Category: Children’s Books

February’s Spotlight Author: Luke W. Molver

Luke Molver

This month’s spotlight shines on author/illustrator Luke W. Molver. Luke is the co-author (along with Mason O’Connor) and illustrator of the first book in our African Graphic Novel Series, Shaka Rising: A Legend of the Warrior Prince, and the author/illustrator of its sequel King Shaka: Zulu Legend. Both of these books are published through Story Press Africa, our collaborative imprint with Jive Media Africa. As part of our ongoing Author Spotlight Sale, this month we’re offering Shaka Rising for 50% off!

Shaka Rising is the story of a legendary Zulu leader’s rise to power during one of southern Africa’s most turbulent periods. Shaka’s story is one of family drama, political intrigue, and warfare, and is told in a nuanced and exciting way that’s both entertaining and educational. Add in Luke’s fantastic illustrations, and you’ve got a great book for the young reader in your life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luke and Shaka Rising have had an incredible run since the book was released in 2018. It has earned rave reviews from The Wall Street Journal (“[M]arks the launch of a welcome historical graphic-novel series set in Africa”); Kirkus (“A worthy introduction that offers a young Anglophone audience entry into a legend of Africa”); and Booklist (“This is a tale comics has heretofore not done justice to, and it’s handsomely presented here.”), among many others. It was also shortlisted a Nommo Awards for African Speculative Fiction in the Graphic Novel category, and was named an Honor Book for Older Readers by the Children’s Africana Book Awards.

In addition to his work on the Shaka books, Luke is also a comic book creator whose work, most recently, has been featured at the Johannesburg Art Gallery’s exhibit The Art of Comics. You can also learn more about Luke in this short video interview with Beautiful News South Africa or this interview with Smash Pages.

All this month, and only at our site, you can get the paperback version of Shaka Rising for just $8.50. Order here

Giveaway Winners, Graphic Novels, and Why We’re Sharing African History Worldwide

Last month, we and our Story Press Africa partners held a giveaway to celebrate the release of the latest installment in our African Graphic Novel Series— King Shaka: Zulu Legend by Luke Molver. The entry was pretty simple: like our post, and then comment with the name of a historic person or event you’d like to see in a future graphic novel. And people really delivered! There were a host of names, and a timeline’s worth of notable events. It was truly amazing.

Readers are excited about African histories and stories. They want to put faces to names, they want to see history live again on the page. Whether it is the stories of your own country and your own ancestors, or that of those who live worlds apart, there is something special and vital about keeping those stories, those names in our memories. While we won’t list every name and event giveaway entrants suggested, we thought we’d share just a few to show just how many stories there are to tell… Continue reading “Giveaway Winners, Graphic Novels, and Why We’re Sharing African History Worldwide”

It’s Giveaway Time!!

To celebrate the release of King Shaka: Zulu Legend in both the US and South Africa, we and our partners at Story Press Africa are giving away four copies in each country! To enter, follow us on one (or all) of our social media accounts.

 

 

What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to Read a Book from Catalyst Press)

2020 is just around the corner (which, is simply unbelievable. Wasn’t it just summer?!), so we wanted to give you a preview about some of the great books we’ve got planned for the new year. This post will cover, roughly, the first half of 2020 (with one book that’s set for release in late 2019), and part two, covering the rest of the year, is coming soon.

Many of these books are ready for pre-order right now, so if someone (you) were looking to add a few books to the to-be-read pile, someone (you) would be in luck. All right, onward! Continue reading “What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to Read a Book from Catalyst Press)”

The Lolo Series

Meet Lolo. She’s kind-hearted, creative, full of fun, and she’s sure to become your best friend! This series for new readers follows Lolo as she navigates her way from adventure to adventure. Lolo skips through life, leaving a trail of laughter and a few frowns in these books, each featuring four easy-to-read stories.

All four Lolo books have been chosen as Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections.

Books in the series:
Here Comes Lolo
Hooray for Lolo
You’re a Star, Lolo 
Fly High, Lolo

See a preview of the Lolo series here!
Hear author Niki Daly read a story from Here Comes Lolo
Download a Lolo activity sheet (PDF)
Download Lolo Teaching Guides Here Comes Lolo | Hooray for Lolo

Reviews

“With a simply written, graceful text and gray-scale pictures on nearly every page, these appealing stories are just right for children moving from beginning readers to chapter books.” —Booklist

“Bright and cheerful Lolo is the star of the show in this new chapter-book series from South Africa. […} Young readers will find much to enjoy in this tale of a winning little girl and her family—hooray indeed!” Kirkus Reviews

