Story Weaver reads to children at Herzlia Highlands in Cape Town

By Patricia Schonstein

Herzlia Highlands Primary school in Cape Town, recently held an arts and culture week, with two days specially given to books and reading. Our Story Weaver was invited to share how Phoebe came to be an ambassador for animal rights, and to read poems from The Phoebe Book of Poems for Children.

Her audience held some 150 scholars and their teachers, including their amazing librarian, Sharon Geffen, who is herself a poet.

The favourite poems were ‘We are Big Cats’ [This is always a favourite], ‘Something about Pangolins’ and ‘Something about Owl’.

Story Weaver asked whether anyone had ever seen an owl. She was delighted when a number of children said that they had. One boy later told her that he had actually heard an owl, and what a wonderous sound this was.

At question time, many questions were asked about Phoebe, about animals, and about writing poetry.

The most thoughtful question was: ‘What happened to the children who abused Phoebe?’ Story Weaver answered that Phoebe has forgiven them. She is not afraid of children. She does not cower or run away from them. Sadly, however, the children were not rescued from their poor and uncaring environment. We are not sure that anyone is taking the sort of care of them that all children deserve and have a right to. We feel sad for them. So does Phoebe.