The Herd Boy
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Malusi lives in rural South Africa, where he spends his days tending his grandfather’s flock, and wishing for a dog to keep predators away. One day, a baboon injures a baby lamb, and as Malusi carries it home, a large car stops. The elderly man inside asks Malusi what he hopes to do in the future, and Malusi tells him that one day he will be president. Spotting the injured lamb, the old man says that someone who takes care of his herd will make a good leader. The man is Nelson Mandela.
Poetic language and sensitive illustrations combine in this picture book, to tell a touching story about the importance of childhood dreams.