Making books affordable and relevant for young children
Act for Early Years
A non-profit publisher called Book Dash, supported by Theirworld, creates and publish affordable books for preschool South African children in their own languages.
Many people, even as adults, will still remember their favourite book from childhood. But for some children the idea of owning even one book remains a distant reality.
For many families around the world, children’s books are simply out of reach, too expensive for parents and often lacking cultural relevance or unavailable in local languages.
In South Africa, for example, two-thirds of families with young children do not have a single book at home. As a result, 80% of children struggle to read by the age of 10.
Research also shows that reading printed books significantly improves comprehension and retention in early childhood compared with digital formats. This is particularly important during the first five years of life when 90% of brain development takes place.
Theirworld is working with South African non-profit Book Dash to help it reach an ambitious goal – for every child in South Africa to have 100 books in their home by the age of five.
Play/span>VideoLearn more about Book Dash
By working with creative volunteers and partners, Book Dash has developed a model that enables it to publish and distribute quality books at 20% of the cost of traditional publishing.
These books can then be gifted to families, reaching some of the country’s most vulnerable children who need them the most.
The books are created in languages spoken at home and rooted in the communities they serve, helping parents read with their children and enabling children to see themselves reflected in stories and develop a lifelong love of reading.
Through Theirworld’s expert support, mentoring and grant funding, Book Dash has strengthened its model and scaled its impact, working together to print and distribute books to more than 110,000 households.
They develop listening skills, they develop language, they learn a lot from the books
Parent Thandazwa Nongogo
For many families, receiving one of these books was the first time they could read together at home.
Parent Thandazwa Nongogo instantly noticed the change in her children since receiving some of the books. She said: “I read at home before they sleep and it’s very easy because these books are very simple and short. They develop listening skills, they develop language, they learn a lot from the books.”
The impact extends beyond the home. For preschool teachers, books are a powerful tool for early learning.
“They love story time,” said teacher Miné Campey, who is now able to encourage parents and carers to read at home to support early development.
Book Dash’s model focuses on stories that reflect the world young children know. The organisation produces books about everyday life, created in all 12 official South African languages, including sign language, and it plans to expand beyond South Africa.
Owning books can change the course of young children’s lives.
Book Dash has created more than 200 new children’s books, ensuring that children from diverse backgrounds can see themselves (and their potential) in the pages.
“Books serve as a window into the world, so it was important that the context is relevant to the children,” said Book Dash’s Executive Director Thembalethu Shangase.
Theirworld supported Book Dash after selecting the organisation as part of the 2023 cohort of the Theirworld Education Innovation Awards. The awards provide non-profits with grant funding, mentoring and masterclasses to help them strengthen and scale innovative solutions to global education challenges.
Looking ahead, Book Dash plans to grow its impact even further. Shangase said working with Theirworld “really empowered” the organisation. She added: “It’s through this that we’re able to build a solid strategy around how we get more Book Dash books out in the world… not just locally in South Africa.”
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