Jacqui van der Merwe (Shepherd) is a South African author of children’s books. She grew up traveling abroad in South Africa as well as Swaziland.
Jacqui started writing when her children were small. Because their ages are so very close to one another, she was presented with numerous challenges during their formative years, one of which was never having a spare hand to hold a book. This resulted in her making up her own stories to keep the kids entertained. In order to remember the stories, she wrote them down. Four of the stories in her first set she wrote for each of her children, who loved having their own special story.
Over the years her family grew and she was blessed with stepchildren. Years later when they all left the nest, she started writing again, and her books have been published along with several new ones.
Animal Adventures (her first set) is a set of 10 beautifully illustrated books, each a story with a moral, so that children can learn valuable lessons while enjoying the stories. Jacqui is a firm believer in stories with morals, and as a mother found it a wonderful educational tool.
Bug Stories is also a set of 10 children’s stories, each with a moral, teaching readers about life and how to be happy. Bug Stories was published in 2018 and a definite must-have for any child’s bookshelf!
Jacqui credits her father for her storytelling talent, who himself was a very avid storyteller, and publishes her books under her maiden name in remembrance of him. And her inspiration she accredits to her children.
