Innerlinks: Decodable books for children with dyslexia
Teacher, cognitive assessor, and parent of a dyslexic son Ali Fullick tells us about her publishing project Innerlinks Decodable Books are suitable for anyone learning to read, and are a perfect tool for children with Dyslexia, ADHD and other specific…
Is A Monster Eating Our Stories? Authenticity, AI, and Animatronic Mice
Annelies Judson chats with Fifi Colston and Ruth Paul about their new stage show, Help! A Monster Ate My Story Fifi Colston holds up a pink mouse puppet. It is a piece of trickery. The puppet was made by Colston—but…
Review: a posthumously published dystopia
Alex Adank reviews outdoors author and photographer Shaun Barnett’s middle grade novel A dystopian novel, set in New Zealand, for kids?! That’s several boxes ticked for me, so it’s no surprise I was thoroughly hooked by the new middle-grade fiction…
Book List: Introducing a new baby
Alex Adank recommends books to guide children through the introduction of a new baby to the family. Becoming a big sibling can be a huge life change for young children. For some, a new baby means they are now the…
A Day in the Life: Tim Saunders
Writer and farmer Tim Saunders shares an (approximate) day in his life to celebrate the release of his new picture book, The Sheep That Stole The Farmer’s Hat I have owned my alarm clock for over forty years. We have…
Regular Features
Features
Innerlinks: Decodable books for children with dyslexia
Teacher, cognitive assessor, and parent of a dyslexic son Ali Fullick tells us about her publishing project Innerlinks Decodable Books are suitable for anyone learning to read, and are a perfect tool for children with Dyslexia, ADHD and other specific...
Book List: Introducing a new baby
Alex Adank recommends books to guide children through the introduction of a new baby to the family. Becoming a big sibling can be a huge life change for young children. For some, a new baby means they are now the...
A Day in the Life: Tim Saunders
Writer and farmer Tim Saunders shares an (approximate) day in his life to celebrate the release of his new picture book, The Sheep That Stole The Farmer’s Hat I have owned my alarm clock for over forty years. We have...
Love Letter to a Library: Auckland Central Library
Vasanti Unka’s latest picture book, Pukapuka, is an ode to all the delights of a library. Who better then, to kick off an occasional series on the libraries that capture our hearts? Just the thought of libraries fills me with...
Big people in books for little people: adult protagonists in picture books
Annelies Judson examines the role of grown ups in picture books. As a writer, I try to keep my ear to the ground for trends in children’s literature, both in Aotearoa and globally. One thing that I’ve heard over and...
Literacy Lingo: the terminology behind literacy and reading programmes
Headlines continue to emerge about the state of literacy in our country and the changes taking place in our classrooms. But what do all the terms that are bandied about actually mean? With children newly back to schools around the...
The Reckoning: Honouring Children’s Culture, Identity and Language in the Face of Adversity
Literacy expert Chris Thornley on how the desire to read must be nurtured by providing learners with books that reflect their cultures, languages and identities Learning to read is high on the list of expectations for children starting school. Their...
The Mahy Questionnaire: Story Hemi-Morehouse
Illustrator Story Hemi-Morehouse takes time at the end of a busy year to answer our Mahy-themed interrogation! 1. Describe yourself in three words: Weird aunty draws. 2. During the height of adolescence, was it a good changeover? Being a teenager...
Q&A: Giselle Clarkson on Omnibird
Giselle Clarkson’s new book, Omnibird, is a delightful dive into all things avian. As it’s popping up on ‘best of 2025’ lists all over the place, we asked her what inspired the book. Writer and illustrator Giselle Clarkson has done...
From the Shop Floor: bookseller recommendations for Christmas, for eight-year-olds to teens
Aotearoa’s specialist children’s bookstores have the answers you need on what to buy this Christmas. We asked the children’s bookstores around the country for their top picks this Christmas. Here’s what they recommend for eight-year-olds and up. Remember though, that...
From the shop floor: Bookseller recommendations for Christmas, for babies to seven-year-olds
Aotearoa’s specialist children’s bookstores have the answers you need on what to buy this Christmas. We asked the children’s bookstores around the country to take some time from their hectic shop floors to share their picks for Christmas gifts. Here’s...
