From the Series
Together with a rich story telling heritage, African culture is full of interesting and insightful proverbs that serve to teach children the universal values of respect, compassion and team work.
Colour Africa, a division of Design for Development, created the Colour Africa Proverbs colouring book. The book teaches children valuable truths through traditional African proverbs and is filled with illustrations that depict proverbs from all over the continent.
Illustrator Roulé le Roux did the illustrations for each of the 10 proverbs. The proverbs appear in their original language alongside each illustration, together with an English translation of the specific cultural wisdom.
Le Roux’s lively hand-drawn typography is also a great way to learn about letter shapes. At the back of the book each proverb is explained in detail, while a game in the middle of the book uses the themes of the proverbs in a fun and interactive way.
Says Design for Development: “We wanted to create a colouring book with local content and meaningful messages, a book that feels like part of our rich culture. We also have a dream to give the books to under-resourced schools and crèches, and to trauma rooms at police stations where children might need a comforting activity.”
From the designers:
The book is locally made and printed in South Africa. We wanted to use local labour and local materials. The Kraft liner that the cover is made from is recycled paper and consumer waste from the paper making process, making it 100% recycled. We have also left fancy packaging off the product because we are trying to use as little material as possible – the ethos is ‘use less’. The book is aimed at children 4-8 years old.The book consists of 10 proverbs gathered from 11 African countries and 10 languages. Each of the 10 proverbs appears in its original language, with an English translation and a picture. The lively hand-drawn letters are a great way to learn more about the shape of letters. The adventure game in the middle of the book uses the themes of the proverbs in a fun way and gives adults and children a great opportunity to play and learn together.Colour Africa Proverbs is a colouring book of beautifully illustrated proverbs from all over Africa. These proverbs are words of wisdom will teach children universal truths in an engaging and interactive way. Respect, compassion and teamwork are central themes.