Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $3.00

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Maretha Botha
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Flame and Hope: An African Adventure Kindle Edition

by Maretha Botha (Author, Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 39 ratings
See all formats and editions
LARGE Print 2nd Ed ©2020 and Audible Audiobook, “Flame and Hope: An African Adventure" is the first book in the "Fauna Park Tales" Series, based on "African Adventures of Flame, Family, Furry and Feathered Friends", GOLD MEDAL WINNER on Authonomy, supported by HarperCollins Publishers. A review/excerpt from their Children's Editor states: "Maretha Botha has created a vivid and engaging world of animal characters, using clever and highly creative, animalised verbs such as Dolly Cat's 'whispurr'. The exploration of interrelationships between animals and birds is a successful topic in the children's literature genre; the author has produced some great personalities – the stubborn goat 'Plump-Grump' and the conceited 'His Handsomeness, King Rat', being two of my favourites."
LIFE takes unusual turns for a Nomadic family and their animals, including a young pup born faraway in the African desert. Due to sudden, strange events at their kraal, he is adopted by a free-range farmer to herd cattle in Molodi Valley. The pup, whose Faunalang name is Flame, faces many a challenge to prove himself to more than one of his new family. Yet, in time, he grows into a strong and brave dog, making friends with many furry and feathered ones, who help him to keep a promise to his first mistress to care for and to protect young, old and helpless bush creatures in their secret sanctuary – Fauna Park – within the farm’s boundaries. One of his feathered friends is Hope, a shy bird with pink eyelids, who whistles stories about a tall leader and his gang of poachers, the ups and downs of life in the bush, Flame's clever and often, comical plans to banish foes to the Llokodi Hills, and why it is better not to break a promise to a stubborn goat.
ALTHOUGH many of these classic stories provide perfect bedtime reading to younger ones, all readers and listeners will enjoy meeting various bush creatures who hope that all ends well when the sun goes down over the grasslands of Southern Africa.
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 4
    Fauna Park Tales
  2. Print length
    90 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    March 2, 2017
  6. File size
    35755 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
All 4 for you in this series See full series
See included books
Total Price: $10.99
By clicking on above button, you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use
More like Flame and Hope: An African Adventure
Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous page
  1. Rustic Acres
    Kindle Edition
    $0.99
  2. Teacups
    Kindle Edition
    $0.99
  3. Passing
    Kindle Edition
    $1.99
  4. Late Bloomer
    Kindle Edition
    $2.99
  6. A Few Bumps
    Kindle Edition
    $2.99
  7. The Fairy Garden
    Kindle Edition
    $1.99
  8. My Aunt Peggy
    Kindle Edition
    $3.00
  9. Ride into Romance
    Kindle Edition
    $4.99
  10. Fears, Tears, or Cheers
    Kindle Edition
    $2.99
Next page
Loading...

Editorial Reviews

Review

HarperCollins Children's Book Editor wrote 06/08/2014
"'African Adventures' is a children's narrative. I enjoyed your writing - the African setting is one that works well in a children's book, introducing an entirely new beautiful cultural landscape. The descriptive language is lovely, "It felt as if the sun wanted to take every drop of water hidden under their skin."
Chapter division of your narrative works well . . . an animal narrator is subtly introduced, "I perch in the highest tree..."
You have a promising basis for a vivid and engaging world of animal characters."

From the Author

Tales from Fauna Park, Volume 1 - available only in paperback - contains stories from An African Adventure: Flame and Hope and Friends. I strived to make this volume a gem - true value for money - adding explanatory footnotes, rhyming mottoes, short poems and more than forty colour illustrations to enhance younger readers' reading experience. Then too, the bush creatures have a distinctive language,which few humans understand.  I'm sure young readers will enjoy coming to grips with Faunalang and be surprised when they find out that there is a small human - a certain orphan - who understands them.
Even though a very distinct plot runs through the book, many of the chapters can be read individually at bedtime, and read again and again.  Some memorable characters are Plump-Grump - a stubborn goat; His Handsomeness King Rat - not easily beaten; The Pied Piper of Molodi and his pack of mongrel dogs; Hope - an elusive, large feathered friend with distinctive pink eyelids and narrator of Fauna Park's tales, and of course, Jack Old Boy aka Flame - a desert dog with humble beginnings who becomes a hero when he tries to keep an important promise. A gang of poachers and cattle thieves make his life as a working-dog on a free-range cattle farm difficult, especially when they set the grasslands aflame.
Martial eagles, African fish eagles and eagle owls, as well as hoopoes, horn-bills and crimson-breasted shrikes are some of the colourful feathered friends enriching the lives of both human and furry friends.My work as a research librarian helped me to do thorough research on these birds, making their stories believable and enjoyable.  Therefore, I have no hesitation to recommend this volume as a good investment, providing hours of pleasant reading and fond memories for younger readers aged 6-12, who will thank you for giving them such a good gift.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XDRQJQX
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ LionheART Publishing; 2nd edition (March 2, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 2, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 35755 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 90 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 39 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Maretha Botha

Maretha Botha

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Author/Illustrator Maretha Botha admits to being addicted to a good espresso and a fruit&nut chocolate bar. Having a barbecue, gardening and bird watching are favourite past-times for her and her family, especially during the short Lancashire summers.

