Otto Foundation South Africa

28/09/2026

Our Picture Books Reading Relay has officially wrapped!

Over the past term, our shortlisted Picture Books travelled from reader to reader, giving as many young people as possible the chance to read them, talk about them, and share their honest opinions.

Now comes the fun part behind the scenes: we’re tallying up the numbers and scores from every school and library that took part. Every rating, comment and dog-eared favourite page counts towards choosing this year’s Otto Foundation Children’s Book Award winners.

Thank you to every reader, teacher and librarian who took the relay seriously. The results are in good hands.

Swipe to see the books ➡️



Big Shoes to Fill, written by Upile uThixo Bongco and illustrated by Zinelda McDonald

Butterfly Heart, written by Lalu and illustrated by Rebecca ✏️

Cheesecake in Love, written and illustrated by Celest Lotter Nirenstein Cheesecake

Neo’s Invisible Blanket, written by Salamina Mosese Books Salamina Mosese and illustrated by Subi Bosa

Pumpkin and the Hidden Heroes, written by Bianca Flanders Balie and illustrated by Zinelda McDonald

Show and Tell, written by .lammers and illustrated by Bronwyn Webb | Illustrator & Graphic Designer

28/09/2026

We recently sat down with some of our young readers to hear what they really thought about this year’s Reading Relay books, the shortlisted titles for the Otto Foundation Children’s Book Award 2026.

There’s no better judge of a children’s book than the children reading it, and our focus groups did not hold back. We heard which characters they loved, which endings surprised them, and which books they wanted to read again the moment they finished. Their honesty (and enthusiasm) reminded us exactly why this award exists.

There is less than a month left of judging! The winners will be announced on 20 October 2026.

Alongside reviews from schools across the Reading Relay, the insights from the focus groups help shape the award winners.

24/09/2026

Happy Heritage Day! 🇿🇦

South Africa is a country built from many stories: different languages, different histories, different ways of telling a tale. That richness belongs in our children’s hands too.

We believe every child deserves to see themselves in the books they read, whether that is their home language on the page, a character who feels familiar, or a story set somewhere they recognise.

That is why we highlight South African books in our libraries.

But heritage is not only something to read. It is something to add to. We encourage our young readers to write their own stories too, because every child carries a story worth telling, and one day, it might be exactly the book another child needs to see themselves in.

Today, we celebrate the storytellers who came before us, and the readers and young creatives carrying those stories forward.

23/09/2026

It’s been a wonderful Term 3 but now it’s time for our librarians (and their amazing library monitors) to get some well-deserved rest.

We’ll be back in Term 4 refreshed and ready to end the year strong and with heads full of stories and dreams 🌱

17/09/2026

16/09/2026

Author Wendy Hammond (Wendy Hammond) visited our readers at Rainbow and Protea Libraries today to talk about important life skills through storytelling.

Wendy introduced our readers to her book, which explores these themes and had a lively and engaging conversation with them about financial literacy and family and personal responsibility.

Thank you for the engaging sessions and for the awesome spot prizes, Wendy!

15/09/2026

We were so excited to receive copies of Masana the Brave, a powerful book produced by Imagnary House in collaboration with Lil-Lets South Africa 🩷

We hosted test readings and focus group sessions about the book with our Grade 5 and Grade 6 girl readers at Sunflower Library, and could see even then the positive impact that this book would have on girls countrywide 🌻

Written by Puno Selesho and illustrated by Gabby Correia Children's Book Illustrator, Masana the Brave follows a young girl who discovers that her first period isn’t the end of the world. The story is warm, funny, and tender, tackling first periods, first fears, and breaking cycles of shame.

Books and reading are a powerful way to see and feel seen, and this book does both.

14/09/2026

We cannot wait to share the good news with you.

In the meantime, all we will say is that, soon, more young readers will be getting access to quality books 📚

☁️ ⛅️ ☁️

10/09/2026

Our readers at the Happy Library were excited to meet Siphokazi Jonas yesterday morning 😊

Siphokazi, who is a gifted storyteller, brought the magic of Intsomi alive. The Happy readers were rapt with attention and were left amazed and excited.

We always try to remind our readers that we, as South Africans, come from a long line of storytellers, and that stories were shared around fires and under the stars long before they were ever written down in books.

Thank you, Siphokazi, for reminding our readers that they are part of something much bigger than themselves, and for showing them that a story told well can spark the same joy as a story read well. That’s exactly the kind of magic we hope follows them to the next book they pick up 🔥