Writing children’s books may seem romantic at remove, but — as with many things — it’s less glossy up close. As Kiwi writers Juliet Jacka and Sally Sutton can attest to, for every passionate line they write, only a lucky…
Sally Rippin is one of the Big Names in Australian children’s books. Christchurch librarian Zac McCallum interviewed her to celebrate the launch of her newest junior fiction series, Polly and Buster. It’s about a secret friendship in a world where…
Lily Max author Jane Bloomfield caught up with UK author/illustrator Lauren Child during the recent Auckland Writers Festival. We captured some of their fascinating whirlwind conversation here, learning about inspiration, thrillers, sunglasses and Seventies childhoods. I expected to feel incredibly…
Political cartoonist, comic artist, illustrator, writer, dad: Toby Morris (aka The Pencilsword) describes how cool it is to watch his kids discover their own tastes and interests through books – even if sometimes those interests are a little unexpected ……
British writer Frances Hardinge is living proof that books for kids can be as good as books for adults: her last YA novel, The Lie Tree, won the Costa Book of the Year in 2015, beating out serious science biographies,…
Zeustian Logic is Kiwi illustrator Sabrina Malcolm’s first YA novel. She started it during a YA Writing Workshop in 2013 at Victoria University, run by the late (great) Mal Peet. Her classmate, Craig Gamble, interviews her about the novel, published…
Over the past decade, Kiwi illustrator Richard Fairgray has moved from self-publishing comic books, to picture books, to being picked up internationally. He is published in New Zealand by Puffin and Scholastic NZ. Richard Fairgray is a comic book artist…
Two of New Zealand’s best writers sat down for a chat recently. Here’s poet, essayist and editor Ashleigh Young’s write-up about her meeting with children’s writer Jack Lasenby. FROM THE DESK OF Ashleigh Young 7 Sturgess Tce Te Kuiti Xmas…
Poet and teacher Rachel O’Neill interviews author and storyteller Ivan Coyote ahead of their appearance this May in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Coyote will be at the Schools Days at the Auckland Writers Festival. Their latest book, Tomboy Survival Guide,…
Our editor Jane Arthur comes out from behind the curtain to interview the multi-accoladed Australian children’s writer Ursula Dubosarsky, whose latest novel The Blue Cat is out now. Ursula Dubosarsky made me an evangelist at first read. It was The…