*Review* Zandi's Song by Zandile Ndhlovu

Genre: Children's 6-8 years

Published: March 26, 2024

Pages: 32

Zandi is a girl on a mission: to bring a message of conservation to the world.

Zandi was always thinking and dreaming about the ocean. Then, one special day, the ocean calls for her. Zandi tentatively approaches the water—and that’s when her adventure begins! She soon finds herself transformed into a mermaid and on an unforgettable underwater journey, where she hears the song of the ocean.

But there is something threatening this magical world. Is the key to protecting it buried in stories from the past? Join Zandi in her mission to protect our beloved oceans, in this inspiring story written by South Africa’s first Black female free diving instructor.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

This was a cute story about a young girl who is tasked by Mother Ocean to save the ocean from pollution and such. I felt like it had a bit of a Moana feeling to it (mostly because that's the only frame of reference I have for a character that literally talks to the ocean). Zandi takes her job very seriously though, as she should. As a race, we've done some truly horrible things to the world we live on. 

I think it's important to help kids see why it's important that we take care of the planet, and I this book did a good job of illustrating that. It's so much easier to teach them young than it is to correct bad teaching when they're older. I mean, we have people in high levels of government who think that empathy is a weakness. Clearly they are not a reader. The illustrations in this book were very bright and bold, using a lot of cool tone colors like blue and purple. 

Overall I give Zandi's Song 4.3939 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

About the Author

Zandile Ndhlovu is South Africa’s first Black female free diving instructor. After looking beneath the surface of the ocean for the first time in her life at age twenty-eight, she felt at home and decided she needed to help make the seas more accessible and diverse. Realizing it needed to start with young people, Ndhlovu set up the Black Mermaid Foundation, which works to create diverse representation in ocean spaces—in sports, in careers, and recreationally. In 2022 she was named one of the Global Top 100 Most Influential People of African Descent. Follow the author on TikTok and Instagram @ZanditheMermaid.

About the Illustrator

Katlego Keokgale is a children’s book illustrator from South Africa. She loves reading and watching anything with magic in it. She’s also a wife and mother of two beautiful girls and loves sharing the work she does with them. She hopes to inspire many more Black creatives to pursue children’s book illustration and grow the industry, because there are so many amazing stories that need to be told. Follow the artist on Instagram @dopeladykady.