How do Corn crickets produce their high-pitched sounds? Which insect has a forked horn on the front of its head? Where does the small scarlet dragonfly scatter its eggs? Which bug is named after a famous artist?

Children will find the answers to these questions - and many other interesting facts - while enjoying hours of fun colouring in a selection of our most striking insects.

There are more than 40 images to colour in, providing budding artists and young children with enticing snippets of knowledge as they work through the title. In the middle of the title is a gallery of the insects, but this time in colour, giving a clear guide as to which shade of crayon or paint to use when colouring in the outlines on the other pages.

With this lively guide, young adventurers will discover the many treasures along southern Africa’s shores, learn all about the strange and beautiful creatures they can expect to see at the beach and where to find them, then try the fascinating activities and make their own first-hand discoveries.

A companion volume to the popular Exploring Fynbos, this lively book is loaded with:

• interesting topics in accessible text

• interactive activities

• ‘did you know’ boxes

• ‘things to do’ panels

Tracking is a much-loved, yet difficult, subject that attracts at least some of the attention of almost every bush-goer who ventures into the wild places of southern Africa. The ability to accurately read difficult, partial or little-seen signs left in the soil or sand is rare and largely the domain of professionals. However, by making use of a comprehensive guide, anyone who applies him- or herself can begin to decipher these natural hieroglyphs etched on the ground. In this volume, Louis Liebenberg's highly accurate sketches of animal tracks, showing all the details one would find in a perfect example of the spoor, are combined with a wide selection of extremely varied photographs that explain the difficult truth of the matter, and represent what you are most likely to actually see in the many different substrates where the animals walk. This field guide to mammal tracks and signs also serves as an ID guide to the mammals of southern Africa as full colour photographs of each animal are included.

A story for men and boys about never coming of age. And for women who want to know why.

Gareth has published half a dozen novels, made a horror film, run a 90 kilometre race in which he bled through his shoes, successfully failed to play right wing for Manchester United, attempted the Olympics at 38, wrestled a ghost, been the spokesperson for a company whose head office exploded, been run over by a Honda, survived two almost plane crashes and is currently filming a superhero TV show.

And yet Gareth’s story is also your story. It’s about the small moments and the big events that make up a life. About the few victories and the many defeats, the adventures and the calamities. The missteps and the madness. From his bumbling days at school, to fumbled encounters with girlfriends and disasters on the sports field and in the office … this is a story for boys and men everywhere. And for women, of course, because contained within these pages are vital clues as to what makes the male mind tick.

This isn’t just Gareth’s story – it’s everyone’s.

AB de Villiers is een van Suid-Afrika se grootste sporthelde. Hy is sedert 2011 kaptein van die Suid-Afrikaanse eendagspan asook ’n lid van die nasionale span sedert hy op 20 Desember 2004, op 20-jarige ouderdom, sy buiging vir die Proteas gemaak het. AB het reg deur sy lewe op die sportveld uitgeblink én word vandag as een van die beste kolwers ter wêreld, in alle aspekte van die spel beskou.

AB: Die Outobiografie, sal insig bied oor die man agter die kolf en onder die kopskerm, asook oor deurslaggewende oomblikke tydens sy loopbaan en sy verhoudingsbande met verskillende mentors. Die leser sal teruggeneem word na die agterplaas van AB se ouerhuis waar hy as kind die eerste keer saam met sy broers leer krieket speel het, en sal voorgestel word aan al die kleurvolle karakters en sportlui wat paaie met AB gekruis het.

AB se belangstelling in musiek en in die sakewêreld word ook onder die loep geneem asook hoe hy hierdie belangstellings van hom saam met sy internasionale krieketloopbaan uitleef.

My first book of Southern African Seashore life is the latest title in this successful children's series. The title covers 58 sea creatures and plants that are likely to be seen at the shore. An illustrated introduction gives context to the subject, and then each of the featured specimens gets a vivid, full-colour illustration; simple, informative text; translation into three other languages – Afrikaans, Xhosa and Zulu; visual clues about the creatures' diet, size, distribution round our coast, locomotion and exactly where they live relative to the water line. This beautiful and inspiring introduction to southern Africa’s shores will appeal to children – and parents – of all ages.

'Next year I’m going to be 80 years old. My car will be 20 years old. Together we'll be 100. We’re going to drive to London.'

'And what route are you going to take?'

'I have no idea. I think I’ll keep to the right.'

When 80-year old Julia Albu calls in to her favourite radio show with a zany, half-baked idea, she has no idea that it will lead her to the adventure of a lifetime.

