Sarah O’Neil. Play in the Garden: fun projects for kids to enjoy outdoors. New Holland Publishers (NZ), 1 September 2014, 120pp $AU28.56/$NZ34.99 (pbk) ISBN978-1-86966-413-8 The author (and her two young sons) is certainly committed to the importance of gardens, even in small spaces, for living in a sustainable way and enjoying the pleasure of nature. What is immediately satisfying is the humorous “Letter to Kids” at the beginning of the book, which gives voice to the 8-9 year olds, Tim and Joey. The children’s voice is then balanced by the adult perspective when the author tries to encourage collaboration: that both parents…
Author: Admin
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. My New Zealand ABC Book. Te Papa Press, November 2014, 38pp., $AU39.99/$NZ19.99 (hbk) ISBN 978-0-9876688-8-2; My New Zealand 123 Book 40pp., ISBN 978-0-9876688-7-5; My New Zealand Colours Book 40pp., ISBN 978-0-987-6688-9-9 Using artworks and artefacts that have been gathered over the years by the Museum of New Zealand, close consultation between the museum’s curators and educators, design by Massey University’s design studio Open Lab, make these board books truly innovative and likely to be quite provocative for younger learners. They were pre-tested with young children in the design process and changes made so that visual…
Myles Lawford. Where’s Kiwi? Scholastic (NZ), 1 November 2014, 24pp., $AU24.89/$NZ21.00 (hbk), ISBN 978-1-77543-288-3 Fans of Where’s Wally may well be attracted to this kiwi version of the activity picture book. With more than 800 things to spot, children may well be preoccupied for a long time! Young Kiwi is touring the country “from the sub-topical north to the icy south” accompanied by four of his iconic kiwi mates; Sporty Sheep, Gumboot Guy, Wacky Wizard (with apologies to Ian Channell?) and Tricky Tuatara. In each context (surfing and the beach, the big smoke of the city, a zoo, the hot…
Fifi Colston Ghoulish Get-Ups: how to create your own Halloween costumes Scholastic (NZ), 1 September 2014, 48pp., $AU22.80/$NZ19.00 (pbk), ISBN 978-1-77543-247-0 For those who love World of Wearable Arts as a festival event, this is an ideal book to start if not continue the journey, though with a more macabre tone: it’s all about ghouls and ghosts! A sequel to the author’s title Wearable Wonder which clearly is grounded on this festival, this new title may well appeal to young lads with some of the costume features being warts, guts, gore as well as alien attack. Be warned though, the author writes…
Gillian Candler (text), Ned Barraud (illus.). Under the Ocean: New Zealand’s sea life (Explore and Discover #3). Craig Potton Publishing, 22 September 2014, 36pp., $AU32.51/$NZ19.99 (pbk) ISBN 978-1-927213-087 $NZ29.99 (hbk) ISBN 978-1-927213-0-94 A love of nature and the environment certainly propels the author, illustrator and publisher of this series which previously includes the shortlisted titles At the Beach and In the Garden. New Zealand readers may well have come across the publisher in the television series on the wild coast and rivers. As a response to children’s requests for an illustrated book on the undersea world, this creative duo have identified…
James Norcliffe. The Pirates and the Nightmaker Longacre Press/Random House, 1 April 2015 304pp, $AU17.99/$NZ19.99 (pbk), ISBN 978-1-77553-769-4 This fascinating fantasy is a prequel to Norcliff’s award-winning The Loblolly Boy and its sequel The Loblolly Boy and the Sorcerer that explored the magic and wonder of being invisible and the freedom of being able to fly. As Leonardo da Vinci would attest, the dream of flying has been with us for a long time. But what if the gift of flight and invisibility had a dark side: that you were not finally in control of yourself but inevitably linked…
Diana Menefy, 1915: Wounds of War (Kiwis at War #2), Scholastic (NZ), 1 April 2015, 296pp., $AU17.50/$NZ16.95, ISBN 978-1-77543-274-6 Part of an annual series written by different authors to commemorate an aspect of World War One for each year (starting with Susan Brockley’s 1914: Riding into War), 1915 Wounds of War tells a little known story of those female nurses from New Zealand who volunteered to serve overseas. This realistic version is told through the eyes of two cousins, Harriet and Mel, who both negotiate the loss of loved ones as well as the harsh realities of being on a hospital ship…
Reading Time chats with the Crnkovis sisters, Isobel (16) and Josephine (15) about winning the Written Portraits Book Deal Competition and the writing of their debut novel, Scales of Time Since winning the Written Portraits Book Deal Competition, we have learnt so much about what the experience of writing a book is like. It was a really exciting journey to be part of and we both enjoyed it very much. We got the idea for our book before we had even thought about entering the competition. At the time we were down the South Coast and were climbing up to…
Libby Gleeson (text) Leila Rudge (illus.) Mum Goes to Work Walker Books, 1 April 2015, $24.95 (hbk), 32pp., ISBN 9781921529825 Originally published in 1995 with illustrations by Penny Azar, this updated version is given a fresh new life with Leila Rudge’s lovely soft water colour and pencil illustrations. Everyone is arriving at the childcare centre. The first double page spread is a mine of visual information about the characters which we follow throughout the story. Each subsequent double page introduces us to a specific mother and child or children and we see how she passes her time while the children play at…
Rose Stanley (text) Lisa Allen (illus.) Emotions in Motion Starfish Bay Children’s Books, 1 April 2015, $19.99 (pbk), 32pp., ISBN 9780994100290 From New Zealand creators, this book aims to “encourage children to identify their own emotions and be able to express and understand them”, according to the back cover blurb. The front cover illustration in watercolour and black outlines shows clouds with a rainbow, rain, lightning and wind with a cheerful cartoon face under the title. Each emotion is given a double page which has a colour, a face and a description of how the emotion makes one feel. The illustrations…