Non-fiction

The Reckoning: Redefining hero-worship

Joanna Grochowicz’s second Antarctica-focused non-fiction book for young people has recently been released, and in this installment of The Reckoning, Joanna gives her take on hero-worship, using the protagonist of her new book – Roald Amundsen – to illustrate her…

THE SAMPLING: Amundsen’s Way

From the author of the highly acclaimed Into the White, Amundsen’s Way: The Race to the South Pole (Allen & Unwin) is the gripping tale of the Norwegian explorer’s courage, determination and ruthlessness in the race to the South Pole.

THE SAMPLING: The Book of Knowing

In this new book, psychologist Gwendoline Smith (AKA Doctor Know) teaches teens about what’s going on in their minds and how to get their feelings under control.

International illustrated hardbacks

Hardcover non-fiction or poetry can be a great choice of gift for the special or hard-to-buy-for child in your life. Here are three gorgeous, recent international books, all themed around nature. I Am the Seed that Grew the Tree: A…

New books for the 125th suffrage anniversary

On 28 November 1893, Māori and European women voted in national elections for the first time in New Zealand, having won a law change on 19 September of that year. Today we introduce two new books for children on the…

Book Reviews: Five Great Non-Fiction Books

Palmerston North librarian Alan Dingley and his two daughters review five of the freshest New Zealand-published non-fiction titles around, covering everything from food for sailing Englishmen, to some of the biggest questions of the natural world. Food Atlas, by Giulia…

School Librarians of Aotearoa: Sasha

Ssahs Eastwood-Bennitt manages the library and teaching resources at Manchester Street School in Feilding, Manawatu. She is also part of the group of literacy experts who arrange the ReaLM professional development programme each year. I manage the library and teaching…

School Librarians of Aotearoa: Senga White

Senga White is the Research and Learning Coordinator at Southland Boys’ High School in Invercargill. She has been a school librarian for over a decade. I absolutely love working in school libraries! This profession has become the perfect intersection of…

Book Awards: The Non-fiction Finalists

As part of our coverage of this year’s NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we’ve asked the publishers of the non-fiction finalists to explain why that manuscript, that idea caught their imaginations. Their responses are compelling and passionate,…

THE SAMPLING: Secret World of Butterflies

We are very pleased to have permission to publish the first three spreads of the Giselle Clarkson-illustrated picture book, Secret World of Butterflies, written by Courtney Sina Meredith (Allen & Unwin NZ/Auckland Museum).