Features

The Mahy Questionnaire: Elena de Roo

Another month, another Mahy Questionnaire! This time we’re featuring former librarian and award-winning writer and poet Elena de Roo. Her latest title Ring Ting Tūī—a cheeky rhyming counting book—is out now! Read on to find out Elena’s takes on rollercoaster-like…

The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 42

The newest Giselle Clarkson Comic is here, and this month’s installment reflects on Giselle’s most recent tour of duty—her second Storylines Story Tour.

Q&A: Pukapuka Adventures at Auckland Writers Festival

The 2024 Auckland Writers Festival is coming up in a week with events taking place from 14 – 19 May. We asked the children’s events programmer Gabrielle Vincent about what’s going on for kids at the festival, and especially about…

Books have Borders: The Bologna Book Fair

Selling children’s book rights into new territories, languages, and formats is the business of the Bologna Book Fair in Italy. The 61st year of the fair took place last week and attracted over 1,500 exhibitors and a total of 31,735…

From the Shop Floor: Books & Co

Along the Kāpiti Coast, in sunny Ōtaki, is one of our country’s youngest bookshops—Books & Co! Established in 2021, their team tells us what it’s like being the only independent bookshop in the area, their challenges, opportunities, and what books…

The Reckoning: YA on BookTok

‘BookTok’, the bookworm subculture of TikTok, has taken the literary and publishing world by storm—but has it been for better or worse? Charlotte Fielding delves into the world BookTok and its influence on the wider reading landscape. BookTok is a…

Book List: Sri Lankan Authors, Stories, and Characters

The Sinhalese and Tamil New Year takes place this weekend, so The Sapling asked Sri Lankan writer Diyamanthi Galpoththage to tell us about what Sri Lankan stories and authors are available in New Zealand. She shares her favourite childhood books…

The Mahy Questionnaire: Gillian Torckler

Gillian Torckler has many beautiful books under her belt, the latest being Dinner with Grandpa, illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson (Duck Creek Press). She gives us her answers to our world-famous-in-New Zealand (okay maybe just semi-famous on The Sapling) Margaret…