From helping push a 30-year-old Toyota bakkie up a precipitous mountain pass in Malawi to being 'adopted' by the riotous ex-pat South African community in Dar es Salaam and being fed mildly hallucinogenic 'herbs' by her Ethiopian driver-guide, nothing deterred 80-year-old Julia Albu from her quest to drive through Africa from the Cape to Cairo.

She and her 20-year-old Toyota Conquest, Tracy - a personality in her own right - travelled through 10 African countries, from South Africa to Egypt (and beyond). Julia was accompanied by a series of companions who added texture to her travels: three of her four grown-up children, her son-in-law, and at least one person who began as a complete stranger and ended up as a friend for life.

Reminiscing about her long and interesting life along the way, and maintaining a bright and upbeat outlook regardless of the circumstances, Julia proves that you're never too old to tackle that bucket list.

This long-standing, trusted field guide to the wildlife of southern Africa has been comprehensively updated and now includes distribution maps. It describes over 2,000 plants and animals, each accompanied by accurate illustrations in full colour. This book has been a trusted field companion for many years. Comprehensively updated, it now features range maps for most groups. The chapters are colour-coded for easy reference, and diagnostic features appear in bold type within the descriptions. Each chapter is written by a leading expert in the field.

Sasol First Field Guide to Wildlife of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the richly diverse wild life of the region - the more commonly seen spiders, scorpions, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. With the help of full-colour photographs and distribution maps, and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common animal species found in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their unique feeding and breeding habits.

This new-format, new edition of the African wildlife quiz book will provide hours of fun for people of all ages. Packed with quizzes, crosswords, word searches, brainteasers and interesting facts, it offers competitive games for lively groups, or a quiet challenge for solitary users. The activities will keep family and friends entertained while they learn about African wildlife and the environment; and the varied levels of difficulty will ensure that the whole family is entertained and challenged as they fill in the quiz grids provided. All the answers are given at the back of the book.

An excellent companion to take on long voyages, or have handy to fill spare time or spice up a party.

Wie is die beste Springbok van die moderne era?

Hoe kies jy tussen Bakkies Botha en Eben Etzebeth? Was Jaque Fourie of Lukhanyo Am die beste buitesenter? Moet Os du Randt of Beast Mtawarira jou skrum anker? Sou Juan Smith vir Pieter-Steph du Toit disnis duik? Soek jy Joost van der Westhuizen se skeppende spel, of Fourie du Preez se berekende skopvoet?

Hierdie vrae, en soveel meer word deur ’n gesaghebbende paneel van voormalige Bok-afrigters soos Carel du Plessis, Nick Mallett, Jake White en Peter de Villiers, asook van die land se top rugbyskrywers, in die Rapport 30 beste Bokke beantwoord. Die tydperk het ingesluit drie Wêreldbekers en Drienasies-titels, een Rugbykampioenskap-titel, ’n destydse wêreldrekord van 17 agtereenvolgende wedstryde sonder ’n nederlaag, en twee reeksseges oor die Britse en Ierse Leeus.

Dié boek stel ons voor aan die 30 beste Bokke. Dit bevat ook onderhoude, statistiek, foto’s en staaltjies uit die kleedkamer. Onmisbaar vir elke rugby-liefhebber.

This compact, easy-to-use guide features more than 350 of the most conspicuous and commonly seen birds in Namibia.

Pocket Guide Birds of Namibia offers:

- Concise identification text

- Full-colour photographs of all species covered

- Up-to-date distribution maps

- An informative introduction featuring the ‘specials’ of the key birding destinations in Namibia.

An ideal introduction and travelling companion for birders in or visiting the region.

Frogs of Southern Africa: A Complete Guide remains the most authoritative and comprehensive treatment of the frogs of the region ever produced, covering all aspects of frog and tadpole biology and behaviour.

This new edition (with a slight name change) has been thoroughly updated to reflect taxonomic changes based on the most recent research and DNA studies, and includes 12 new species and more than 130 new images. All 169 southern African frog species, and their tadpole stages, are fully described, along with their conservation status, calls, habitat and habits. Identification is made easy with the aid of over 1000 large, full-colour images, keys to species and summary panels on ‘Key ID points’ and ‘Distinctive characters’.

Calls for most species can be accessed instantly via QR codes in the book or downloaded from a dedicated website. Spectrograms of the calls are also included in the book.

Written by respected authorities in the field, this timely updated edition will be of benefit to all nature lovers, amateur ‘froggers’, students and professional scientists.

Children are fascinated by ‘bugs’ of all kinds, and insects are a familiar part of their everyday environment.

