Zandi's Song

Zandile Ndhlovu is South Africa’s first Black female free diving instructor. After looking beneath the surface of the ocean for the first time in her life at age twenty-eight, she felt at home and decided she needed to help make the seas more accessible and diverse. Realizing it needed to start with young people, Ndhlovu set up the Black Mermaid Foundation, which works to create diverse representation in ocean spaces—in sports, in careers, and recreationally. In 2022 she was named one of the Global Top 100 Most Influential People of African Descent. Follow the author on TikTok and Instagram @ZanditheMermaid.Katlego Keokgale is a children’s book illustrator from South Africa. She loves reading and watching anything with magic in it. She’s also a wife and mother of two beautiful girls and loves sharing the work she does with them. She hopes to inspire many more Black creatives to pursue children’s book illustration and grow the industry, because there are so many amazing stories that need to be told. Follow the artist on Instagram @dopeladykady.

“Vibrant illustrations use color nicely…. The encouraging text will empower many children to care for the environment. A stirring celebration of our connection to—and responsibility for—the natural world.” —Kirkus Reviews“The spongy marine hues and flowing lines of Keokgale’s digital renderings impart an enchanted oceanic vibe that mirrors the book’s empowering takeaway, which an author’s note links to Ndhlovu’s work as founder of the Black Mermaid Foundation, based in South Africa.” —Publishers Weekly