The author, Judith Makaniankhondo Nyirenda, is from Malawi and lives with her family in the English village of Binfield. There, in the village, is a college campus where Judith pursued a degree in Arts and Humanities.
Academic competence in a language other than English was a requirement for her studies, and Judith is forever grateful for her in-depth knowledge of both spoken and written Chichewa, her native language, in which she was tested and proved very competent.
Judith is also grateful that the first 19 years of her life were spent in Malawi where she engaged in the Chichewa language in all its forms, oral cues included. Despite her proficiency, Judith found transferring Chichewa in its entirety to her children a challenge. There is more to learning a language than words, and sometimes a language must be visual, tactile and used in all forms of celebrations.
This book achieves this, and more, and is an enjoyable teaching tool for both the English and Chichewa languages which Judith loves very much.
Mlembiyu, Judith Makaniankhondo Nyirenda,
amachokela ku Malawi ndipo iye pamodzi ndi banja lake amakhala ku Mangalande m'mudzi otchedwa Binifiludi. M'mudzimu muli Sukulu
yaukachenjede komwe Judith anaphunzira
maphunziro apamwamba azamaluso,
chikhalidwe ndi chidziwitso.
Kuti ophunzila apambane pa maphunzilowa,
amayenera kusonyeza kuti amadziwa kuyankhula ndi kulemba mwaukatswiri mu chilankhulidwe
chinanso. Judith amathokoza chifukwa
chakuti amadziwa kulemba ndikuyankhula Chichewa chimene chiri chilankhulo cha kudziko la kwawo. Ndipo atayesedwa mu Chichewa, iye anapambana. Judith amathokozanso kuti anabadwira ku Malawi ndikukula mpakana zaka khumi, zisanu ndi zinayi, nthawi yonseyo Judith amakhala akuchibulumunya komanso kuchilemba Chichewachi bwino kwambiri. Ngakhale Judith amadziwa Chichewa mwakuya, anaona kuti chimamuvuta kuti awaphunzitse ana ake bwino bwino.
Pali njira zambiri zimene munthu amaphunzilira chilankhulidwe pambali pa
kulankhula; nthawi zambiri chilankhulidwe chimayenera kuwoneka, kugwilika,
ndiponso kugwiritsidwa ncthito muzisangalalo zosiyanasiyana. Mlembiyu ali okondwa kuti bukhu limeneli lakwanilitsa izi, komanso kuti ndi chida chabwino chophunzitsira Chizungu ndi Chichewa, zilankhulo zimene Judith amakonda kwambiri.
