A workshop on creative writing has proven profitable for one woman who, after the workshop, took up the pen and started weaving stories for children.

Gudani Ramikosi, a resident of Shirley near Elim, attended a workshop on writing for children in 2006, which was offered by the publishing initiative Room to Read. They eventually became the publishers of her first children’s book, published in 2010. The book was titled Thili’s Journey.

Ramikosi’s focus as a writer lies on telling children’s stories which are full of vivid imagery and a twist of a lesson in the tail.

In the Valley of the Rising Sun is her latest book and it came out a fortnight ago. Ramikosi says that it is a children's book with animal characters, set in a secret valley of sacred animals. The main character is Piggy, who was domesticated and has been rescued by the handsome Mandrill monkey. She now wants a makeover to look like all her newly found friends, each of whom has a special beauty. Piggy thinks that the friends will love her more if she has a makeover done by her artist friend Mandrill.

This is a story of identity crisis in a society faced with lots of challenges, where having material things means having a life to many. What Ramikosi is saying to the little ones is to accept who they are, from an early age.

Ramikosi utilises animal characters in her stories because, she claims, children always speak with imaginary animals during playtime. She says that writing and reading at her home is a way of life, a concept that her children understand well. Her husband, an established poet, serves as a source of motivation for her.

“I believe that reading to our children helps mould them and activates their imagination,” she reveals. “My children are still in pre-school and that is where my audience is, so I go to their pre-school to read to all their school mates and donate or sell them my books.”

The biggest challenge as a  writer of children’s literature is that writing for children requires a careful choice of words suitable for that certain age group that should be easy to understand. “So, it is hard to write easy reading,” she chuckles.

Ramikosi concludes by saying that the Tshivenda version of her latest book will come out soon, entitled Muvhunduni wa Matavhelo a Duvha.