I love that we can share Afrikaans stories together, as a first language English family it’s great to read Afrikaans books to broaden our understanding of this language and to learn new words. So we were excited to read Diereverkenners: Tobie die diepseeduiker, an Afrikaans children’s picture book by Sharon Rentta which has been translated by Jaco Jacobs.
Tobie is a young tiger who dreams of exploring the ocean. He’s fascinated by how many things there are to see under the sea, and he longs to go where no tiger has ever gone before to explore the deepest, darkest depths. His mother gives him a scuba diving set and he sets out to document the beautiful creatures living in the coral reef.
Not satisfied Tobie asks Buffel to build him a dive boat and he sets off on a new adventure to dive deeper into the sea. He discovers the wonders of the deep, documenting his discoveries in his diary. He’s even challenged to save a sea turtle caught up in a fishing net, delivering an important message of how we need to dispose of fishing nets and plastic bags safely to keep our ocean animals safe.
The illustrations are bright and beautifully detailed, with the labelled under the sea animals giving young readers the opportunity to learn the Afrikaans words for many different animals. There are even mini biographies of three real-life oceanographers at the end of the book.
Diereverkenners: Tobie die diepseeduiker is a fun story that teaches children about having the courage and determination to follow their dreams. If you’re looking for a fun Afrikaans picture book to read together as an English family I would recommend your budding explorers check this book out. If you’re an Afrikaans family then it’s a must-have addition to your bookshelf.
Diereverkenners: Tobie die diepseeduiker is available for a recommended retail price of R155.
Thanks to Penguin Random House and LAPA for sharing this fun book with us.
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