A sassy cat from the back alleys of Paris believes she is quite different to the rest of the rabble. She can do anything she sets her mind to - even if others don't think so. Leaving her cat family behind, she sets off to explore Paris. Cat meets legendary singer Edith Piaf, creates her own stunning designs at a high-fashion atelier and dances with the infamous dancer Josephine Baker and her cheetah. But is this the life she really wants? What about her friends and family?

This is the astonishing true story of Zeraffa, a giraffe who was sent as a gift from Egypt to France in 1827. A young boy takes care of Zeraffa on her epic journey to Paris, where she is the first giraffe ever seen. Everyone falls in love with the beautiful giraffe. An amazing story by an award-winning author and an internationally acclaimed artist.

"Watch out, dragons. We're coming!" Rain raps the windows. Wind rattles the doors. And off they go, grandchild and grandpa, down to the beach for a wild and wonderful adventure, looking for the Storm Dragon!   

My daddy is a great big bear. He gets out of bed and grumbles and grouches, scratches and yawns! This charming picture book for younger children portrays a day in the life of a dad and daughter in a single-parent home, as they get up, have breakfast, go to school, go swimming, make dinner and prepare for bedtime. Dad is a great big bear, a silly monkey, a crocodile, an octopus and, at bedtime, a scary monster for a little while - but in the end it's Daddy being Daddy that the little girl loves best.

Storm! Storm! Rain raps the window, wind rattles the door.

"Let's look for storm dragons," says Grandpa. "Watch out, dragons.
We're coming!"

Off they go, Grandpa and grandchild, down to the beach for a wild and wonderful adventure ... They find dragon footprints, dragon jewels, and even a dragon baby, but what will happen when they find the REAL Storm Dragon?

Oliver Strange's life in London is all very normal until his father disappears in the wilds of the Okavango Swamps while collecting frog data. When Oliver goes in search of his dad, he is captured and things go from bad to worse.

He soon discovers his knowledge of reading maps and his Swiss Army knife are not enough when faced with crocodiles, hippos, lions and dynamite-brandishing crooks with a sinister goal to collect venom from the most poisonous frog of all the golden poison dart frog, found only in Colombia. Oliver is faced with not only saving his father but perhaps the whole world.

This school edition of Oliver Strange and the Journey to the Swamps is included in the Department of Basic Educations National Catalogue for Senior Phase learners. It has been revised and updated with activities for pre-reading and post-reading, questions according to cognitive levels, glossaries and notes on the genre of the novel.

Daniela the glassmaker's daughter is grumpy and never smiles. Her father promises a beautiful glass palace to anyone who can make her laugh. People come from far and wide to try their luck in amusing Daniela. But mask makers, lion tamers and magicians cannot raise a smile from the princess. It is only when a young apprentice makes the first looking glass that Daniela learns to smile - at her own grumpy reflection! This beautiful fable set in sixteenth-century Venice features stunning illustrations from award-winning artist Jane Ray alongside a poetic text.

Two very different nocturnal creatures learn the give and take of friendship on the African savannah, when they decide to open a hotel.

Aardvark, impulsive and full of ideas, is the perfect foil to Pangolin's calm and careful nature. The tempo of each chapter follows a pattern:

Aardvark, the dreamer, suggests a halfbaked idea. Pangolin refuses for rational reasons, then falls under Aardvark's spell, with the inevitable conflict that follows. Funny and adventurous, the story explores friendship and individuality. In the end it's the tiny gifts left by the animals who came to stay that help Pangolin appreciate what true friendship means.

Princess Beatrix is excited to meet the amazing one-horned creature that has been sent as a gift to her father, the King of Portugal. Could it be a unicorn? But the new animal is not a unicorn – it’s a rhinoceros called Genda, who has travelled all the way from India, and Beatrix immediately loves him. She becomes Genda’s friend and protector, and is determined to persuade her father the King that this wild creature should be returned to his jungle home. This poignant story is inspired by  the real rhinoceros depicted in 1515  by Albrecht Dürer in his world-famous woodcut, which can still be seen today.

Python has wrapped himself around the melon/mango/pomegranate tree with its delicious fruit, and he won't share the fruit unless the animals can tell him the correct name of the tree. Elephant, Monkey and Zebra each in turn visit Lion, who alone knows the name of the tree. But every time, the animals forget the name on the journey back to the tree. Then Tortoise, the slowest, smallest animal goes to Lion - and sings a special song to remind him of the name. It is the Bojabi Tree! Python unwraps himself from the trunk, and all the animals share a feast.

Storm! Storm! Rain raps the window, wind rattles the door.

“Let’s look for storm dragons,” says Grandpa. “Watch out, dragons. We’re coming!”

Off they go, Grandpa and grandchild, down to the beach for a wild and wonderful adventure ... They find dragon footprints, dragon jewels, and even a dragon baby, but what will happen when they find the REAL Storm Dragon?

Storm! Storm! Reën ploeps teen die venster, wind pluk-pluk aan die deur. “Kom ons gaan jag Suidoosterdrake,” sê Oupa.

‘Pasop, drake. Hier kom ons!’

Oupa en sy kleinkind gaan op ‘n wilde en wonderlike avontuur af strand toe tydens ‘n storm. Daar vind hulle draakvoetspore, draakjuwele en selfs ‘n draakbaba, maar wat sal gebeur as hulle die rêrige Suidoosterdraak vind?

My daddy is . . . a great big bear, a naughty crocodile, a whirly, twirly octopus and a very SILLY monkey! But most of all he's just my LOVELY DADDY. This beautiful picture book by South African author Dianne Hofmeyr and UK illustrator Carol Thompson is a heartwarming celebration of fathers everywhere.

A lost city of gold . . . Anacondas more than 30 feet long . . . Jaguars lurking in the dark . . . and a frog so poisonous, a single drop of its toxin will kill up to twenty people. The stakes are high! These are the forests of Colombia where drug traffi ckers grow their coca to turn into cocaine. When Oliver Strange arrives at the village of the Embera people with his friend, Zinzi, and his herpetologist father, they meet a mysterious boy called Fabio and come face to face with brutal guerrilla fighters. Can Ollie help Fabio outwit them to protect a horde of ancient gold? Will he survive a swim through the tunnels of an underwater cave, to find Fabio when he disappears?

This is one a series of original stories designed for the 12 to 16 age-group. All the stories have a strong African flavour.