Dragonflies and ants, beetles and stick insects, butterflies and bees are just some of the many insects that are found in the home and garden, providing youngsters with a handy introduction to the natural world.

This book presents:

• 58 of the most common, intriguing and beautiful species accurately illustrated in full-colour

• concise text and simple graphics conveying the insect’s size, when it is active and what it eats

• straightforward text for children beginning to read in their mother tongue

• parallel texts in Afrikaans, Xhosa and Zulu for older learners who wish to improve their knowledge of other languages.

• Vivid and scientifically accurate illustrations in full colour

• Clearly and concisely written for children who are starting to read, but also suitable for adults to read to young children

• Additional information given in easy visual clues

Fully revised, Birds of Africa south of the Sahara provides unrivalled coverage of African birds in a single volume, and is the first book to describe and illustrate all of the birds found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert (the Afrotropic Region), including Socotra, Pemba and islands in the Gulf of Guinea.

Despite its exceptional coverage, this guide is compact enough to use in the field, and follows the standard field guide format, with texts and range maps appearing opposite the colour plates.

Sasol Eerste Veldgids tot Soogdiere van Suider-Afrika bied aan die jong leser ’n fassinerende blik op die diere lewe van die streek. Met behulp van volkleur foto’s en verspreidings kaarte, asook maklik leesbare teks, sal die jong volwassene en ontluikende natuur liefhebber die meer algemene soogdierspesies in Suider-Afrika kan identifiseer, kan vasstel waar hulle leef, en meer te wete kom oor hul unieke vreet- en teelgewoontes.

Die vierde boek in ‘n reeks. Al die boeke is met intensiteit baie fyn geskryf, Christof neem die leser op vlerke, elkeen het ‘n besonderse boodskap betreffende die natuur wat uitgedra word, dit gaan oor skryfkuns, vertelkuns wat jou vasvang, nie net oor die spesifieke reise wat gekies is nie, maar veral hoé dit beskryf is. Ervaar die passie waarmee dit geskryf is, met balans die natuurlewe uitbeeld soos dit daar gebeur, die unieke manier hoe die tonele en prentjies in die reisjoernaal die gebeure in Afrikaans vasvat, ook in die ruskampe, hoe die woorde ingespan word.

In die natuur gebeur daar nooit niks nie, al is daar byvoorbeeld nie ‘n leeujag nie, Christof en sy vrou volg die gebeure soos dit daar in die natuur met hul besoeke gebeur, die leser sien nie net die prentjies en tonele, wat beskryf word, hoor die geluide van die bos nie, maar ervaar dit asof hy/sy daar mét hulle is, jy ruik dit, proe dit, jy kan daaraan vat.

Die natuurlewe het sy eie ritme en bekoring, nét soos musiek, met elke lewende wese wat, in die omgewing waarin hulle moet oorleef, die sintuie en vaardighede wat aan hulle, eie aan hul soort, toegedeel is, ook teen die elemente inspan om hul spesie se voortbestaan te verseker.

Dit is soos dit in die Op Vlerke boeke geskilder word, met eie ritme, die note hou, om uiting aan elkeen se oorlewingsmeganisme te gee. Die manier van uitdrukking gee, diere, voëls beskryf, hier en daar ‘n insek, wat hulle doen, hoé, interaksie, beweging, gevoel, klanke, wat jou vasvang, die omgewing, plantegroei, die veld lewe gee, water, die terrein, dít is waaroor die boeke gaan, die skryfkuns met spesifiek die natuurlewe, waarin mens die skryfstyl kan uitleef wat met elke sintuig van jou praat.

The national parks and reserves of East Africa are widely known for their rich and abundant wildlife. This book presents a new and exciting angle – the geological highlights of the region’s intriguing landscape. East Africa’s cataclysmic volcanic legacy, caused by rifting of the landmass, has resulted in a rich source of geological wonders. These range from the seemingly endless, peaceful plains of the Serengeti to the stark skyscraper walls of extinct calderas and the boiling magma cauldrons and belching vents of the Nyiragongo Volcano.

This handy guide escorts users around all the major – and some minor – parks of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as the Virunga Mountains in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Descriptions of each park and its wildlife offerings, both fauna and flora, preface discussion of the geological origins, influences and current conditions. Key geosites in the parks, and how to access them, are indicated. Maps, satellite images and diagrams, along with vivid photography, help explain the dramatic landforms, both close up and from above.

For anyone planning a safari to the legendary East African game parks and reserves, this book adds an exciting new dimension.

