On Saturday 5 May local children's bookstore, Ethnikids, will celebrate their first birthday with a family fun day at NIROX Sculpture Park.

The day will consist of a number of fun literary events for children of all ages. Families will be able to enjoy a picnic in the park interspersed by children's book readings every hour, on the hour, with musical workshops in-between. Children will also be given the opportunity to meet the authors of their favourite books.

Ethnikids is an online bookstore specialising in children's books that feature characters of colour in various South African languages. Their mission is to provide diverse material that all children can relate to and identify with. David Philip author, Sindiwe Magona, will be there to discuss and read from her latest children's book Skin we are in. 

Be sure to join Ethnikids, Sindiwe Magona, and a number of other local authors for a fun day celebrating the joys of reading.

The line-up is as follows:

10am - Gates open

11am - Swaady Martin, author of Malaika & The Angel

12pm - Bianca Masina, author of I Love Me

1pm - Sing-along with with Moshoeu Ketlele to Mzansi's Nursery Rhymes

2pm - Lebohang Masango, author of Mpumi's Magic Beads

3pm - Refiloe Moahloli, author of How many ways to say hello and Tullula

4pm - Sindiwe Magona, author of Skin we are in

Get your tickets for the event here.

Catherine Stock's children's book, Armien's Fishing Trip, is reissued by Meerkat Books.

The illustrated children's book is set in the sleepy village of Kalk Bay, a seaside community that conjures images of bright fishing boats, noisy seagulls and delicious fish and chips. Since the 1850s, Kalk Bay harbour has helped the local fishermen in providing for their families. Many of the traditional fishermen that leave the harbour and head out to see every morning come from families that have been doing so for generations.

Armien's Fishing Trip celebrates this shrinking local profession. The children's book tells the story of a young boy who stows away on his uncle's boat when visiting the village. With trouble afoot on the stormy seas, Armien's quick thinking proves that he's not a little boy anymore. Originally published in 1991, this is a beautifully illustrated children's tale of adventure, excitement, family and hope. The book is being reissued in 2017 with a message that is as relevant as it was 25 years ago.

Catherine Stock is an award-winning author and illustrator who has experienced many different cultures first hand. Born in Sweden, she has lived with her family in France, England, South Africa, Hong Kong and the United States. She has a Fine Arts degree from the University of Cape Town and an MA from the Pratt Institute in New York.

Armien's Fishing Trip is published by Meerkat Books, an imprint of New Africa Books that specializes in high quality, full-colour books featuring stories that the children of Africa will recognize themselves in.

The book is available for purchase at all major bookstores and online from New Africa Books, Loot and Takealot.