Grandad Mandela is a picture book about the life of Nelson Mandela written by some of his family, in the format of his great-grandchildren asking questions that their grandmother, Nelson Mandela's daughter, answers. The result is a book about Mandela's life - and also about the big difficult issues of injustice, inequality and racism - that is comprehensible for children of primary school age. The lovely illustrations complement and add nuance to the simple narrative. I think that this is a really special, beautiful book and it is a must for all children's libraries and schools.

Written by Mandela’s daughter, the stunningly illustrated picture book has her children asking about their grandfather. Nelson Mandela’s grandchildren then learn about the great man, the conditions he grew up in, and the change he brought about.

Grandad Mandela
by Zindzi Mandela , Zazi Mandela, and Ziwelene Mandela
​ill Sean Qualls
'I cannot and will not give any undertaking at a time when I and you, the people, are not free.' ​
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Eight-year-old Zazi and six-year-old Ziwelene discover an old photograph. Their grandmother Zindzi Mandela, the youngest child born to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and President Nelson Mandela, recognizes the photo immediately. It is a picture of her father. Through a series of questions, the great grandchildren learn about their heritage, their great grandfather's legacy, and the struggle to dismantle apartheid and win the freedom for all peoples in South Africa.
The deprivation, pain, and imprisonment Mandela endured are explained. However, Grandmother lovingly frames the story in a positive light, pointing out the strength and dignity of her father and his firm resolve to remain true to his principles.
​"I want to see you strong,
​you must hold your head up high."
Grandmother continues, relating Mandela's release from prison and his subsequent South African presidency, as well as his tireless efforts to champion equality and justice for all.
The children are encouraged to honor him by volunteering and working to create a better world.
Ambassador Zindzi Mandela, with her grandchildren Zazi and Ziwelene have written a personal and powerful tribute to Mandela's life and legacy. Grandad Mandela is an exquisite volume and a treasure for children throughout the world.
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Ubuntu: I am because we all are
Sean Qualls employs a predominantly sepia-toned pallet. It heightens the warmth of family connection. There is a sense of the humanity and humility of this man and of his family, grounded in their country and its people.

Written by intimate family members, Grandad Mandela is a dialogue between Grandma Zindzi and her two grandchildren about their famous great grandfather, Nelson Mandela. Through uniquely beautiful art, and engaging storytelling, young readers learn all about Mandela and his fight against apartheid. There's even a bit of South African culture to learn about. Grandma Zindzi finishes up by discussing the concept of Ubuntu, which is like our 'golden rule’. Basically, treat others how you want to be treated. She also talks about volunteering. I do wish there had been some suggestions about how to volunteer, especially geared towards kids. Still, as a teaching tool for young readers, this is an excellent resource! My cubs and I read it together, and it prompted a desire to learn even more about Mandela. Highly recommended!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Grandad Mandela is such an amazing story! Unique in that it is told from the perspectives of his daughter and two of his young grandchildren, Zazi and Ziwelene Mandela! While reading along we learn about the influential life and works of Nelson Mandela and how he changed and inspired the world! Reading this book introduces children to South Africa during the time of apartheid. The words, message and illustrations in this story are so powerful and moving! As a reader you are taken to a time when discrimination, racism, segregation, and inequality were justified by harsh and unreasonable laws! Mandela dedicated his lifetime to changing this systematic oppression of South Africans, and his legacy and works continue to inspire and change the world to this day! This one is definitely a must read for everyone!

This is a great picture book for children. I think it is a good way to introduce famous people to them. As adult, I learn new things about Nelson Mandela by reading each pages of this book.

Talking about the illustration, I love he color choices but I wish they draw it better.

Nelson Mandela is one of those figures I grew up hearing about but I never really knew much about him, just that he was imprisoned for protesting apartheid. So I learned a lot from this book about his career. It might have been nice to see the book explain more about apartheid, especially regarding the role of colonialism, but a picture book has inherent limitations. What this becomes, then, is a great way to start a conversation about racism and justice with young readers.

Two kids ask their grandmother—daughter of Nelson Mandela—to tell them the story of the great man. Considering the perspective of coming from his family, and that it’s for kids, it’s far different than any other biography you’re likely to read. It’s perfect in its simplicity.
The artwork for some reason reminds me of Frida Kahlo, using a lot of different angles and color schemes, which some people will find innovative and others simply weird. There’s a funny visual where protesters are holding up placards, and the text of the story is on them.

Grandad Mandela is a picture book that teaches elementary grade students about Nelson Mandela, African politics and how Mandela fought (without weapons) for his beliefs. Two great-grandchildren of Nelson Mandela ask their grandmother questions about his life which she clearly and directly answers. Because of the style this story is written in, it does not flow as well as some children's books do, but it is an interesting topic and should hold the attention of the reader or listener. The author was able to give a lot of information about Nelson Mandela, apartheid and the People of Colour living in South Africa in a short book.

This book is a good starting point for children who want to learn about Mandela, social justice and what they, themselves, can do to further Mandela's legacy. It can also be used when teaching about biographies and the various styles they are written in. The illustrations by Sean Qualls match the dignity and directness of the text. This is a great beginning to learn about Nelson Mandela and could be a great way to encourage further research. The one thing that the author or publisher could have added would be resources to find out more. I recommend this book for school and public libraries. The publisher, Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens, provided me with a copy of this book to read. The opinions stated are my own.

A gorgeous picture book at Mandela's fight for freedom told from the perspective of his grandchildren speaking to Winnie.

