The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a core part of the Aotearoa literary calendar, for young people and adults alike. They acknowledge excellence in writing, illustration and publishing, and provide a vital platform to celebrate…
In April, Ruth Paul and Juliette MacIver took their Kiwi author-illustrator talents over to the United Arab Emirates – more specifically, to the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival. Ruth kindly shed some light on the experience for our readers. I couldn’t…
Morris Gleitzman, acclaimed author of Toad Rage and many other books, is the 2018–19 Australian Children’s Laureate – the nation’s ambassador for children’s literature. The role is keeping him intensely busy, but Johanna Knox managed to speak with him by…
Joanna Grochowicz’s second Antarctica-focused non-fiction book for young people has recently been released, and in this installment of The Reckoning, Joanna gives her take on hero-worship, using the protagonist of her new book – Roald Amundsen – to illustrate her…
For the second instalment of our shiny new Mahy Questionnaire, we thought we had better select an author who we knew would construct some brilliant answers. So we went to none other than famed Roadworks author Sally Sutton. Sally’s latest…
Current picture book publishing in New Zealand is a real mixed bag. There are stories that are just familiar songs in disguise matched with illustrations, stories inspired by real events that have captured the public interest and stories about our…
Helping children deal with obstacles and setbacks is a core part of parenting and teaching. Today education lecturer and writer Frank Wilson suggests some picture books that can help model these skills – while also being fantastic reads. If you…
Don McGlashan’s love of words and ideas is evident in all his music. Today he tells us about throwing a picture book at the wall, wagging school for novel-reading, and the other ways books have formed him as a reader…
Fossils, e-bikes, sci-fi movies, teenage hoons, an abandoned mine, step-grandparents, a big Lotto win in a small kiwi town and one of the craziest roadtrips in a giant campervan you’ll ever read about – it’s all here in Des Hunt’s…
Quiz yourself on eight New Zealand picture books that illustrate Aotearoa’s multiculturalism and diversity. Can you get them all right? Test yourself, share with a friend, and let us know on Facebook or Twitter how you do! 1. Kia Ora:…