  
|
 |
| August 2008 |
Education |
|
South Africa's first children's book about climate change
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
"I can't stand the idea of lecturing at children. I just wanted to chat in a constructive way. There's plenty that kids can do to help, all on their own. Parents have just handed the problem on to the next generation. We won't see most of the damage - our children and grandchildren will," says Ginny Stone, author of the first South African children's book about climate change, ''Sibo Makes A Difference.''
The author, science games designer Ginny Stone, likes to be a pathbreaker, which may be why in 2007 she moved from Cape Town to Springs, sometimes known as the armpit of the East Rand. "The wonderful highveld winters almost make up for lack of mountains and sea", says Stone.
In the Western Cape, Stone was a prominent figure in science communication circles, always busy with multiple projects involving students and teachers at the world-class iThemba particle physics accelerator on the Cape Flats, across the N1 freeway from Khayelitsha and en route to Somerset West.
She was also a familiar face at South Africa's national science festival,
SciFest, in Grahamstown during the first school term every year, where she
organised and hosted the popular sold-out ''Phat Physics'' workshops for kids.
The move to Gauteng "gave me some time-out to write," says the mother of two daughters and step-mother of one son. 'I've been scribbling for most of my life but have never really done anything concrete with it. Having a book published, especially one that actually means something, is a dream come true."
Stone even did her own artwork while she was playing around with the plot lines, using the Corel Draw computer programme, which was later reworked by the design team at Let's Look publishing.
The Pretoria publishers of the book, Lets Look, have embraced the project wholeheartedly - going one step further by using environmentally friendly paper and ink for printing. Miles Jarvis of Raptor Creative said the environmentally-friendly paper, sponsored by the NOR company, is free of chlorine and was harvested from a sustainable forestry programme. ''The inks used are derived from soya beans,'' Jarvis said.
Ginny also produces a blog, online at http://dogsblog.blog.com and is a columnist for her local community weekly, the Springs Advertiser.
She remains passionately devoted to science outreach, which she says includes her husband Chris Theron, a physicist at Element 6, which makes industrial diamonds under pressure - rather like the writing process!
Stone is secretary and treasurer of the eleven-year-old Southern African Association of Science and Technology Centres (SAASTEC), and is busy preparing for their 2008 meeting in November at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in central Johannesburg.
Although sneak previews of "Sibo makes a Difference" were available (but not for sale) at the Cape Town Book Fair in June, it really only made its debut at the '4by4' book launch celebrating 4 women authors at the MTN Sciencentre in Cape Town on Monday July 14 2008. The book will be on sale at R40.
Christina Scott, Africa news editor of the Science and Development Network website, is launching her newest book on good health for students across Africa, part of the Heinemann series '10 Things You Should Know About.'
Veteran environmental activist and artist Betty Dwight is showing off her new book about the plant and insect and animal life thriving on 'Rondebosch Common', which she illustrated and which will be on sale for R150.
And award-winning palaeontology researcher from the University of Cape Town, Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, will also speak and have copies of her book Famous 'Dinosaurs of Africa'(Struik) available.
Prior to talks by the four women authors, Connie September, the MP who chairs
the water and forestry portfolio committee in parliament, will say a few words.
More information:
Sibo Makes a Difference published in South Africa by Let's Look, 30 Verbenia Street, Lynnwood Ridge, Pretoria 0081, Gauteng, South Africa. website: www.lets-look.net Tel: (012) 361 2329/3854 Fax: (012) 361 8060.E.mail: imfundo@netactive.co.za
Rondebosch Common: Email rondebosch-common@mweb.co.za
10 Things You Should Know About . Good Health - Christina Scott Website: www.SciDev.Net Email: christina.scott@scidev.net Heinemann South Africa publishers: www.heinemann.co.za/
Famous African Dinosaurs - Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, email
achinsam@botzoo.uct.ac.za
Struik Publishers, South Africa:
www.struik.co.za/
Copyright Science in Africa, Science magazine for Africa CC. All Rights Reserved