The Sampling: Taniwha
We’re sharing a glimpse at Gavin Bishop’s newest epic work, ‘a monster-sized book about the mythical monsters of Aotearoa’! Taniwha was launched last week, and explores pūrākau and stories of taniwha from all around Aotearoa. TaniwhaGavin BishopPenguin$40.00Buy now
Kiwi Christmas Books
Author Sonya Wilson started Kiwi Christmas Books as a ‘little personal project’ in 2019. Since then, the charity has given away more than 54,000 books. We asked her what it’s all about. Kiwi Christmas Books is a charity that collects...
Quiz: 2025 Notable Books
Storylines released their list of the best books of the year yesterday. Today, we put your bookish knowledge to the test! Do you know your Notable Books? Questions Answers
2025 Storylines Notable Book Awards
The Storylines Notable Book Awards aim to recognise the breadth of children’s publishing in Aotearoa. Here are this year’s selections. The Storylines Notable Book Awards started in 1999, as a means to recognise the many outstanding books that are published...
Interviews
Is A Monster Eating Our Stories? Authenticity, AI, and Animatronic Mice
Annelies Judson chats with Fifi Colston and Ruth Paul about their new stage show, Help! A Monster Ate My Story Fifi Colston holds up a pink mouse puppet. It is a piece of trickery. The puppet was made by Colston—but...
Q&A: Giselle Clarkson on Omnibird
Giselle Clarkson’s new book, Omnibird, is a delightful dive into all things avian. As it’s popping up on ‘best of 2025’ lists all over the place, we asked her what inspired the book. Writer and illustrator Giselle Clarkson has done...
Book people: Bob Docherty
Bob Docherty has just been awarded the Storylines 2025 Betty Gilderdale Award for services to children’s literature and literacy. Bill Nagelkerke interviews him on his life in reading. Bob describes himself as a promoter of reading. Working for two decades...
Designer to designer: The PANZ Book Design Awards finalists
The winners of the PANZ Book Design Awards will be announced tonight. We thought that was a great opportunity to find out more about how these sometimes-unseen heroes of children’s books—the designers!— work. The PANZ Book Design Awards recognise excellence...
Interview: Andy Griffiths, celebrity author
Andy Griffiths might be the best kind of celebrity author—he’s famous because his books are so popular with children. Annelies Judson caught up with him to talk about his books and the serious craft of being funny. Earlier this year,...
Interview: Josh Morgan
Josh Morgan was recently presented the Mallinson Rendel Illustrators Award. We at The Sapling quite agree with the panel’s statement that ‘The breadth and vigour of his work excites, inspires and engages inquisitive young minds to become life-long readers’. Briar...
Interview: David Hill on Mother of the Nation
Claudia Palmer speaks with esteemed writer David Hill about the lasting impact of Dame Whina Cooper, the importance of te reo Māori and what he hopes New Zealanders will take away from his latest picture book Mother of the Nation....
NZCYA 2025: More from the junior fiction finalists
The writers shortlisted for the junior fiction prize at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults quiz each other for advice and insights on their books and writing. Way back in June we asked the authors shortlisted...
Five authors on how to self-publish children’s books
Of the twenty nine books shortlisted in the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, five were self-published. Claudia Palmer spoke with the authors about their journey to self publishing. One thing I’ve noticed wandering through the...
NZCYA 2025: Young Adult fiction
Harriet Elworthy asked parents to read the young adult finalists in the New Zealand Books Awards for Children and Young Adults alongside their teens and tweens. Here are the reactions from these family read-a-thons. My kids’ recommendations have led me...
NZCYA 2025: THE WRIGHT FAMILY FOUNDATION TE KURA POUNAMU AWARDS
Arihia Latham takes the reo Māori finalists in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults to kura. Books in te reo Māori are always devoured in our whare. My nine year old tamāhine goes to kura kaupapa,...
Books Alive Palmerston North
Belinda Whyte took a group of students to the first Books Alive event held in Palmerston North and found that a love of books is truly alive. ‘Who likes books?’ asked Rachael King in her first set at the Books...
Interview: Hannah Marshall
Ella West speaks with Hannah Marshall about the publication of her debut novel It’s a Bit More Complicated Than That and what it’s like to be one of Aotearoa’s youngest published novelists. Hannah Marshall’s debut novel, It’s a Bit More...
Book People: An Interview with Jenny Hellen
Hannah Marshall speaks with Jenny Hellen about her role as Publisher at Large at Allen & Unwin New Zealand and the state of children’s publishing in Aotearoa right now. If you’ve ever heard of Allen & Unwin New Zealand, then...
