‘Self-published’ is not a word I use proudly when referring to my work. Independently produced books are – still – frequently seen as inferior to those that are traditionally published. But the number of my self-published colleagues who are creating…
Illustrator Giselle Clarkson shows us how books can be read differently each time … and why sometimes this is advised.
Award-winning illustrators Ali Teo and John O’Reilly have been working together for over 15 years, having illustrated many picture books. Their most recent collaboration has been on Sarah Grundy’s debut picture book, The Curious Ar-Chew. The Curious Ar-Chew won the…
Australian author Zana Fraillon is an observer of the unseen: ‘As an author, I am drawn to the absences and the silences in our world.’ She is drawn in by those voices that aren’t being listened to, the stories that…
Every two weeks we compile, for your browsing pleasure, cool children’s book happenings (and peripherally related news) from around Aotearoa, the world and the internet. Book news from Aotearoa In events, The Hungry Little Caterpillar comes to the stage! And…
How well do you know classic New Zealand children’s novels? Do you think you could recognise them from their first sentences? Have a go! Answers are at the bottom of the page. 1. ‘When, suddenly, on an ordinary Wednesday, it…
Jackie McMillan is the Children’s Collection Specialist at Dunedin Public Library. She set up a book discussion group especially for adults to discuss themes in Children’s Books about 18 months ago, and here she talks about the group and those…
As part of our coverage of this year’s NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we asked the five shortlisted authors of the Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction to explain the story behind their story. Here’s how, and…
New Zealand’s school librarians are passionate, engaged professionals who know how to get students of all ages and reading levels into reading. This, by Adrienne Browne of Te Wharekura o Ruatoki – the longest-running bi-lingual school in New Zealand –…
I’ve long maintained that our Young Adult authors are world class. But I’ve frequently heard that teens have a touch of what our adults apparently have – cultural cringe; an assumption that NZ means boring, ordinary. We need to read…