She has published an award-winning, illustrated series of animal and bird adventure books (1-4) for Middle Grade Readers called, “Fauna Park Tales”, available as eBooks and black&white illustrated paperbacks.

One of her latest releases is a short story, “Saving The Evergreens: Garden Secrets” - a fantasy for those who still let their imagination take flight in the undergrowth.

As part of her book club’s challenge she also published two short stories called, “Lost Time” and “Lost And Found” - part of a W.I.P. series, “Family Ties”.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
39 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Gracie Bradford, Author
5.0 out of 5 stars Author Maretha Botha scores again!
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
A beautifully written story about FLAME and Flame’s Furry and Feathered Friends capturing relationship building, the strength of friendship, and the heart of soul of how might furry, and feathered friends oversee humans. The story provides many teachable moments and lessons. The author used the voice of a dog named FLAME to tell most of the story. I read book three before reading book one. It was nice to put a face to the voices through the astonishing artwork in this book. An index on how to pronounce a few foreign words and Faunalang word index is very useful. Placing this four-book series in school libraries for middle school children is advantageous to the student as well as the teacher.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Wanda Fischer
4.0 out of 5 stars The Insight of Animals
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
Told from the point of view of animals FLAME (a dog), and HOPE (a bird), this cleverly written and illustrated book takes a look at human nature and how cruel humans can be to one another while the animals observe. Flame had a rough start to life when some nasty people were not kind to his original owners. When he arrives at his second owners, he gets a new lease on life. He reaches out to the animals on the ranch and proposes that they band together as a group to ensure that they'll protect one another, no matter what. They face adversity, to be sure, but they find strength in numbers. They face sadness that is a normal part of life, and Flame tries to ease the other animals' pain when that happens. That is not to say that Flame is unaffected by losing furry friends or his friendly humans; he uses those losses to grow stronger.

I enjoyed this book because I was able to learn more about South Africa and the desert in which this takes place. The author uses South African terminology (and explains it at the end of the book), and I found it enlightening to see not only the words but also the drawings that accompany the books.

While many people might think this is a story for children, I think this is a clever story about how people, through the eyes of animals, led by Flame and Hope, can develop empathy and learn to work together. Like Flame, I too have hope that humans can learn to overcome adversity, just like he did, by using his rough start in life to evolve into a strong, caring empath.
Helpful
 Report
John
3.0 out of 5 stars A story from the animals' POV
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
FLAME AND HOPE: An African adventure is a story about their little world as seen through the eyes of animals in South Africa. HOPE, an all-knowing bird, possibly an owl, narrates this tale which takes place on a farm in a remote valley. FLAME, a dog, has become the defender of Fauna Park - the animals' nickname for the farm. The animals have their own language, and some, also understand the language of humans.

FLAME promised his former human that he would protect the young, old, and helpless bush creatures in their secret sanctuary. This was a 'rule' that FLAME ensured all residents of FUANA PARK abide by.

The author shows death, hope, adversity, stubbornness, and when wrong, offering apologies. Thus, educating readers on how to deal with such situations and their causes.

Although FLAME and HOPE are the primary characters in the story, the author also introduces others such as a stubborn goat and a rat who wants to rule the world. This is the first book in the series and I don't know how many of the animals will continue on through the other books.

The language developed by the author for the animals is sometimes distracting when reading through the story. She does, however, include a dictionary at the end along with correct word pronunciations. The author also shows her artistic talents with paintings throughout the book - including the cover - which depict many of the characters and surroundings.