The story of apartheid and Mandela's struggle is hard to convey to younger people without factoring in the material suffering and hurt it caused to Black people in South Africa. However, this book condenses the important themes of justice and the concept of ubuntu for younger readers in a way that is accessible and hopefully leads them to inquire more on their own as they get older. The artwork is gorgeous and conveys a sense of atmosphere and place.

Interesting to read about a famous figure in history from his family's perspective. Fun to read with kids. Great illistrations!mwould recommend.

Transcendent! A picture book that makes the discussion of racism understandable and teaches children that racism is something capable of being overcome. Mandela's story is one to inspire throughout time, and this book teaches children they can be part of making the world a better place.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing for a free e-galley of this picture book! A sweet telling of Mandela's story that children will find both entertaining and educative. I loved that it was written from Zindzi's perspective and is so easily understandable from a child's perspective.

It is always difficult to explain to children how and especially why bad things happens. To explain racism and the desire of some humans to humiliate and kill other humans. Sometimes it is completely impossible but through the story there is always a chance to encourage them to grow up as good responsible, hate-free adults. It is a try but worth doing it to make the world a better place.
Grandad Mandela is written by Mandela family members, told as a story based on questions and answers between children. It is autobiographical in its character and through the questions and answers various episodes from Mandela's life and his circumstances are outlined. It is a very easy read, sometimes too standard in terms of approaches, but useful for someone looking to a short understanding of this historical time from the life of South Africa. I was not completely satisfied by the choice of illustrations, but it has an artsy dramatic touch which compliments and sometimes adds more dynamism to the writing.
Recommended as a wise companion to history lessons.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's nonfiction book. Quite honestly I was disappointed by this book. I was hoping that it would have photos of Nelson Mandela, the family must have many. This was written by his daughter and great grandchildren. There was no introduction about the people. I had to go back and double check what the relationships were. The information provided is really good-I just didn't like the format. It seemed forced, and I hope they have asked more personal questions in real life. This is not for a toddler, but would be good for an older child to start a discussion about race, and discrimination. He was an important man, changing the world in positive ways, I just felt that this could have been better done. I rate this a 3.

3.5★
“Do you know what Ubuntu means? . . . It means, ‘I am because we all are.’ This is what we believe as African people: we believe in treating people the way we want to be treated. This is what inspired Grandad to fight for his people, and what helped him to forgive his enemies too.”

On this, the hundredth birthday of Nelson Mandela (born 18 July 1918), it seems fitting to show a new children’s picture book that tells a simplified history of the man, his life, and his legacy.

Two of his great-grandchildren are asking their grandma, Mandela’s daughter, about Grandad Mandela – how he lived, where he grew up, why he went to prison – all the things you’d want to know about a man you were related to who was world-famous and won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Zazi and Ziwelene Mandela are visiting Grandma Zindzi and begging her to please tell them about the man in the photographs one more time. They asked where he used to live.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of Mandela as a boy with thatched clay home in background.]

Then they want to know why he and other people were upset with the way things were in South Africa. There are illustrations of white police beating black people, and Grandma Zindzi explains about Apartheid.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of Zindzi as a little girl with her sister and her mother standing next to a park bench while a white mother sits on it with her little girl.]

She explains the anger, the fighting and the rallies and how Nelson was imprisoned for many years, yes, even for his birthday. But when the world pressure built up, he was finally released and became the President of the country, leading both black and whites.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of Mandela as President and the end of Apartheid.]

The book finishes on a nice philosophical note.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of the meaning of Ubuntu – many different people living together.]

Grandma Zindzi explains that if they are volunteering to care about people, they are doing the same work as Grandad Mandela.

Like the other books in this series, it’s a nice idea to make history very accessible for children and for people who may struggle with “literature”. I still find the illustrations a bit strange and not terribly appealing, but the story is an important one, especially on this hundredth anniversary of a wonderful man.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted and copied illustrations. I’m pleased the Mandela family is continuing what Grandad Mandela started.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

GRANDAD MANDELA is a Valentine to one of the most courageous men in history, the late Nelson Mandela. This beautifully illustrated biography for children was written by his family to honor his 100th birthday. Questions from his great-grandchildren to his daughter form this lovely book’s structure. Highly recommended for readers of all ages who can benefit from the legacy of this fearless spiritual legend. 5/5

Grateful to the Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children’s Books and NetGalley for the early copy, in exchange for my true review.

#GrandadMandela #NetGalley

A shortened story of Mandela's life, told by two of his own grandchildren asking questions to their mummy (Mandela's daughter). The illustration is faultless, and the story is told really nicely, however considering my own 5 year old reading this book will cause too many questions like: why the police were so bad? why did they put him in jail? So maybe I'd wait a bit longer to read this with my son :)
I loved the ending.

Grandad Mandela is a very important story about a part of history that we cannot forget. However, because it is told as two children asking about their great-grandfather after coming across an old photo of him, the explanations make sense for children of all ages. The idea of teaching a child what apartheid is is challenging, but grandparents are pretty good at taking difficult topics and having them make sense for kids.

The questions are things that kids would ask. Not only why did he go to prison, but did he get to celebrate his birthday in prison?

This book was written so that children today could understand the power of the South African people coming together to end apartheid and how Nelson Mandela was the spirit of the movement. One thing that I love is that at the end when they are asking their grandmother if she misses her father, she says that while she misses him, the best way to honor his memory is to volunteer and to help make the world a better, more loving place.

Grandad Mandela is a great way to introduce the topic of who Nelson Mandela was and what apartheid was. It can help children think about race issues in the United States with a little bit of distance and it encourages all of us to be better people and think of those around us.