Africa is home to an amazing array of animals, including the world's most diverse assortment of large mammals. These include the world's largest terrestrial mammal, the African elephant, which still roams great swathes of the continent alongside a host of hooved mammals such as hippopotamuses, giraffes, rhinoceroses, and zebras.

African Ark: Mammals, Landscape and the Ecology of a Continent tells the story of where these mammals have come from and how they have interacted to create the richly varied landscape that makes up Africa as we know it today. It also highlights small mammals, such as rodents and bats, which are often overlooked by both naturalists and zoologists in favour of their larger cousins.

African Ark explains the processes through which species and population groups are formed and how these fluctuate over time. It explores the impact of megafauna on the environment and the important roles they play in shaping the landscape. In this way, mammals such as elephants and rhinoceros support countless plant communities and the habitats of many smaller animals. The book brings in a human perspective as well as a conservation angle in its assessment of the interaction of African mammals with the people who live alongside them.

African Ark is at once scientifically rigorous - drawing on the contributions of numerous zoologists, ecologists and conservationists - and an engaging read for anyone dedicated to the understanding of Africa and its wildlife.

On 2 February 1959, a musical about the life and times of heavyweight boxing star Ezekiel Dhlamini (known as 'King Kong') opened in Johannesburg to a packed audience that included Nelson Mandela. King Kong was not just South Africa's first ever musical, but one that grew out of a collaboration between black people and white, and showcased an all-black cast.

It was an instant hit, bursting through the barriers of apartheid and eventually playing to 200,000 South Africans of every colour before transferring to London's West End. Pat Williams, the show's lyricist, was at the time an apolitical young woman trying to free herself from the controls and prejudices of the genteel white society in which she lived. Here she recounts her experience of growing up in a divided South Africa, her involvement in the musical, and its lasting impact both on herself and on the show's cast, many of whom went on to find international fame, like South African jazz legends Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. Her memoir takes the story up to the present day.

It is both a vivid evocation of a troubled time and place as well as a celebration of a joyous production, in which a group of young people came together in South Africa's dark times - to create a show which still lives on today.

Children will enjoy hours of fun colouring in this selection of our most striking seashore life – more than 40 of the brightest, most fascinating, commonly known creatures and plants from our local shores.

In the middle of the book is a full-colour gallery of all the featured shore life, giving a clear guide as to which shade of crayon or paint to use when colouring in the outlined images throughout the book.

As they work through the book, budding artists and inquisitive children will also be able to pick up snippets of knowledge about the creatures, such as how the colourful sea anemone overpowers its prey; whether the sponge is an animal; how the starfish pulls its stomach outside of its body to eat; why the hermit crab's homes are all second-hand; and the bag of tricks used by that master of disguise, the octopus.

This pocket-sized, easy-to-use guide to the birds of Zambia features 425 birds likely to be seen in the region, plus a few ‘specials’ sought after by birders. It is an invaluable introduction and guide for visitors to Zambia with its 20 national parks and 42 Important Bird Areas.

Features include:

• An informative introduction to birding in the region, including habitat descriptions and a glossary
• Full-colour photographs illustrating diagnostic features and plumage differences
• Concise identification text, including key ID pointers, call description and favoured habitat of each species
• Up-to-date distribution maps.

Hierdie boek het ontstaan as 'n verhaal oor die lewe van 'n besonderse mens: David Samaai. Maar baie gou besef jy dat dit eintlik 'n boek oor 'n baie besonderse familie, die Samaai-familie woonagtig in Paarl, is. Davy Samaai was 'n legendariese tennisspeler, 'n begaafde musikant, 'n inspirerende skoolhoof of hardwerkende onderwyser. Hy het ook met sy voorbeeld gelei.

African dinosaurs are no less significant than their ‘celebrity’ cousins, such as T. rex, and they are just as magnificent and fascinating. Their fossils have been discovered across the continent – from the Sahara Desert to the Karoo.
 
Dinosaurs of Africa  starts with a brief general introduction, which is followed by short chapters on different dinosaur species, including fish-eating, sociable and predatory dinosaurs, as well as those that were cannibals. It also introduces the biggest meat-eating dinosaur of all time. Details are given about where these creatures were found, the meaning of their scientific names, and their size and diet.
 
Spectacular, colourful illustrations bring the dinosaurs vividly to life; photographs, maps and line drawings further illustrate the subject, while ‘Facts’, ‘Unsolved’ and ‘Up close’ boxes add to the intrigue.
 
This new edition of the much-loved Famous Dinosaurs of Africa  published in 2014 revitalises our idea of what these incredible animals may have been like, with:

• newly discovered species
• the latest scientific information
• updated terminology
• vibrant new illustrations.