About Us!

the Book

My First Book of Shona and Ndebele Words is an accessible, engaging and easy-to-follow picture book. It is a multicultural picture book staged in Zimbabwe and designed to make learning Shona and Ndebele, the native languages of Zimbabwe, fun.

The main character, Rufaro, takes the reader through her daily activities and helps the reader learn basic words for greetings, transportation, family members and many more.

Picture books promote language development by allowing the reader to simultaneously see and name various objects.

the Author

My name is Yeve and I am a wife, mom, lawyer and author. My husband, Arnold, and I call both Zimbabwe and the United States home. I’m a native Shona speaker and Arnold speaks both Shona and Ndebele.

Like many others, Arnold and I also must navigate the nuances of raising a first-generation, multi-lingual, American child. Borne out of a commitment to teach our daughter her roots and frustration at not finding quality, modern Shona/Ndebele books, I decided to write my own book.

Like many others, Arnold and I also must navigate the nuances of raising a first-generation, multi-lingual, American child. Born out of a commitment to teach our daughter her roots and frustration at not finding quality, modern Shona/Ndebele books, I decided to write my own book. 

My hope is that people get interested in learning more about other cultures. I’m especially inspired by the idea that BIPOC children can read books with characters that resemble them. Specifically, I’m excited to create a book that resonates with boys and girls of African descent. 

With your purchase of My First Book of Shona and Ndebele Words, not only are we revolutionizing and diversifying children’s literature, we are telling the world that Black and African stories and languages should be shared!

I hope you will join me on this adventure!