Meet The Pinchers: An interview with Anders Sparring and Per Gustavsson
Writer Anders Sparring and illustrator/writer Per Gustavsson performed to more than 1000 children at the 2025 Auckland Writers Festival. They are the Swedish creators of The Pinchers, a junior chapter book series based on a family of criminals. Julia Marshall,...
Reviews
Review: a posthumously published dystopia
Alex Adank reviews outdoors author and photographer Shaun Barnett’s middle grade novel A dystopian novel, set in New Zealand, for kids?! That’s several boxes ticked for me, so it’s no surprise I was thoroughly hooked by the new middle-grade fiction...
Review: books of the season
Annelies Judson reviews three new Christmas picture books. I would like to preface these reviews by saying: I love Christmas. Not in the way that some people do, where they count down to Christmas from January onwards. And I certainly...
Review: three accessible novels for younger readers
Lucy Black reviews the first in a promising new series and the latest books in an already popular series The Fate of Dragons: Dragonfall Book One by Sarina Clark and illustrated by Alba Gil Celdran The Fate of Dragons is...
Review: Kings of this World
Sarah Forster reviews a much-anticipated new novel for young adults by Elizabeth Knox. When you start a new Elizabeth Knox book, you know you are in for a magical, immersive ride. Kings of this World delivers. I read this book...
Review: a sophomore album
Lucy Black reviews the new Violet and the Velvets adventure by Rachael King. Violet Grumble is back, she’s ready to rock and ready to uncover another mystery. Violet is the energetic and enigmatic main character of Rachael King’s new series...
Fishy business: new non-fiction reviews
Tom Davis reviews three new books with ties to the coastline Splash! By Donovan Bixley Splash! Donovan Bixley’s Coastal Creatures of Aotearoa comes on the heels of Squawk!, Buzzz! and Rustle! Cheerful and informative, these flora and fauna titles from...
Review: The Retreat
Elizabeth Heritage reviews Helen Vivienne Fletcher’s new dystopian novel for teens. The Retreat is a new young adult horror novel by Te Whanganui-a-Tara author Helen Vivienne Fletcher (Pākehā, she/her). It is told in the first person from the point of...
Review: So Over Sharing
Lucy Black reviews young adult novel So Over Sharing, which delves into the lives of the children of influencers. “Wait,” the female firefighter says, recognition dawning. “Are you … Phoebe Harris from PhoebeAndJay?” Mom turns to me and Colton with...
NZCYA 2025: Librarians assess the Bookhub Picture Book Award finalists
Librarians Claire Guest, Merritt Barnett and Stephen Clothier took the five finalists in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults’ picture book category to library storytimes, and share the tamariki’s reactions here. At Te Matapihi ki te...
Review: wild life, weighty issues and whimsy
Tom Davis reviews new four new picture books by some of the best in the business. Koro Wētā by Heather Haylock, illustrated by Sarah Trolle Koro Wētā is a fact-filled bilingual encounter with the iconic Kiwi insect. An encounter with...
Review: new novels for younger readers
Cassie Hart reviews new junior fiction novels from Sherryl Clark and Lauren Middleton. The Only Branch on the Family Tree, by Sherryl Clark This verse novel comes from the experienced hand of Sherryl Clark, who is based in New Zealand...
Review: The critter collection
Katherine Hurst reviews new books on wētāpunga (wētā as big as mice!) and the range of insects that call Aotearoa home. Wētā are famous for being big, and wētāpunga are the biggest of them all—some are heavier than a mouse!...
Review: A teen’s guide to good mental health
Louisa Woods reviews Wildling Books’ new offering for teens Rebekah Lipp and Wildling Books have developed a reputation for publishing books that are warm, thoughtful, and genuinely useful. How to Stay Sane in this Crazy World: A Wildling Guide to...
Review: Animals with Personality
Lucy Black reviews new junior fiction from Maria de Jong and Shelley Burne-Field. Two short and accessible novels for young readers with themes of coming of age, exploration, independence and bravery. They both highlight the importance of friendship, slowing down...
Review: Mysterious birds, angry roosters and a No
Annelies Judson reviews three new picture books. Alice and the Strange Bird, written and illustrated by Isaac du Toit Isaac du Toit is a talented artist, and illustrated multiple picture books before the age of 20. Last year he won...
Thank you to our funders & supporters
