changes... living history indeed!
Digitized versions are avaliable here: http://archive.org/stream/farminkarooorwh00hobsgoog#page/n8/mode/2up
http://archive.org/stream/Captain_Mayne_Reid_The_Bush_Boys#page/n23/mode/2up
http://archive.org/stream/englishboyatcape01kend#page/12/mode/2up
Thanks, Joy! I am so grateful for the input! What ages would you recommend these books for?
DeleteI have added some new links. Check it out!
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy your postings. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDelete