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GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - In January 2018, Dr Hugh Houghton-Hawksley and his wife, Nita, set off on a round-the-world tour.
With them they took Jamie Jaguar, a lovable soft toy, who has since made quite a name for himself among children on the Garden Route.
Dr Houghton-Hawksley, a former inspector of education (English) at the Cape Education Department, who retired in 1991 and lives in Mossel Bay, has written and published three children's books about their experiences on tour, as seen through the eyes of Jamie Jaguar.
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The books enable interactive, fun learning for toddlers, beginner readers and primary schoolchildren who love getting to know the world, as well as the wonderful world of books, with the help of their cuddly friend.
Jamie's adventure began in his home town of Mossel Bay with the first stop the mother city, where he was cuddled by an Air Emirates employee at the departure lounge in Cape Town. After that, everyone who met Jamie and his "grandpa" and "grandma", wanted to pose for a photo for Jamie's travel album.
Off they go
First, the trio flew from Cape Town via Dubai to New York, where they boarded the Queen Elizabeth cruise liner for their world tour. From there on it was smooth sailing, taking in the fabulous wonders of the cities and towns on the Caribbean Sea before making their way through the incredible Panama Canal into the Pacific Ocean.
Their adventure included stops in Guatemala, Mexico, the west coast of the USA, Hawaii, and French Polynesia. After that the liner headed for New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Mauritius and La Reunion.
At the end of three months it returned to Cape Town, where they disembarked for the last time and hit the road back to Mossel Bay.
A book (or three) is born
Upon their return, Dr Houghton-Hawksley wasted no time sharing their experiences with the young people of South Africa and his first book, specifically aimed at toddlers, Hello Jamie Jaguar, was born.
The book is jam-packed with photos of Jamie in exotic places, accompanied by rhymes that little ones enjoy.
The next book, written for beginner readers, Speak to me, Jamie Jaguar, follows the same tour, and offers some easy reading of Jamie's escapades. The last one, Jamie Jaguar's World Tour, follows the tour in more detail. All three books take the children on tour with Jamie, broadening their horizons and showing them that inside the pages of a book the whole wide world awaits.
In his author's note, Dr Houghton-Hawksley stresses that his books are not traditional textbooks or storybooks, but sources of enjoyment which will invite children of all ages to delve into them with pleasure and interest. "From just reacting to pictures they will advance to becoming more knowledgeable about their world. Youngsters will develop a love for reading which will remain with them throughout their lives," he states.
The Jamie Jaguar books allow parents and teachers to increase reading literacy and enjoyment among those closest to them.
Ordinary Magic for Madiba
The George Herald reading project, Ordinary Magic for Madiba, is buying some Jamie Jaguar books for the reading project and Dr Houghton-Hawksley has come on board to encourage children and parents to read.
The project needs more of these and other books for use at crèches and primary schools and would appreciate any donations.
The books can be bought directly from the author for private use or to donate to the reading project.
• Contact Ilse Schoonraad at ilse@groupeditors.co.za or on 044 874 2424.
The author's great-grandson, Sean Houghton-Hawksley, shares his ice cream with his favourite globe-trotter, Jamie Jaguar.
The series of Jamie Jaguar books teaches children about the world as seen through the eyes of their friend - a toy jaguar!
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