Sisulu, Elinor Batezat

The Day Gogo Went to Vote

Illustrated by Sharon Wilson. Cape Town, South Africa: Tafelberg, 1997. No pag. ISBN 0-624-03548-4. Ages 6-10.

Summary
Endorsed as “inspiring and moving” by the then President Nelson Mandela, this story records the occasion when a nation stood in line to vote. In countries where elections are treated with apathy, it must be hard to comprehend the overwhelming feeling of freedom caused by South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994. Elinor Sisulu (daughter-in-law and biographer of the late Walter Sisulu) follows Gogo, a grandmother, who has waited all her long life for this opportunity and who insists on going to the ballot box in spite of the problems of transport and old age. Illustrated in bold, impressive colour by an American artist, this heart-warming picture book honours an incredible moment in South African history.

Picture Books

South Africa

Tafelberg