We know that it is important for children to read books in the language that is most familiar to them. For this reason, we actively raise funds to translate our books into as many of the official South African languages as we can. We then publish them on the Book Dash website so that children across the country can read them freely in a digital format.

In 2023 we published 80 new translations in south African languages! The translations are managed by a team of language experts who have experience translating children's books, and the feedback we get on the translations are testimony to the high quality of their work. 

But we know that reading a hard copy of a book together with a caring adult is better for very young children than reading digitally, so we also fundraise for printing - and when we print, we print in the languages our partner organisations (who work directly with young children and their families) tell us they need. In the majority of cases, this is not in English. Almost 60% of the nearly 3 million books Book Dash has printed and distributed are not in English, but in another South African language: that's a whopping 1.8 million books!

Photo: Greensparks Education

To help everyone get hold of our delightful books (including those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to pay for them), we have launched My Little Book Dash Library in bookshops around the country.

These delightful padded pouches with easy-to-carry handles are made by a local company from fabric containing a high percentage of recycled PET. We have stocked them with 8 Book Dash titles - for the moment in English only, but in future we hope to add more languages. (Many of the English books in the library are available in other South African languages too - have a look on our website to read the translated versions alongside the English.) 

The income we receive from the sales of My Little Book Dash Library supplements the grant funding we work with, and enables us to donate more free books to children who are not able to afford to purchase books.

Ask for My Little Book Dash Library  at your local bookshop - if they don't have stock they can source it from other branches (ISBN: 978-1-92849-790-5).