Jubela is the story of a baby rhino who lives in the Mkhaya Game Reserve in Swaziland, in fact the book is dedicated to the park rangers, who risk their lives everyday to save these creatures. Jubela survived the death of his mother, who was killed by poachers. A baby rhino is dependant upon it’s mother’s milk for the first two years of their lives, and then stays close by its mother’s side for an additional two - three years. A dead rhino mother usually means a dead baby rhino as well.

This little rhino was a miracle in that he survived for some time on his own and then was adopted by an older female rhino. He was given his name by the park rangers impressed by his fight to survive. Jubela means “fighter” in Siswati, the language spoken in Swaziland.

Over the last thirty years, 97 percent of the world’s rhino population has been lost to poachers. Some rhino experts have predicted the animals will be extinct in the next few years. The Mkhaya Game Reserve in Swaziland is at the forefront of the battle to save these ancient animals. Jubela is a children’s book of only thirty-seven pages, but manages with both words and artwork to bring this situation to light in a straight forward simple manner that allows children to learn what is happening without using scare tactics. ( )