This book is a lovely history lesson of a living legend known worldwide for his message of peace and forgiveness. Nelson Mandela is that man and his life is retold by a question and answer session between his two great-grandchildren and their grandmother, Mandela's youngest daughter.

They learn that their great-grandad was held in prison for 27 years and the reason that he was placed there. He fought for justice and equality for his race in South Africa. The book highlights the struggle and brute determination he exhibited. He never gives up fighting the good fight to eradicate apartheid in his country.

The children learn from their grandmother the pride and joy of seeing her father release from prison and being made President of South Africa. He also receives the Nobel Piece Prize. She encourages them to follow in their great-grandfather's footsteps by volunteering so they too can change the injustices found in the world. This story is told through the eyes of his beloved grand children. His loving family wants to keep the legacy of such an inspirational and honourable man alive. "Grandad Mandela" is told to celebrate Nelson's Mandela's 100th birthday. He was born July 18, 1918 and died December 5, 2013.

"Do you now what Ubuntu means?" she asked.
"I think I used to..."said Zazi. "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."

A perfect summation to a wonderful, exhalting book. I highly recommend it with its beautiful paper-collage illustrations that are simple, yet very powerful to the story.

The children's Grandad Mandela is the story Nelson Mandela's life through the lens of his daughter. The illustrations are simply amazing. I loved the book, for the pictures as much as the text. The illustrations evokes a sense of Africa and it's beauty and culture.

This book would be perfect for elementary aged children, who are beginning to learn about different cultures, African history or simply leaders of the world.

I highly recommend this book to teachers for inclusion in their classroom library, as well as parents who want to include diversity in their children's own personal library. It would be a great book to discuss race, equality, lawlessness and inclusiveness for all.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend you read it as well.

Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for a pre-publication ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful book teaching youth an important part of history. The illustrations are beautiful as well -- everything about this book is a delight.

I read through this book. It is meant for kids, but there are a few things in there that I am not really ready to share with my children. They know who Nelson Mandela is, but I think that I am going to wait just a little longer before sharing this with them. Would suggest this for ages 10+, and even then, I would suggest parents read it first, so as to be able to answer any questions that your children will come back to you with.

'Grandad Mandela' by Ambassador Zindzi Mandela with Zazi and Ziwelene Mandela and illustrations by Sean Qualls is a book authored by the Mandela family and published to coincide with what would have been his 100th birthday. It's a beautiful way to remember a great man.

The story is set out as a series of 15 questions and answers from the great grandchildren about Nelson Mandela. The questions are the sort any child would ask: Why was he in prison? Did he ever try to escape? Were other people wanting justice too?

The questions are answered frankly and illustrated nicely. It would be a good way to introduce a young child to the life of this man and his struggle for freedom in South Africa. I really like that it is written by the descendents of Nelson Mandela.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children's Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Thank you to Quarto for sending me a digital copy of this book to review!

This is an enchanting read. Grandad Mandela is a picture book highlighting the life and vision of one of the greatest humanitarians in history. The illustrations are bold and contrasting and the language used is simple yet resonating. The exciting thing is that Mandela's life story is told through the words of his own family! They share the principles on which he was raised, the struggles he undertook and what we can do to help continue his legacy.

This book is a great way to not only familiarize children with the work and non-violent ideology of Mandela but will also help start a conversation regarding sensitive issues like race so that we can raise more empathetic adults who are willing to contribute to making the world a better place.

A must read for young leaders-in-the-making everywhere!

I think the beauty of this book is that it was written by Nelson Mandela’s own family. Their personal story about his life flows on each page. As a teacher, I felt like I learned several new things about Mandela’s life and legacy. I think this is an excellent nonfiction picture book about a very important man who changed South Africa for the better. It is perfect for elementary book reports. And research projects. Sean Qualls is an incredibly talented illustrator and this book is no exception. The pictures jump off the page and capture the depth of the story. This is a story that should be a part of every children’s library.

This introduction to Nelson Mandela's life and legacy is a great way to start the conversation with children. The message and illustrations are both beautiful and important, and at the end the reader is left with a heartwarming feeling of community. The question-and-answer format of the story allows for a gentle and familiar avenue of discussion on the topics of apartheid, Mandela's life, racism, and more.

To any South African reading this - I don't care what your colour is, or what your stance is on farm or muti murders, xenophobia or your discrimination against the Chinese in our country - or any of the other problems our country is riddled with. Please, read this review and buy this book. We need to get over this race thing. Because if I see one more kid brainwashed by the thoughts of his or her family about race, I think I'm calling the social workers.

You know like we say "I love you lots like jelly lots?' We are different colours but we all taste the same?"


I was pretty much AWOL when Mandela came out of Prison. I wasn't even in utero yet, but I remember growing up with a beautiful picture book of stories chosen my Madiba. I loved Mandela because of his choice of wonderful stories and illustrations at that point - not knowing anything much about him other than helping end Apartheid and being the first black president of the country. Looking back, I think his wonderful personality shone through that picture book.

Ah, the things kids focus on.

This book is told by Zindzi, one of Mandela's children. I love that this is not a generic book written by an outsider - it's his daughter who has a story to tell about him. Mandela was sent to prison when when she was only 18 months old. She tells this story to her grandchildren.



The artstyle is multi-medium and lovely. It's drawn, cut out and painted as well as made to look old and worn in some places.

Zindzi explains to her grandchildren why white South Africans started Apartheid, and I couldn't agree with her reasoning more:

You see a glimpse of how bad life under Apartheid was for Zindzi. This book gives an introductory lesson into where Madiba and Winnie grew up. It also introduces children to concepts like justice, and the tenacity to never give up. It also explains why Madiba was kept in prison.