FLAME AND HOPE is still a decent read with lessons learned for both adults and children 8+. I found it interesting, error-free, and a quick read.
Helpful
 Report
D.L. Finn
5.0 out of 5 stars A world seen through animal's eyes
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
Flame and Hope is a children’s book set in South Africa. Ms. Botha tells this story through Flame the dog and Hope the bird’s prospective. Although it is intended for children, (and I will be buying a book for my grandchildren) adults can enjoy it, too. It is a world seen through animal’s eyes. I was struck by their commitment to get along, follow rules, honor their word, and take care of each other. There are beautiful illustrations throughout and descriptions of the landscape. It is deep and thoughtful with the realities of life, but there is hope, too. I look forward to reading more from this author and other books in this series.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

SusiQ
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully descriptive and poetic
Reviewed in Germany on September 14, 2018
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this story. It appealed to the part of me that really liked Charlotte's Web when I was a kid. I can imagine a pre-teen enjoying a book like this. The South African setting fascinates me as well as the dealing with real life in the wild, namely life and death. The main characters are animals and I found the characterization and the dialogues were clear and well written. Overall a beautifully descriptive and poetic story.
Report
James Minter
5.0 out of 5 stars A children’s book which it will be enjoyed by animal lovers of any age...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2016
Verified Purchase
Having lived in southern Africa on the edge of a game reserve, Maretha Botha has first-hand experience of life in the region, and draws upon it to inform her stories. She is a champion of conservation, and keen to help young ones appreciate the importance of looking out for, and seeing the plight of many creatures, especially those in the wild.
Though this is a children’s book, it will be enjoyed by animal lovers of any age. It’s an entertaining adventure story that parents will enjoy reading to younger children, or will be appreciated by older independent readers. It’s thought provoking using the descriptive imagery of Africa to set the scene for the series to develop.
Flame and Hope are best friends, and the stories are told through the eyes of Hope. Since Hope is a bird perched high in an Acacia tree, he has an uninterrupted view of the remote cattle farm where Flame, a dog, lives. Flames and Hope are also friends with many other and varied animals and birds that live in the vicinity. On occasions the creatures gather around the tree where Hope is perched, and from where he recounts tales of past goings on.
This is a great writing device, and Maretha uses it well. Although the stories are engaging and well told, I have a slight reservation with the book for the newly independent reader: typically eight years old and upwards. Having said that, Roald Dahl’s Gobblefunk added over a thousand words to the English language of no relevance or meaning and his books are highly successful. Unlike Dahl, Maretha does include a dictionary in her book to help with pronunciation – look out Roald, you have a new contender chasing your heels…
One person found this helpful
 Report
Sharp
5.0 out of 5 stars What an Adventure!
Reviewed in Australia on September 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
An engaging story told in well-crafted prose. Ideal material for parent and child reading, it's enhanced by high-quality illustrations. The storyline involves situations that arouse our emotions. Without being preachy, it demonstrates morality: a combination that is difficult to achieve. If you and your child love animals and adventure, and are eager to learn more about life in Africa, then this book is sure to appeal.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Sarah Jane
4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2014
Verified Purchase
An African Adventure: Flame and Hope
Although categorised as a childrens book it is obvious from the outset that it could be enjoyed by animal lovers of any age. The detailed well executed opening chapters cleverly utilise vocabulary to make it an educational yet highly entertaining adventure story that can be read to younger children, or read by older children. This thought provoking story is set in Africa and the descriptive imagery is perfectly written to set the scene for the story to develop.
Flame the main character has many admirable qualities and despite shyness demonstrates bravery and caring in the face of challenges such as fire and injury. The chapters are appropriately sized and are enhanced by the excellent illustrations. The characters are developed in such a way that readers of all ages will associate with them and how they contribute to the storyline. The underlying message of the story demonstrates the need for everyone to help and protect each other. This is a great first book of a series and I look forward to reading next book.
Report
jlbwye
5.0 out of 5 stars Words are Charmingly Turned Into Childspeak
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2014
Verified Purchase
The introduction is gradual, as Hope, the narrator, appears as if through a mist. Is he a bird - maybe an owl?
Descriptions stay in my mind, like the two puppies who "wagged their tails in different directions" - so vivid and real.
The sadness of some stories is alleviated at appropriate times by the chit-chatter between Hope and Flame the doggy hero, and their animal friends.
I love the scene of Dolly cat licking Flame's nose and "whispurring".
Titbits of information are let loose, interspersing with the events of this captivating tale, making it an educational experience for young - and not so young - readers; like Flame having to make his jaws strong and keep his teeth clean by chewing on meaty bones.
The place names are wonderfully chosen: Molodi, Llokodi and Molapo. And I love the way Hope appears to see through the walls of the farmhouse and knows exactly what all the humans and animals are doing behind closed doors.
There is a dramatic grass fire, and again, Hope has all-seeing eyes while the tale educates its readers on how to deal with such situations and how they might be caused.
Words are charmingly turned into childspeak: "new moaning" for pneumonia, "reserve war" for reservoir, "art'tree" for artery.
There are so many dimensions to this endearing collection of bite-sized story-chapters, just the right length for young minds to cope with, perhaps at bed-time. And the illustrations have a charm all their own.
Well done, Maretha!
Altogether
One person found this helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report