Grandma's Stories for Kids

This book consists of 21 fairytales passed down from generation to generation to generation. Grannies to fathers and fathers to sons. And now, I pass it down to you. 

“These are the stories I grew up listening to. I remember looking forward to visits to different grannies in my clan, sitting on my father's lap and listening to all the stories. The grannies would gather all the children and begin to meticulously narrate the stories that have been imprinted in their psyche, that not even old age could erase. I saw grannies transform back into their younger selves as they saw themselves reflected back in me as I listened and laughed at the crazy twists and plots. A lot of my grannies are no longer alive today and I am happy I can share their stories with all of you. I hope you enjoy them!”

In the story titled, “Orphans”. We find a wicked stepmother jealous of the affection her new husband has for his son and plots to kill him. She decides to poison his food. One day, she insisted on taking over the cooking duties. This rare act of generosity made the boy's sister suspicious. The girl watched her stepmother and saw her put a poisonous red root in her brother's food. To save her brother's life, the girl would turn into a bird, land on a tree branch in the kraal as her brother is locking up the cows for the night, and warn her brother not to eat the hard porridge. This story teaches about love, loyalty, and how good will always defeat evil. 

In the story titled, “Saṅombe”. We find a girl named Denga who is married with two children, Munyadziwa and Munzhedzi. One year, she asked her in-laws to visit her parents and introduce them to her children since they had never met. The in-laws agreed but only if their sacred cow could accompany her. This was not a normal cow but a magical cow that could talk, sing and dress as a human would. 

The author of the book is Shakandinnyi Ramulifho who has written 34 Tshivenḓa books to date. His books range from poetry, short stories, novels, English books, and children’s books to educational books for primary school learners between Grades 1 and 5. These books are available for sale on his WhatsApp online store on 061 511 9711.