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Book Reviews: New picture books from Aotearoa

It has been a phenomenal year for picture books from Aotearoa! Here’s our last batch of reviews for 2020, courtesy of co-founder and editor Sarah Forster. Check out her fascinating thoughts on five of the latest fantastic titles to grace…

Across the Ditch: Maxine Beneba Clark: When We Say Black Lives Matter

New Zealand author Swapna Haddow interviews award winning Australian author Maxine Beneba Clark about her latest book: When We Say Black Lives Matter, a powerful and timely poem that addresses the Black Lives Matter movement. Maxine Beneba Clarke is the…

Terrific gifts for Teens

The Sapling is dedicated to bringing you the best books from Aotearoa for gifting this holidays. It’s our final batch of recommendations for the holiday season, and we’re finishing with a bang! Check out these top-notch titles for the teens…

Book List: Detectives, Spies, & other Sneaky Sorts

Picture this. You’re a bookseller, being asked for recommendations for a ten-year-old kid who loves reading but needs something new. You pause in front of the shelf before grabbing three books to suggest – and as you give your spiel…

Fantastic gifts for kids aged 8-12

The Sapling is dedicated to bringing you the best books from Aotearoa for gifting this holidays. This week we’ve got some rad recommendations for the 8-12 year olds in your life. The Inkberg Enigma, by Jonathon King (Gecko Press) Miro…

New non-fiction reviews

From a tale of mythical women in northernmost Tuvalu to a story of a modern mophead woman of Tuvaluan, Samoan, French, Scottish and English descent – as well as adventures in tech through time, seaside exploration and Niuean icons. It’s…

Great gifts for kids aged 5-7

The Sapling is dedicated to bringing you the best books from Aotearoa for gifting this holidays. This week we bring you the coolest books for kids aged roughly 5-7. The midnight adventures of Ruru and Kiwi, by Clare Scott, illustrated…

Day In the Life of an illustrator: Flox

Even if you don’t know Flox… you know Flox. Her iconic artwork has appeared on everything from murals to umbrellas to trains – to picture books! In 2017, she illustrated Malcolm Clarke’s Tu Meke Tūī!, and it was a runaway success….

What did you do in the War, Grannie?

Dame Fiona Kidman is a legend of letters in Aotearoa. Among her many achievements and accolades, she’s been the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement (2011), she’s won the top fiction prize in the country (This Mortal…

Perfect gifts for the littlies

The Sapling is dedicated to bringing you the best books from Aotearoa for gifting this holidays, and this year we are doing a little differently. If you are signed up to our newsletter, you’ll receive ALL of our recommendations at…