Entrepreneur Charmaine Nolte and actress Milan Murray joined forces in 2015 to establish the Children’s Book Company Murray & Me. Both these women have a keen sence of business as well as a love for books and language.
Albei vroue het kinders in die grondslagfase en glo dit is die sleutel tot hulle verstaan van die kinderboek mark.
“It’s important to understand and know your product as well as the market” says Nolte, an experienced product developer and business owner. Her focus on intensive research and sourcing makes it possible for the Murray & Me duo to publish their own books. “If I don’t know, I ask” she claims. And with that fearless attitude she entered the publishing world as a small fish in a big pond.
As ‘n skrywer, ma en aktrise met ‘n groot liefde vir Afrikaans en die musikaliteit van woorde, is Milan die ideale besigheidsvenoot vir Charmaine in Murray & Me. Milan se eerste boek oor moederskap het reeds in 2010 verskyn. “En kinders laat jou anders na die wêreld kyk” sê Murray. “Dis in hierdie grondslagfase wat die teelaarde reg is om ‘n liefde vir narratief en fantasie te kweek.”
Illustrator Marisa du Toit is an integral part of the Murray & Me idiom series. After years of exhibiting her work in galleries across South Africa, she turned to story illustrating in 2014, doing bi-weekly interpretations for woman’s magazine Vrouekeur.
Marisa’s unique, quirky characters and fascinating use of multiple mediums, captured the heart of the Murray & Me team and they approached her to collaborate on the idiom series.
“Die prentjie is die voordeur na die storie” sê Marisa. Die titel en die teks laat die kind nuuskierig nader leun, maar die illustrasie maak die deur na die verbeeldingswêreld oop.”
Hierdie drie vroue se mantra is die dryf agter hulle sukses: “Laat ons kinders lees!”