“Daly’s lessons are relatable and resonant, sowing seeds of compassion and connection between the reader and Lolo. […] The expressive black-and-white digital illustrations, which resemble classic line art à la Amelia Bedelia, lovingly depict Lolo and her community. An endearing protagonist and clear thematic messages make this first in a series a winsome pick for early readers.” —Publishers Weekly (Review of Here Comes Lolo)

“[T]he books in the series thus far are charming, touching, and captivating. I loved reading these books, and I cannot wait to pass both titles on to my 8 year old niece. I hope that she enjoys this window into a South African girl’s life, and sees herself in Lolo’s own experiences.” — Klem-Marí Cajigas, Global Literature in Libraries

“The outstanding feature of this series of books is that very few books for children of this age (say 5 to 8 years) combine a highly readable tone and a feisty young character of colour.” — International Board on Books for Young People, UK

“Lolo is thoughtful and caring and she is very good at considering the feelings of others. Each book would be wonderful picks for a learning setting, encouraging conversations about emotions and friendships. The books would be great for young readers 5 and upwards, who are becoming more independent at reading and would like to make the transition from picture books to chapter books. Great reads.” — Mamma Filz Book Blog

“Lolo is a fun-loving, likeable character, whose experiences and dilemmas are typical of children her age. She considers the impact her actions have on others, making this a great book to promote discussion about emotions, empathy, kindness and friendship. Ideal for newly independent readers to increase their confidence, each page is illustrated with characterful black-and-white illustrations that bring the stories to life.” — Book Trust (UK)

“Sparkly stories all, with lots of gentle humour that will win Lolo lots of friends among young readers who are sure to enjoy making the acquaintance of this enormously engaging girl.”—Red Reading Hub

The Author

Niki Daly’s groundbreaking Not So Fast Songololo, winner of a US Parent’s Choice Award, paved the way for post-apartheid South African children’s books. Among his many books, Niki Daly’s Jamela’s Dress was chosen by the ALA as a Notable Children’s Book and by Booklist as one of the Top 10 African American Picture Books of 2000. It also won both the Children’s Literature Choice Award and the Parents’ Choice Silver Award. Niki lives with his wife, the author and illustrator Jude Daly, in South Africa.

King Shaka: Zulu Legend Out Now in South Africa

L-R: Catalyst Press founder Jessica Powers, Jive Media Africa/Story Press Africa co-founder Robert Inglis, Luke Molver

Huge congratulations to Luke Molver! His graphic novel King Shaka: Zulu Legend made its South African debut at the Midlands Literary Festival last weekend!  Reviews have started to come in for the book; The Midwest Book Review has praised the novel as “thoroughly engrossing from cover to cover” and Kirkus Reviews calls it “authentically enlightening and entertaining.” We’re hoping that readers everywhere will agree!

King Shaka author/illustrator Luke Molver

 

 

King Shaka, the continuing story of Shaka’s rise to power, comes to North America in October. You can pre-order your copy here!

Thank You!!

So many books on their way to South Africa!

Last month, we launched a Kickstarter to help us fund production and distribution of our upcoming graphic novel King Shaka: Zulu Legend, and we so happy to announce that it was funded! As part of our supporter rewards, we included a buy-one-give-one option that allowed supporters to not only get their very own copy of King Shaka, but to give one to a school or library in South Africa. And through your generosity, the copies you see here will be distributed through our partnership with READ Educational Trust, a South African literacy organization that’s making sure children all over the country have access to books. This is just the start of our work making sure that kids who need books can get them. Your support will also help us roll out a buy-one-give-one option here at our website—so stay tuned! Continue reading “Thank You!!”

From the Editor’s Desk…

A few months ago, we introduced a semi-regular feature in our newsletter called From the Editor’s Desk, in which our intrepid founder/editor/publisher/almost everything else-r, Jessica, gives our subscribers an update on all of the Catalyst Press goings-on. Since we’d like as many people as possible to stay up-to-date on our new and upcoming releases, we’ve decided to repost them here beginning with the installment that appeared in our July newsletter. These will be posted after they appear in the newsletter, so if you want to find out what’s going on before they make their way here, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!

This summer has felt a bit like getting hit by a truck. (This actually happened to me 13 years ago, so it’s not entirely a specious comment.) My husband took the position of Dean of Language Arts at the college where I teach, which meant my 10 year teaching career at that particular college was now over. (The college has certain rules against professors sleeping with the dean.) (And no, it didn’t matter that I had taught there for 10 years prior to his becoming a dean.) (Do I sound bitter? It’s OK. I’ll miss teaching but I love my job at Catalyst.) (Aaannnd….that’s probably enough parentheses….) This led to our putting our house up for sale. We got it ready in a month and sold it in one day, all of which has left us exhausted. We are now moving and will be doing the apartment thing for awhile. It’s a whole new life in foggy California, right beside the ocean, right along the San Andreas fault.

Continue reading “From the Editor’s Desk…”