There is a multitude of resources available for Aotearoa children’s books and The Sapling has collated as many as we can find all in one handy place! We’ve also included a non-exhaustive list of other places to find non-book-specific resources. There are teaching notes, activity sheets, colouring in pages and more! The majority of resources listed are free for anyone to access, but we have also included a list of book-related resources that can be purchased.
Publisher Resources
Allen & Unwin
Teachers’ Notes: Either scroll through or search the website by title. The download link is one of the buttons under the book cover image, on each book’s individual page. Recent books with resources to check out are The Grimmelings and Ultrawild.
Annual Ink
Teacher Resources: Teacher notes for the Annuals and others.
Bridget Williams Books
For Teachers: Teacher notes for non-fiction texts suitable for secondary students, e.g. Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi 1840, He Whakaputanga | The Declaration of Independence 1835, and a selection of the shortform BWB Texts.
Clean Slate Press
The Joy Cowley Plays Free Teacher’s Notes: What it says on the box—teacher notes for nine different plays by Joy Cowley.
Dragon Brothers Books
Resources: Includes a link to Dropbox where you can download teaching resources for the Dragon Defenders books.
EK Books
Teacher Notes & Resources: Listed alphabetically (or by age) and not only NZ titles, but you can find notes for Mitchell Itches and Tree Beings.
Gecko Press
Teaching Notes and Activity Sheets for NZ and non-NZ titles.
Hachette NZ
Teacher’s Resources: Resources are divided into NZ books and year levels (which also include Aotearoa titles)
HarperCollins
Teachers’ Hub—Classroom Resources: These are divided into Early Years, Primary, Middle Grade and Secondary. The easiest way way here is probably to search by author or title, e.g. Stacy Gregg. The books that have associated resources have a green circle denoting ‘Resource Available’.
Huia
Resources: Includes teachers’ notes for specific titles and links to Ministry of Education resources.
Illustrated Publishing
Kuwi & Friends Freebies: Activity sheets, colouring, posters, and more
Mākaro Press
OneTree House
Teacher Notes: Notes include synopses, themes, and suggestions by chapter sections.
Oratia
Teacher resources: Including the NZ Series and Nanny Mihi, among others.
Penguin Random House NZ
Teachers’ Notes: Separated by primary and secondary teacher notes, as well as book lists and at-home activity packs.
Potton & Burton
We couldn’t find a dedicated page for resources but they can be found when selecting individual titles. Pick a book, such as one of Ned Barraud and Gillian Candler’s explore & discover series, find the ‘About the author’ tab underneath the cover image, and click the link for “Read about for ideas for children, parents and teachers…”. There is also a lovely set of Teacher’s Notes for The New Zealand Seashore Guide which is not specifically a children’s book but a useful guide for the whole family.
Scholastic NZ
Teacher Notes: An A-Z list of all their Aotearoa children’s titles which have accompanying teacher notes. They include a synopsis of the book, author and illustrator biographies, questions for comprehension and discussion, and activities to do.
Teacher Toolkit: These are (mostly) not connected to specific books but are a collection of resources such as templates and activities, divided into sections for lower, middle and upper primary.
The CopyPress
The Cuba Press
Walker Books
Education Resources: A collection of resources for their children’s titles (not all from Aotearoa). The easiest way to find a specific book is searching by title, for instance Sandra Morris’s North & South or Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock’s Fast, Slow. Let’s Go!
Wildling Books
Downloads: A selection of posters, worksheets and colouring sheets.
Other NZ Book Resources and Lists
- Eugene’s Island: Teacher notes for each book in the series
- Gillian Candler’s website: Scroll down to see Inspiration, Nature activities and downloads for all ages, and More ideas for parents and educators
- KidsBooksNZ: Links to resources for specific book titles, organised by genre, reading level, and other categories.
- Maria Gill’s website: Teachers’ Resources
- National Library: Book and Beyond guides / Guides for exploring children’s and YA literature
- Tania Roxborogh’s website: Teaching notes for her and others’ books
- The Sapling: A list of activity books
$ NZ Book Resources for Purchase $
- Drama NZ has units based on Aotearoa texts that incorporate drama into literacy and other areas. (Members of Drama NZ can also access additional drama resources). More units are in the process of being developed.
A Non-exhaustive List of Other (Free) Teaching and Classroom Resources (not specifically related to books)
- Auckland Art Gallery | Toi o Tāmaki: Education resources
- Auckland Museum: Learning Resource Collections
- Christchurch Art Gallery | Te Puna o Waiwhetū: Resources (scroll down, a list of resources are under the programme)
- Department of Conservation: Fun things to make
- MāoriLanguage.net: Māori Made Easy
- Ministry of Education: Tāhūrangi (new online hub for curriculum content, teaching materials and news); Aotearoa NZ Histories
- National Library: Books and Reads (links to reviews, websites and other content about children’s books); Services to Schools themed collections
- NIWA: Resources for teachers
- NZ Association for Environmental Education: Resources and Inspiration (they have two webinars on Nature & Literacy coming up in June!)
- NZSL Week: Resources
- Reo Māori Resources
- Science Learning Hub (also has loads of PLD resources, including this upcoming webinar on May 30, Observology for the classroom!)
- Te Papa Tongarewa: Teaching resources
- Zealandia: Resources for Schools and ECE