Two books by Jaco Jacobs won at the annual South African Literature Awards (SALA). In the brand new category for children’s books, three books shared the limelight, two of them by Jaco Jacobs.

The three books that have won, are the collection of children’s rhymes Moenie hierdie boek eet nie!, by Jaco Jacobs (LAPA Publishers), the picture book Daar’s nie ’n krokodil in hierdie boek nie, by Jaco Jacobs (LAPA Publishers), and the historical novel There should have been five, by Marilyn Honikman (Tafelberg Publishers).

The authors share the prize money in this category.

Jacobs says the award is a great honour to him. “Literacy really is a big stumbling block in our country. It is more important than ever that we should encourage a love of reading amongst children, and to offer them good, accessible, contemporary reading material. I am therefore very grateful to the South African Literature Awards for this new category, which acknowledges the important role that children’s books play in our society and in our literature.”

Jaco has also just been nominated for Britain’s oldest and most prestigious children’s book award, the Carnegie Medal, for A Good Day for Climbing Trees.

The South African Literature Awards took place at a gala event in Pretoria last night (6 November). Books in all eleven official languages ​​are eligible for the awards.