Picture Books

Arotakenga Pukapuka: Ngā manu o te wao

He arotakenga pukapuka hou nā Mikaere Flavell ēnei! I pānuitia ngā pukapuka e Mikaere rāua ko tāna irāmutu, ā, i tuhituhi ia i ētahi whakaaro mō The Sapling. Heoi anō, kia reri tātou mō ngā kōrero mō Pīpī Kiwi, Flit…

Book Awards: The Picture Book Finalists

It seems only right that the review for the picture book finalists for NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults should be illustrated! We asked accomplished comic artist Tara Black to review all five finalists. Here, in pictures, are…

Book List: Books that feature play

In the last couple of months, we have seen the effects of COVID-19 wreak havoc worldwide. The mental health of both children and adults has been badly affected as we learn to cope with ‘the new normal’. One positive thing…

Book Reviews: Picture Books to Look Out For

As a general rule, March is a delightful time in the book industry, New Zealand. New releases are winging their way through the doors, writers’ festivals abound, and local and international awards are cracking their knuckles and revving their engines….

Book Reviews: New Bilingual Picture Books

The bilingual Simmonds whānau has reviewed two new picture books. Read on to find out what Shirley, Tamihana (10) and Raukawa (9), think about them. You can also read a version of these reviews written in te reo Māori. The…

Ngā Arotakenga Pukapuka: Ngā Pukapuka Pikitia

He arotakenga pukapuka ēnei, mō ngā pukapuka pikitia hou nā Kurahau rāua ko Renee Chin. Nā Shirley Simmonds, ko Tamihana Simmonds (10 ōna tau), rātou ko Raukawa Simmonds (e 9 ōna tau) ngā arotakenga i tuhi. He aha ō mātou…

Book Reviews: New Children’s Titles in Te Reo

This month we have a new te reo Māori title reviewer, Mihi Henare (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Hine, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui), reviewing a new batch of te reo Māori books released during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori in September. Whakarongo ki…

Book Reviews: New Picture Books from Aotearoa

Here’s the latest in exciting new picture books here in Aotearoa, reviewed by Nida Fiazi – including the debut picture book from The Sapling’s very own co-editor Thalia Kehoe Rowden. There’s tries to score, oceans to clean up, voices to find…

Book Awards: The Picture Book 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 picture book finalists to explain why that story caught their imaginations and demanded to be told in published…

Book Reviews: New (mainly) factual picture books

Thalia Kehoe Rowden reviews three new mainly factual picture books: two historical stories told from the point of view of animals, and a work of fiction providing an introduction to visiting someone else’s marae. Bess the Brave War Horse, by…