Exploring Fynbos – Plants, Animals, Interactions by Margo Branch (published by Struik Nature) seems to be aimed at slightly older children (tweens, perhaps, or young teenagers), and it’s a fine introduction to the amazing lives that live themselves out in the unique and fascinating Cape Floral Kingdom. After an introduction to the fynbos (which covers [...]

My first book of Southern African Ocean Life (by Roberta Griffiths with illustrations by Judy Maré, published by Struik Nature) is another in a series of wonderful soft covers (I reviewed ‘My First Book of Southern African Mammals’ here) which are printed simultaneously in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, and Zulu. Simple introductions to the ocean’s food [...]

Must-have new book! Here’s a mistake you shouldn’t make: thinking that succulents (beautifully known in Afrikaans as ‘vetplante’ – fat plants) grow only in the dry desert areas of our diverse and bewildering sub-continent. They grow every where. I see them when I’m walking along the Lagoon here in Knysna, when I’m driving in the [...]

Chris and Mathilde Stuart, published by Struik Travel & Heritage Soft cover, 320 pages This is a book to make you dream and drool. It describes 43 parks and conservation areas, and makes each one seem more inviting than the last. Naturally, being a Knysnarian, I turned straight to the Garden Route National Park. It’s [...]