Book Review – How Cheetah Got His Tears

by Avril van der Merwe (Penguin Random House South Africa) ISBN: 9781485900344

How Cheetah Got His Tears takes children right into the jungle where different animals are introduced to them. The illustrations in the book match and tell the story, making it easy to understand.

Merwe narrates how different animals think themselves better than others because of their different abilities. ‘I am the fastest in the world!’ ‘I am the king of runners!’, these are the words by Cheetah that stimulate a heated argument on who the king is. The other animals then challenge him to a race to prove who the fastest is. They had thought that the race might silence him but he keeps on bragging even after the race. Wind then dares him to a race and that challenge teaches Cheetah a lesson that he never forgets for the rest of his life.

This is a perfect read for fable and animal lovers. I find it interesting with a lesson for children to embrace each other’s differences and not to boast about their abilities.

Sinobukhosi Mpofu
4/5