The jump from kindy, kōhanga, daycare, or home to SCHOOL can be quite a leap. Former Sapling co-editor, and mother of two kids who have started school in recent memory, Thalia Kehoe Rowden, has read a hundred First-Day-of-School books and…
Discussion of self isolation and social distancing and mask wearing may all feel very 2020s – but for those not in the know, two titles from Aotearoa sitting on shelves with shiny new covers are not, in fact, products of…
Here’s a fresh bit of your Margaret Mahy Questionnaire goodness, featuring award-winning novelist, short story, and flash fiction writer Eileen Merriman! Read on to find out her takes on shadow-sitting, barefoot beach walks, and pleasant-smelling, elegant giraffes. And when you’re…
Welcome back to another Sapling quiz! This month’s quiz blends current releases with a healthy dash of Aotearoa children’s book history knowledge. Enjoy! Test yourself, share with a friend, and let us know on Facebook or Twitter how you do!…
How does a bookish child develop a love of reading in a household with few books? Libraries of course! Kelly Gardiner writes about the books from her childhood that inspired a love of reading and shaped her own writing. I…
Last weekend, Tara Black attended a masterclass on how to create a picture book, led by Joy Cowley. This was a fundraiser for Featherston Booktown, which Joy is the patron of. This is presented in graphic format, but with a…
Lani Wendt Young is back with a new title, Fire’s Caress – the second in her Telesā World series for teens. Enjoy this excerpt from pages 32–35 of the book, describing antagonist Marc Gold’s villain origin story…
You know it, you love it – it’s the Mahy Questionnaire! This month we are featuring award-winning author and illustrator Sandra Morris. Read on to find out her takes on 6 a.m. river walks, dancing with flora and fauna, and…
TV presenter, radio broadcaster and writer Sam Wallace tells us all about his relationship with books as a child, how it changed as he grew older, and the impact of those experiences on his own kids. I wasn’t a bookworm…
Giselle Clarkson is back for 2021! Today our fabulous illustrator finds her inner poet while musing on the weird and wonderful poses she used to strike while reading.