Sea Stories

TITLE: Sea Stories AUTHOR: Wendy Maartens ILLUSTRATOR: Marjorie van Heerden GENRE: Children’s Book PUBLICATION DATE: March 2016 SELLING PRICE: R 250 FORMAT: 260 x 210 mm COVER: Hard cover NUMBER OF PAGES: 160 Printed book: 978-1-4853-0581-1 e-book: 978-1-4853-0582-8 ePub: 978-1-4853-0583-5 BACKGROUND Sea Stories is a collection of stories from around the world – from “Hans and the hole” in Haarlem to the harvesters of seabird nests Adhi and Sinta in the East. But there are also many local stories about the Birkenhead Command, “The Flying Dutchman”, the Alibama, Wolraad Woltemade, the Hole-in-the-Wall at esiKhaleni where the water people come to fetch you, “The ghosts of Jutten Island”, “Adamastor and the Cape of Storms” and the shepherd from Macassar who found Sheik Yusuf’s grave amongst the dunes. Sea Stories also contains adaptations of The Little Mermaid, the tale of Princess Elisa and her eleven swan brothers, and the West Coast farmer Koos Malgas who stole his wife’s seal skin. And of course Hare tricks Salt Water Crocodile. The charming illustrations by Marjorie van Heerden will carry a little reader away to a magical world full of oceanic wonder.   ABOUT THE AUTHOR Wendy Maartens lives in Table View – only a stone’s throw from the “big blue dam”, Rietvlei’s lagoon and the West Coast where everything centres around the turn of the tide, the early morning’s catch and stories from long ago. She is an author of children’s books, a journalist, a translator and a dreamer. In 2005 her book Lena se bottelboom was placed on Exclusive Books’ “Publisher’s Choice” List and in 2006 Maartens received an honourable mention at the Noma Awards. Twice she has also been a finalist at the ATKV’s Veertjie Awards: In 2006 for Lena se Bottelboom and in 2007 for a column.   ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR Since the publication of Marjorie van Heerden’s first children’s picture book in 1983, more than 120 titles have been published with her as illustrator or writer/illustrator and her work has been translated into 34 languages and distributed in Africa, Britain, Europe, the East, Canada and the USA. Marjorie van Heerden has won numerous awards for her work including the 2011 W.B. Mkhize Award, handed out annually by the Usiba Writers’ Guild, for the Zulu version of Lulama’s long way home (Uhambo LukaLulama Olude), a picture book she wrote and illustrated, published by Giraffe Books, an imprint of Pan MacMillan. In 2012, Marjorie and author Alex D’Angelo won the M.E.R. Award (one of the Media24 Books Literary Awards) for the best illustrated children’s book published in South African during the previous year (2011) – they won for Goblin Diaries: Apprenticed to the Red Witch, published by Tafelberg Publishers (SA). This was the second time she had been awarded this prestigious award – the first time was in 2008 when she won it with author Wendy Hartmann for Nina and Little Duck, published in 2007 by Human & Rousseau. AGTERGROND Stories van die see is ’n versameling seestories van regoor die wêreld – van “Hans en die gaatjie” in Haarlem tot die seevoëlnesplukkers Adhi en Sinta in die Ooste. Maar daar is ook heelwat  plaaslike verhale oor die Birkenhead-bevel, “Die Vlieënde Hollander”, die Alibama, Wolraad Woltemade, die Gat-in-die-Muur by esiKhaleni waar die watermense jou kom haal, “Die spoke van Jutteneiland”, “Adamastor en die Kaap van Storms” en die skaapwagtertjie van Macassar wat Sjeg Joesoef se graf tussen die duine gevind het. Stories van die see bevat verwerkings van The Little Mermaid en die verhaal van Prinses Elisa en haar elf swane-broers, asook die Weskusboer Koos Malgas wat sy robvrou se vel gesteel het. En natuurlik kul Hasie vir Soutwaterkrokodil. Saam met die pragtige illustrasies van Marjorie van Heerden sal Stories van die see ’n klein lesertjie wegvoer na ’n magiese seestoriewêreld.   OOR DIE OUTEUR Wendy Maartens woon in Table View – ’n klipgooi van die “groot blou dam”, Rietvlei se strandmeer en die Weskus waar alles om die draai van die gety, vroegoggend se vangs en die stories van vroeër dwaal. Sy is ’n kinderboekskrywer, joernalis, vertaler en dromer. In 2005 het Lena se bottelboom Exclusive Books se “Publisher’s Choice”-lys gehaal en in 2006 het Maartens ’n eervolle vermelding by die Noma-toekennings ontvang. Sy was ook twee keer ’n finalis by die ATKV se Veertjie-toekennings: In 2006 vir Lena se Bottelboom en in 2007 vir ’n rubriek.   OOR DIE ILLUSTREERDER Marjorie van Heerden woon in Gordonsbaai. Sedert die publikasie van haar eerste kinderboek in 1983, het daar alreeds meer as 120 boeke wat sy geillustreer of geskryf/geïllustreer het, in Afrika, Brittanje, Europa, die Ooste, Kanada en die VSA verskyn en haar werk is in 34 tale vertaal. In 2011 is sy met die W.B. Mkhize-toekenning bekroon vir die Zoeloe-uitgawe van Lulama’s long way home (Uhambo LukaLulama Olude) (Giraffe Books, 2011) en sy het twee M.E.R.-toekennings ontvang vir Nina en Eendjie (Human & Rousseau, 2007) en Goblin Diaries: Apprenticed to the Red Witch (Tafelberg, 2011).