Thalia Kehoe Rowden reviews four new books aiming to help children process their feelings and understand their place in the world. Pearl in a Whirl, written by Catherine Roberton and illustrated by Fifi Colston A good book for a good…
Matariki falls on July 14 this year—the second year Aotearoa has celebrated the Māori New Year as a public holiday. We’ve compiled a quick list of some recent Matariki reads published during The Sapling’s hiatus. Nani Jo Me Ngā…
We asked Jane Arthur, co-founder of The Sapling and co-owner/manager of GOOD BOOKS, to sell us the junior fiction finalists, and if you haven’t already read them you’ll be running to bookshops and libraries to add them to your and…
Here is a great bundle of Aotearoa non-fiction, all covering our natural world. We’ve got photographic pukapuka, creative non-fiction, rhyme, and bucketloads of facts. Editor Linda Jane Keegan gives her two cents on these titles. Family of Forest and Fungi…
It feels like everywhere we look, Isobel Joy Te Aho-White’s illustrations are gracing the covers and insides of some of New Zealand’s best picture books. By our count, she illustrated at least 13 books released in the last 18 months….
Hannah Marshall offers us her opinions on four recent junior fiction releases—featuring talking cats, taniwha, secret agents and more. Pipi and Pou and the Raging Mountain and Pipi and Pou and the River Monster, written by Tim Tipene and illustrated…
Time for another batch of picture book reviews to keep you abreast of the latest developments in the world of Aotearoa illustrative goodness. Editor Briar has examined new releases from Donovan Bixley, Susan Brocker and Raymond McGrath, Melinda Szymanik and…
Nida Fiazi reviews four wonderful new wildlife titles and a must-have activity book for the upcoming summer holidays. My Little Book of Bugs / Taku Pukapuka iti mō ngā Pepeke by Te Papa (edited by Julia Kaper & Phil Sirvid,…
If you paid attention to our NZCYA Awards coverage, you would have seen one book appear more than any other! Santa’s Worst Christmas – and it’s te reo Māori verison, Te Kirihimete i Whakakorea – was a finalist in four…
Another week, another category of NZCYA Award finalists to highlight! Today, it’s the Best First Book finalists, answering questions about the hows and the whys of their fabulous books. From supermarket noticeboards, bungalows and large, mixed whānau to gardens and…