The Magic of Knysna: A Book Made by Our Community, for Our Children
On 11 June, around 70 people gathered at the Knysna Yacht Club to celebrate the launch of The Magic of Knysna — a children’s book made by our community, for our children, with the proceeds from every copy going directly to the ECD centres KET supports.
The book is a collection of seven stories that, between them, read like a love letter to this town. There’s Sophie, who climbs out her window at night and flies over the lagoon on the back of a cormorant named Carl — who wears boots and a bowtie. There are stories set in Knysna’s forests, on its shores, and in its streets. After each one, we’ve added activities for families to enjoy together, at home or in the very places the stories take you. And in the middle of the book is a map of Knysna with a treasure hunt: a way for children, families and visitors to explore our town through the eyes of the book.
Why a book?
A children’s book might seem a small thing to launch with so much ceremony. But the evidence on what books do for young children is anything but small.
A study of 100,000 children across 35 countries found that — even after accounting for family income — a child with just one book at home was nearly twice as likely to be on track with early reading and numbers, with the strongest effect in the poorest countries. Closer to us, South Africa’s 2024 Thrive by Five Index, a nationally representative assessment of four-year-olds, found that more books in the home were strongly associated with better early learning outcomes.
But here’s the uncomfortable South African truth: even among four-year-olds enrolled in a learning programme, about a quarter have no children’s books at home. Not one. And although 93% of adults know that reading helps children do well at school, far fewer manage to read with them. This is not a reflection of how much parents love their children. It is a reflection of access: of disposable income, of the languages books are produced in, of the inequality that lives on in South African society.
A book in a child’s hands is not just a thing to read. It’s hundreds of moments of language, of being close to a trusted adult, of seeing one’s own world reflected back. Those moments are how a young brain gets wired.
How it came together
The inspiration came from a former KET board member, Lesley Satchel, who many years ago hand-wrote and illustrated a children’s activity book about Knysna. We loved its charm, and wanted to celebrate our town in the same spirit.
But we also wanted this to be a community book, so we opened submissions to the public. We sent a call-out far and wide, and waited.
Thirty-seven stories came in. After much deliberation, we chose seven — three of them by authors under the age of 16. Illustrator Bonnie Collins brought every page to life, working alongside designer Tasja Brewis, who wove the whole thing together and gave it its beautiful finished look. None of it would have happened without our 32 sponsors — individuals and organisations who believed in the project enough to cover the full cost of producing the book. Some are credited in the back; others chose to remain anonymous. We are deeply grateful to every one of them.
Get your copy
The Magic of Knysna is now available from our office at 34 Queen Street, Knysna, for R270 a copy. Because our sponsors covered the production costs, every rand goes directly to Knysna’s ECD centres.
If you’ve already bought a copy, thank you. If you haven’t, it’s the gift to give — ideal for visitors to Knysna with little ones. To a child you love, to a friend in town, or to yourself. Holding it open and reading it with someone is part of the magic.
