Features

The Reckoning: Teaching Stories From This Land And Beyond

Here’s a new instalment of The Reckoning from writer and teacher Tania Roxborogh. She considers the use of Māori in classrooms and stories from here in Aotearoa and beyond – and she discusses her new book Charlie Tangaroa and the…

Ngā Pakiwaitara o tēnei Whenua me Taitua

Nā Tania Roxborogh tēnei arokatenga i tuhi. Hei tāna, te whakamahi o te reo Māori ki roto o ngā akomanga me ngā pakiwaitara o Aotearoa me taitua, ā, e matapakia ana tōna pukapuka Charlie Tangaroa and the Creature From the…

The Reckoning: David Hill on ‘Gentle Readers’

We’re always interested to see what David Hill has to say – whether it’s his novels, his picture books, or his reviews. In this latest instalment of The Reckoning, David talks through his experience of the struggle to please everyone……

The winners of the 2020 Book Awards are …

Fresh off an online ceremony (which you can watch here!) the results are in and your New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults winners are… The Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and the Non-Fiction Award: Mophead by…

The Mahy Questionnaire: Sarah Wilkins

This month’s instalment of the Mahy Questionnaire features award-winning illustrator Sarah Wilkins! Sarah does editorial, educational, and promotional art in addition to illustrating children’s books. Her most recent picture book, the beautiful Abigail and the Restless RaiMatndrop, is out now!…

Bookseller Top Picks: Books That Surprise

Here’s a fresh and delicious selection of top bookseller picks, straight from the team at The Children’s Bookshop in Christchurch! There’s something for all kinds of reading ages here, so read on to discover some surprising suggestions… There’s nothing better…

Book Awards: The Junior Fiction Finalists

As part of our coverage for the NZ Book Awards, we asked the publishers of the junior fiction finalists what it was about these particular stories that caught their imaginations, and why they seemed right for this format. These are…

Book Quiz: The 2020 children’s book awards

The final announcement of the 2020 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults is less than a month away, and we’ve been doing a fair bit of coverage of the finalists here on The Sapling. But have you…

Illustrating new kiwi tale The Longdrop

Bob Darroch is known New Zealand-wide for his depiction of bedtime favourite The Little Kiwi, but for this book he has taken a swerve into the bush, to the humble longdrop. The Longdrop is published by Oratia Books. .

Book Awards: The Young Adult Fiction Finalists

As part of our coverage of this year’s NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we’ve asked the authors of the young adult fiction finalists to explain the story behind their respective stories, and why they had to be…