Kamogelo Masoga's 'Jane & Ruby': a heartfelt children's story about compassion and responsibility

At the age of 27, Pretoria-based author Kamogelo Masoga published her third book, a children’s story titled “Jane & Ruby: The Interaction Between Humans and Dogs”.

The book is written for readers between the ages of eight and twelve, focusing on teaching compassion, empathy and responsibility toward animals. 

The story begins when a lost dog arrives at the home of Jane, a seven-year-old girl.

Her parents expect her to be happy to welcome the new companion, but Jane carries a fear of dogs due to limited exposure and misunderstanding.

Instead of bonding with the animal, Jane initially mistreats the dog, showing both emotional and physical cruelty. Her parents intervene, sitting her down for a serious conversation about kindness and the need to respect animals.

From this point, Jane starts to change. She apologises to the dog, named Ruby, and works to rebuild trust.

Small gestures of care gradually lead to a bond between them, and Jane experiences the rewards of empathy and responsibility.

Later in the story, Ruby protects Jane’s father from a dangerous situation, showing courage and loyalty. Jane learns that the love she showed Ruby created a meaningful and reciprocal relationship.

“The book is about more than a child and her dog,” Masoga explained in an interview. “It is about understanding that animals, just like people, have feelings and deserve to be loved, cared for and treated with respect.”

Masoga first discovered writing in high school and went on to publish her debut book, “Chasing the Dream", in 2020. Her second book, “The Bastard Child”, came out in 2023. “Jane & Ruby” is her first children’s book.

“Writing has always been part of me,” she said.

“This story was inspired by my desire to teach children the value of compassion, empathy and responsibility towards animals. If children learn this while they are still young, they will grow up as adults who respect and understand animals.”

When asked why she turned to children’s literature, Masoga referred to a saying from her culture: “Le kojwa esale le le na na na.”

“It means children have to be taught while they are still young because it might be difficult to teach them when they are already old,” she explained. “That is why I targeted children. If they learn now, they will carry the lessons with them.”

Masoga’s own upbringing influenced the book’s storyline.

“When I was growing up, I was scared of dogs,” she recalled.

“Whenever I saw a dog on the street, I would think of violence and pick up a stone to hit it. That was because in the place where I grew up, people did not respect or value dogs. They did not see them as living beings with feelings. That experience pushed me to research more and tell this story in a way that would carry a message.”

For Masoga, the central lesson of “Jane & Ruby" is simple but powerful.

“I want children to understand that animals are important just like people are. They must treat all living beings the same. When you treat animals with love and care, they will also return the favour. More importantly, I want children to stop abusing animals in any form.”

Although Masoga had already published two books before, writing for a younger audience came with its own difficulties.

“The challenging part was creating a storyline that children would enjoy while still learning something,” she said.

“Children are not like adults. They get bored quickly if the story does not hold their attention. I had to write, delete, write again and keep working until I had something that I knew children would connect with.”

When asked how it felt to see the book in print, Masoga responded with gratitude.

“It feels like I have achieved something big,” she said. “It is a dream come true. I once dreamed of writing a book for children, and now it has happened. I feel blessed to see my dream become real.”

Masoga confirmed that she intends to continue writing for children.

“Yes, I plan to write more children’s books,” she said.

“The next book will be a fiction story, but based on issues we face in our daily lives. I want to write about things children can relate to, so they can take the message from the story.”