Books for South Africa
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BOOKS WE NEED:

Books must be appropriate. This is not easy to determine and takes skimming through each book. Themes and images must not be so specific to the US and to affluent people that they provide few connections to the experience of the recipients. Imagine that you are being handed a book in a language which YOU studied in school and are just learning. Would this book be accessible to you? Would it be interesting to you?

Please if at all possible, put the books horizontally in boxes with lids when dropping off a donation.

Please sort books into 9 “buckets” & place into labeled boxes:

WE NEED

Label for box

 Books for children who are just beginning to read English - vocabulary learning books with lots of graphics for clues. Images should be recognizable to rural African children. Text should be translatable by teachers. (in Winchester we’d describe them as Books for very young children”)

·         a few words per page

beginning English/ picture books

 

Story books with lots of pictures - which are appropriate for rural African children - those with exclusively affluent and only white images are usually not very useful unless they are wonderfully universal in both story and theme.

·         More sentences per page

Story books, lots of pictures

Books for readers who have a basic reading knowledge of English – with short chapters - some graphics and pictures which provide clues to meaning.

short chapter books

Books for readers proficient in English as a second language – equivalent to middle school in the US - with appropriate stories and themes.

Books for High School English as second language

Classic books of universal appeal to round out a school or town library. Imagine older students and educated adults reading for pleasure OR for research.

Classic books

Recent encyclopedias (copyright 1995 or more recent) and other reference books which might be used for research in classrooms and school libraries. Be careful that the facts are timely and that Africa is not slighted in the text or in what is included. Primary and middle school US level are the most valuable. However, US high school reading level resources with lots of graphics and photos are useful in all topics.

Recent encyclopedias

Middle school and high school biology, world geography (not exclusively American) and chemistry text books copyright 1995 or more recent are welcome.

Elementary and high school biology, geography, chemistry

 National Geographics more recent than 2000 (no other magazines unless very similar) - also young people's science magazines

National Geographics/ young science magazines

Very recent professional books, especially on a single topic, are sometimes useful. You should be able to spot them -- for example books on teaching writing, research methodology for educators, very basic books on starting a business or entrepreneurship. Think about rural people building their skills but with the metric system, limited electricity or access to tools.

professional books

 

 

(2) Drawing Supplies to go to South Africa: – paper, crayons, pens (not felt tip since heat dries out ink during shipping), sharpeners, coloring books, index cards

Drawing Supplies

 

 

WE DO NOT WANT:

Old or Bad condition books.

NO MILDEW PLEASE!

Magazines, travel guides, recipe books

Get rich quick, weight loss, etc

Religious