How school readers sparked Zeta Jonkers' imagination

For most children, school readers are a way to pass time in class or practice new vocabulary. But for 10-year-old Zeta Jonkers, a Grade 4 learner at De Kuilen Primary, those books became building blocks for her own imagination.

Little Zeta has now taken the step from reader to young author, with her first story formally published - a birthday wish her parents helped her turn into reality.

Jonkers has been making up stories since she was eight-years old, she said she can still remember when she realised that creating her own worlds felt as natural as reading the ones in front of her. “ I discovered I’ve had a passion for creating my own stories since I was only eight-years old,” she said.

She credits the Department of Education (DBE) readers and the popular Biff and Chip series for setting her imagination alight. What appealed to her most was how familiar characters returned  with a fresh challenge or adventure. She said that simple structure helped her understand how stories work and encouraged her to create her own.

Her debut book came from an ordinary week at school. Jonkers explained that she had a particularly good week at school, and that inspired her to write her story. At first, she planned to base it on another character, but she decided the story would be stronger if the main character experienced a difficult week. “It came to mind and it would show more interest to people who will read the book,” she said.

One of her birthday wishes was to see one of her stories turned into a real book. When she found out her parents were making the wish come true, reality started to sink in. “I started getting excited when I first met the publisher and how she told me that all our dreams can come true,” she said. The publisher from Shofar Books, helped guide her the process and showed her what happens behind the scenes of producing a book.

Jonkers said the part she enjoyed most was typing her own story on the laptop and seeing it slowly come together. But not everything came easily, the most challenging part for her was coming up with the quiz questions placed at the end of the book.

Her writing has not stopped with her first publication, Zeta has already begun working on new material, including a story she started this week titled, The School’s troubled rules. It links to another story she has been working on called The Lost girl, which already has 12 chapters completed. Jonkers expected to finish it at 17 chapters.

Balancing schoolwork and writing does not seem to overwhelm her, she said her class environment gives her enough space in the day to keep up with both her stories and her schoolwork.

When asked what she hopes young readers will take from her writing, she said a simple message from her book: actions have consequences. Her advice to any child wanting to write is to begin with whatever comes to mind and do a small amount of planning before getting started.

At 10, Zeta Jonkers has shown that a love of reading can grow into something much bigger. At a recent Cape Flats Literacy Awards, Jonkers received the Contribution to Literary Arts Awards and the Best First-time author award. Her book ‘ My terrible week’ is available at Shofar Books in Kuils River or  www.shofarbooks.co.za.

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