Zac McCallum is the School Librarian at Halswell School in Christchurch, but many of you will know of him from his years in the Children’s & YA team at Christchurch City Libraries. He also writes at ‘My Best Friends are…
These are some of our best-loved characters from New Zealand Picture Books and Junior Fiction titles. But do you know their names? 1. I am drawn by Philip Webb and named by Diana Neild. My name is P_ _ _…
Disability consultant, activist and blogger Robyn Hunt explains the literacy challenges faced by children with disabilities, and the many different ways they are able to access books – as long as the resources, regulations, funding and technology allow. The earliest…
If you’re a teacher, parent or other friendly person supporting children who are learning English, you’ll know it’s tricky to find good books for them, especially if they’re older than five or six. Today specialist teacher Frank Wilson initiates us…
In 2007, when I first encountered Brian Falkner, he was at the top of the national request list for the Writers in Schools programme, which I ran at the NZ Book Council. He wrote books about sports, about soft drink…
I am Jellyfish by Ruth Paul (Puffin) is a charming story about a jellyfish who is driven to the depths of the deep blue ocean by swordfish – while she is there, she works out her true purpose. Keep your…
Hawkes Bay writer and librarian Kura Rutherford reflects on her life-less-ordinary childhood and the importance of finding the familiar in books. ‘A wagon track ran before the house, turning and twisting out of sight in the woods where the animals…
Volume Books in Nelson have a smartly curated range of children’s books that catch the eye. They chose five of their summer favourites to review for The Sapling. Witchfairy and One House for All are from Book Island, and we…
Poor Giselle. Our illustrator recently decided to look into the story behind another intriguing classic children’s book (remember what happened with The Tiger Who Came to Tea?). Here, she shares her discoveries on Margaret Wise Brown and a whoooooole lot…
It’s spring on the farm and springtime is always busy at Rosie Joy’s. There are crops to plant and baby lambs everywhere. Rosie Joy and her best friend Polly take on a special spring project involving chickens, peggy squares, famous explorers and some pretty big words!