What a journey it has been!

As Puku launches its beautifully revamped website, I celebrate not only a new digital home, but a journey that has personally taken me from Masifunde Sonke: A Book Review Workshop of Children’s Literature to becoming a Puku reviewer, copy editor, senior editor, facilitator and, most recently, a proud member of the team – Zanele Ndlovu, Sebolai Mohope and Sibusisiwe Thembela – that presented Puku’s work at the 21st LITASA Annual Conference 2026.

Our Show-and-Tell, “More Books, Better Books: Opportunities and Challenges of Multilingual Book Reviews,” gave us an opportunity to take delegates behind the scenes of PUKU’s reviewing process. We did not simply talk about reviewing—we gave them a glimpse to experience it: how we READ. DISCUSS. WRITE. EDIT. PUBLISH. And what a response we received!

But perhaps the most beautiful thing about Puku’s story is not only the books, reviews, languages or platforms. It is the people. People are the heart of Puku.

I know this because I am one of them.

Masifunde Sonke opened a door for me. Puku kept opening others. And every new opportunity has deepened my belief that what children read matters—and that children deserve more books, better books.

So, congratulations, Puku, on this exciting new chapter!

May this new digital home connect even more people, amplify more stories and languages, nurture more champions of children’s literature, and ultimately help more children find themselves, their worlds and their possibilities in books.

Here’s to Puku—and to the people making the journey possible!

By Sibusisiwe Thembela.