Babas Gift

by Beverley Naidoo, Maya Naidoo, Karin Littlewood (Illustrator)

Lindi and her brother go to the sea with their grandmother, taking a little wooden boat to play with that their grandfather has made. They quickly make a new friend and play together with the boat in the sea and then have a picnic. No one notices the sea creeping in until it has taken their boat away. The children are upset but find a special shell to take home for their father to make up for the loss of the boat he had given them. He says he can always make another boat but that he could never make anything as beautiful as the shell.

Genres: Picture Books, Africa

Paperback

First published July 29, 2003

About the author

Beverley Naidoo was born in South Africa on 21 May 1943 and grew up under apartheid. As a student, she began to question the apartheid regime and was later arrested for her actions as part of the resistance movement in South Africa. In 1965 she went into exile, going to England. She married another South African exile; they have two children.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about a couple of kids who are so excited they get to go with their Gogo (I discovered it means grandmother or elderly woman) to the sea. In this culture, that means the Indian Ocean. The authors are from South Africa and are mother and daughter. Their Baba (father) has carved and created a sailboat for them to take along since he has to work and cannot go. The joy of playing in the sea is beautifully shown in the story, and the need for some prediction will occur as the children concentrate so much on their sand play that they don’t notice the tide is coming in. When readying to go home, they discover the boat has disappeared. There is a happy ending, also because of the sea. I enjoyed that children can learn how different children go on a day trip, and what foods they take on a picnic. It’s fun.

[LeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Baba (Father) can't go to the beach with the two children, he sends a little boat. After a fun day of play, the boat floats out to sea with the tide. Lovely water color illustrations by Karin Littlewood show a city that could be Durban, South Africa. Positive images of a working father. Inter-racial friendships are subtly encouraged as the African children and their grandmother interact with an Indian family.

[Rebecca Snodgrass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book and liked that it is diverse. It is about kids far away. You know they are far away because of the pictures and the talk of sugar cane. I knew they were going to lose the boat in the waves because I've done the same thing. The pictures were kind of different than other picture books but I did enjoy it.