I te tau 1995, i whakaputahia Te Kaieke Tohorā, he whakamāori o te pukapuka The Whale Rider tēnei. Nā Witi Ihimaera i tuhi te pukapuka tūturu, ehara, ā, nā Tā Tīmoti Kāretu i whakamāori. Heoi anō, kāore i taea i…
Cassie (J.C.) Hart (Kāi Tahu) met Shilo Kino (Ngāpuhi, Tainui) in July of 2018 as part of the Te Papa Tupu programme. They were gathered at their first mentorship hui with Huia and the Maori Literature Trust. Six nervous writers,…
This month we have a very special Mahy Questionnaire to kick off our Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori coverage, from none other than champion Te Reo Māori advocate Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu). Stacey is a radio and…
Another month, another Mahy Questionnaire! This time we’re featuring successful playwright and award-winning author-illustrator Kathryn van Beek. Her most recent picture book Bruce Goes Outside, sequel to the much-loved Bruce Finds a Home, is out now! Read on to find…
Simie interviewed five booksellers from around the motu about their favourite finalists in the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction category in this year’s NZCYA Awards. Booksellers are the passionate people who are putting these books into the hands of the…
The latest curiously good Aotearoa title from Gecko Press is packed with mystery, evocative illustration and all kinds of goodness! The Inkberg Enigma, by Jonathan King, is out now – but before you rush out to buy a copy, you…
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!…
Children’s authors Matthew Cunningham and Susan Brocker caught up over email to talk story ideas, inspiration, and wrangling animals in text. Matthew is the author of the Abigail series, the most recent of which is Abigail and the Restless Raindrop…
The Sapling’s Simie Simpson, a long-time fan girl of award-winning, Australian picture book author and illustrator Bob Graham, literally bombards him with questions about his books: what it takes to create books that speak to us, stand the test of…
You know it, you love it – it’s the Mahy Questionnaire! This month we are featuring award-winning author Melinda Szymanik. Read on to find out her takes on information bombs, babysitting shadows, and brownie-green coloured cars named ‘Poopalata’. 1. Describe…