I wish that all South Africans would look past our current political situations and stop blaming races - befriending people of different colours and cultural backgrounds has changed my life for the better. So many South Africans will accept others, but not invite them into their friend circles. Stop thinking of things as an "Us and Them" matter. It's just an "us" matter.

You have to understand that when my mom grew up, they didn't know what Mandela looked like. Having a picture of him was prohibited by law So when he came out of jail, there was a massive controversy- most people were so happy, but other idiots weren't.

I remember stories of my aunt partaking in anti-Apartheid strikes where they'd get pepper-sprayed. The government was truly horrible back then. This is a good way to introduce the concepts of fighting a horrible system.

This book really brought my perspective back to where it should be. Highly Recommended for all South Africans who need to get over their kak and start to learn acceptance and love. Madiba was trying to show us something, people. Please stop engaging in acts of hate - that's the reason that crime based on race is happening in our country. This picture book fosters the equality we need.

Thank you, Madiba, for giving me a chance to see my black friends in class and see my gay friends kiss. If not for you...I don't know where we would be. This book has stirred up so many positive emotions in me, but sadness at the current state of our country and mindsets.

A conversation between the daughter and 2 great-grandchildren of Nelson Mandela. The book answers key questions about the life of the man they knew as grandad, but the world knew as a champion for the rights of all and social justice.

The book is a good introduction to the life of Mandela and what life was like for him and his family. This book could be used with older children to teach about a sensitive issue and why Nelson Mandela is such an important figure in our recent history.

This history lesson in picture book form was interesting. It deals with Mandela’s grandchildren asking their mother about who their granddad was and why he went to prison, what he believed etc. I think the book is very successful in it’s points, and uses simple language to help kids understand Mandela and his life.

This story is based on questions and answers between Nelson Mandela’s daughter and her grandchildren after they see a picture of their grandpa.

“Look, Grandma! said Zazi. “We found a picture of Grandad Mandela. Can you tell us about him again?”

The questioning begins after Grandma Zindzi reminds the children that granddad Mandela was her dad and that he went to jail when she was eighteen months old.

She goes on to explain what her dad was fighting for. When she finishes the next question is:

“Did you like it? asked Zazi."

Grandma explains that white people's houses, schools, and hospitals weren’t mixed with theirs. Their homes, schools, and hospitals were inferior to the whites and it wasn’t fair.

“But why did the white people start making everybody’s lives be sad lives?” asked Ziwelene."

And this is the format of the book as it explains Mandela’s life through the eyes of his daughter.



Concerns:

To be honest, at first, I wasn’t a fan of the question/answer format. But as I read the book a second time I felt better about it. I couldn’t locate the targeted age group for this book on the publisher’s website, but due to the format, I wouldn’t recommend it for the very young.

What I Liked Most:

This was a unique presentation of a very special man and his family. A great resource for teachers and a good book to promote discussions.

What a beautiful way to introduce children to such an important figure, and how lovely to see him through the eyes of his family. A touching and well designed book, with strong illustrations.

Grandad Mandela is a cute children's storybook that will help parents and teachers to introduce the great Nelson Mandela to young kids. This 20-page book will also present to young readers about what is apartheid, colonization, and volunteering is. There are a lot of moral lessons that kids will learn from reading this marvelous little book, notably forgiving your enemies and standing up for what is right.

What a sweet and powerful story about Nelson Mandela and his legacy. This book is written as if Mandela's daughter was telling his grandchildren about Mandela's life. It is told simply in a way to help kids start to understand big evils like apartheid and segregation.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the read.

I enjoyed the illustrations, and kids will appreciate that this biography is told like a story. They hear about family members from other family members too, so in that way they will relate to this book - while learning about an important historical figure.

Questions and answers is an Interesting way to present the story of Nelson Mandela. The information presented gives good basic introduction to the life of Mandela. The flow seemed a little forced at times. Illustrations were wonderful

Gorgeous illustrations. Very helpful children’s book to teach children about racism and apartheid and the struggles Mandela went through.

My son and I enjoyed this book, but it needs more background information. I know enough about Mandela to supplement the story for clarity, but a child in the US reading the story on his own may get confused. I wanted a brief biography at the end.

Grandad Mandela serves as a wonderful introduction to the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, who brought an end to racial apartheid while president of South Africa.

The book is written as a conversation between the book's author, Zindzi Mandela, who is Nelson Mandela's daughter, and her two grandchildren, Zazi and Ziwelene. While the conversation primarily serves to structure the narrative, it also brings a sense of familial connection and pride to Mandela's story.

In order to adequately cover the major events of Mandela's life, the story also explains important concepts from that time and place that might not make as much sense to children these days, such as apartheid, justice (especially as it related to apartheid), and the African principle of "Ubuntu" -- treating others as we would want to be treated, and in Mandela's case, forgiving his enemies in order to work with them for the betterment of the entire country.

In addition to the thorough (without being too wordy) and important story, the illustrations here are wonderful -- they capture the view of Mandela as a single, important person, but also his fight for justice and the way it encompassed an entire country -- and the colors are wonderful too.

This is a great way for children to learn about an important historical figure, and for those of us who are older, it can serve as a jumping-off point for further reading.

(Very little is actually said of violence ("fight" is generally used as a more theoretical term, implying the general fight for justice), but there is one scene that depicts two white policeman with sticks raised over two black people who are on the ground -- no blood, but it gives a visual of the racial dominance that was upheld under apartheid.)

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)