Archives

Book Reviews: Four Young Adult Titles

Dragons, kick-arse heroines and mystical beings abound in the final round of YA reviews for 2018, reviewed by Kylie Parry. Cassie Clark: Outlaw, by Brian Falkner (OneTree House) Action, adventure, a kick-arse teenage girl hero? Sign me up. I love…

The Reckoning: Why Bologna Matters

Angela Keoghan kicked off her international children’s book career by visiting Bologna Book Fair in 2015, and she has been going there every year since. She makes the argument for NZ illustrators to go to the other side of the…

School Librarians of Aotearoa: Theresa Kewish

Theresa Kewish is the librarian for two high-decile rural schools in the Waikato: Tamahere Model Country School for 22 hours a week, and Te Pahu School, a full primary, for six hours a week. Tamahere has around 480 students and…

The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 18

As we near the end of 2018, our cool and clever illustrator, Giselle Clarkson, reaches Peak Adorkable. Here, she teaches us about some bugs and the stories behind their scientific Latin names.

Book Reviews: Factual Books from NZ

Are your kids intersted in the wilder world? Or do they love to cook? These books have tips on how to save the environment, and what you will find there if you look hard enough, reviewed by mother and journalist…

Swapna Haddow: The Books of My Childhood

Author Swapna Haddow has recently moved to Christchurch from her home in the UK. Her Dave Pigeon books are absolutely hilarious, so we asked her to tell us a bit about the funny books of her childhood. From Sweet Valley,…

Down the Back of the Chair: Books No One Can Read

Māori language academic Vini Olsen-Reeder wants Māori-speaking kids and adults to be able to read books – lots of them – in te reo Māori. Since I started learning te reo Māori in 2008, I think I’ve been subconsciously preparing…

Interview with illustrator Phoebe Morris

Phoebe Morris is the illustrator of a series of acclaimed picture book biographies written by David Hill, which have included the stories of New Zealanders Jean Batten, Burt Munro, Edmund Hillary and most recently Hero of the Sea: Sir Peter…

2018 End-of-Year Shopping List: Te Reo Māori titles

Kay Benseman and her niece and nephews have been our main reviewers of books in te reo Māori for 2018. Kay tells us her top te reo selections for this gift-giving season. Kiwi Tahi rāua ko Kiwi Rua, nā Stephanie…

Book List: Books to help Allergy Kids

Between six and eight percent of children in New Zealand live with allergies, according to Allergy New Zealand, with food allergies being the most common. We have asked Pearl Dsilva to put together a list of books that may help…