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| Isibindi: The Last Rhino by Hernes |
Isibindi: The Last Rhino, by South African debut author and illustrator
Hernes, is a story about a courageous little rhino who creeps into your heart
from the very first page. It is a story about the real plight faced by these
beautiful creatures, sensitively told and beautifully illustrated.
Isibindi's adventure to reach the safety of a sanctuary to escape
the clutches of poaches is by no means a clichéd (yet sadly also necessary)
campaign which may leave you somewhat uncomfortable. It is heartwarming,
authentic storytelling that both young and old will thoroughly enjoy. The
purpose of Isibindi's story is to create awareness among our children,
regarding poaching, as well as to create a sense of hope that we can indeed do
something to save these animals.
Fun facts about rhinos are included to help children appreciate
these magnificent beasts. May the little rhino in this book not be the only
rhino our children will ever see.
Hernes tells us a little more about Isibindi, what it takes
to be a writer and to illustrate your own book, and what you can do to help save
the rhinos.
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| Hernes, author and illustrator of Isibindi:The Last Rhino |
When did you first start writing stories and why?
I think I wrote my first short story when I was in primary school, around grade 5. It was a short story about a boy who lived in the time
of the dinosaurs. I wrote several
stories as a child, but I've had an affinity for
storytelling for as long as I can remember.
Tell us a little bit about your debut children's book, Isibindi: The Last Rhino.
The inspiration for Isibindi came when I woke up one day
in November 2012 and I went on to the net. I saw a post, saying that the
North African Black Rhino was officially declared extinct. I decided that that
was the time, if any, that I needed to start creating awareness due to the fact
that our rhinos are poached to the level of extinction. If nobody does anything,
we'll probably only tell our children about rhinos in stories and with the aid
of photos. That
is where the inspiration for Isibindi began. I officially started writing at the beginning of 2013,
and illustrating.
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| Isibindi and his friend, Pant. |
'Isibindi' is the Zulu word for 'courage'. So it's actually 'The
courageous little rhino'. Being South African, I wanted to explore our native languages in the title and put it out
to an international market. 'Isibindi' just clicked. It's such a beautiful word and meaning 'courage', what could be more appropriate
for a rhino? If you read the book, you'll get to the point where Isibindi helps
to bring down the poacher that is trying to kill him.
I believe that a portion of all your sales of Isibindi goes to rhino conservation. Is
rhino conservation in particular close to your heart? Do you support other
conservation efforts?
I do. Nature conservation as a whole is very close to my heart; animals especially because they can't speak for themselves. I
feel that is our responsibility
to speak out against the cruel ways in which people are treating
animals.
Money drives the world at present. Rhino horn is in demand and poachers can get so
much money from it. The poachers don't see the animals, they see a dollar sign.
That is why I decided that I, as a person who really loves animals, should do
something; should try to create something that will create awareness.
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| Isibindi really is a brave little rhino |
What is the most important part of the illustration process and why?
Finding something you're passionate about and then telling that to the
world. The most important part of illustration is to create a picture that
tells the story. Having a passion for cinema and visual storytelling, I think it
almost became second nature to me to tell stories through pictures. So the
illustration process is a step-by-step process where I actually draw
several images of the same frame to get it right before I finally print it, to
make sure that every character is in that single frame. So it's about where
I place them to create visual interest in the image. Also, because there are poachers and some scary facts in the story, I had to
treat it with a little bit of tact so that I don't scare the parents or their
children.
What is the greatest challenge of writing?
The greatest challenge of writing for
children is to make it as simple as possible. I'm targeting an audience
between four and eight years old. They are still developing their minds and their own
identities, so you have to make it as accessible as possible without being too
far over their heads.
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| Pant, Isibindi's friend |
I enjoy creating the images. Telling the story through the images was
the most enjoyable part for me because I could play around with images that
people had perhaps never seen before. I have this one image where Nkosi sees
Isibindi for the first time. He looks out of the window of his shack and sees the rhino eating trash out of the trash can.
That single image gave me so much joy. I actually illustrated it and re-illustrated
it four times before I felt happy enough with the final product to put it in
the book. It happens often. Painting is not work for me,
it's relaxation.
Best advice you can give to budding
writers and illustrators?
Let's start with illustrators. Find your own style, firstly,
because there are so many illustrators out there that the competition is
fierce. If you have your own unique style, people will
immediately recognise your illustrations, regardless of a multitude of others.
Then, for budding writers: be true to yourself, be true
to your story and don't give up. It is not easy to be a writer. In fact, I think
it's one of the hardest professions in the world. So don't listen to that voice
in your mind that tells you, you're not good enough because you are. If your
story is good enough, people will enjoy it just as much as you do. Never
compare yourself to others, compare yourself to you. Take your passion for writing and turn it into something
usable. Transform it.
Can we expect more books in future?
Yes! I have a second book planned – a children's book – to be
released in May 2014, but I am not going to say anything more. Watch this
space!
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| Isibindi and his mother |
Get your copy of Isibindi: The Last Rhino
Isibindi: The Last Rhino is available in softcover and e-book format from
AuthorHouse, Amazon, and Kalahari. A portion of the sales goes to rhino
conservation, which makes 'Isibindi' not only a great book to have on your
shelf, but an absolute necessity.
Like Isibindi: The Last Rhino on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IsibindiThelastRhino?fref=ts
Author profile
Born
in Sasolburg, a small town in South Africa, Hernes grew up the youngest of
three children in a house filled with books. From an early age, his love for
reading became apparent and soon he started to write his own stories. After he
completed High School, he travelled through Europe where he worked as an au pair
before returning to South Africa. He attended the University of Pretoria and
has a Architecture degree. A supporter of animal rights and nature
conservation, he believes that change starts with education. He lives in
Pretoria with his spouse. When he is not writing or painting, he loves to take
long hikes in the South African savanna.
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