Children's Book Network | Bringing books to children and children to books

About Us

Children’s Book Network (CBN) began early in 2012, the dream of founders Gçina Mhlophe, Lesley Beake and Sindiwe Magona. Our purpose is to bring books to children and children to books - to make reading cool. We work through this website - an ever expanding resource - and through community workshops planned with, by and for the children.

CBN passionately believes that ALL children should have the chance to read books that interest and excite them. ALL children should have access to books that take them into other worlds, other lives. ALL children deserve books and stories.

We often use picture books with teenagers, short extracts from adult books with primary school children, poetry and short stories for all age groups. It's not about a reading level stamped somewhere on the book. Our children need to fly.

The key words are Workshop and Toolboxes. Workshops take centre stage when we work with children and really get down to basics. We have included the ideas developed there to make reading kits that can be used to reach more children.

We have developed a series of teaching and reading materials that would be equally effective used at home, in a CBN Reading Toolbox or at a Workshop. This material is freely available to download and use at home with your children.