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    Book Reviews: Kiwi and a monster mum

    Book Reviews: Kiwi and a monster mum

    If there is one thing we can be sure of in New Zealand publishing, it's that there will be at least a dozen kiwi books published over the year. This batch of reviews includes three books including kiwi that are a cut above, as well as a new book by Stephanie Thatcher featuring a very monstrous mummy. The Midnight Adventures of Kiwi and Ruru, by Clare Scott, illustrated by Amy Haarhoff This book tells the story of kiwi and ruru, to the tune of classic poem ‘the owl and the pus
    Book Reviews: New non-fiction from Aotearoa

    Book Reviews: New non-fiction from Aotearoa

    Fascinating facts aren't just found in Frank Worsley's famous expedition to Antarctica, but also in our local shores, with captivating creatures and interesting snippets about our current Prime Minister. Writer Raymond Huber reviews two exciting new non-fiction books from publisher New Holland and Sapling's Sarah Forster reviews the latest biography by David Hill and Phoebe Morris. Ice Breaker! An Epic Antarctic Adventure, by Maria Gill, Illustrated by Alastair Hughes (New Ho
    Book Reviews: A Series To Get Kids Hooked

    Book Reviews: A Series To Get Kids Hooked

    Rachel Moore reviews the first two titles in the series for mature junior readers. These books deal with many of the issues our kids face and gives them techniques to cope. You can read the excerpt from the first book, Awa and the Dreamrealm. Note that any purchases made from the links provided will not be dispatched until after the Covid-19 Alert Level decreases to a level where Aotearoa's bookshops are operational again. Awa and the Dreamworld and Into The Labyrinth, by Isa
    Book Reviews: New Picture Books from Aotearoa

    Book Reviews: New Picture Books from Aotearoa

    From forty years in print and still relevant to kids today to the latest picture books in Aotearoa. This selection of picture books is a line up that has something for everyone, as Simie Simpson's tells us in these reviews. Dozer the Fire Cat: Inspired By True Events, by Robyn Prokop, Illustrated by Jenny Cooper (Scholastic) As a lifetime lover of the Mog stories, I am still a sucker for a cat story, although I am always a little apprehensive as Mog has set the bar pretty hig
    Book Reviews: New Bilingual Picture Books

    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 Smelly Giant, by Kurahau and illustrated by Laya Mutton-Rogers (Huia Publishing) No doubt we all know the stench of smelly feet! As we were reading this book, it was as if we could smell the odour of Toe Jam’s giant stinky toes. Spread from The Smelly Giant
    Ngaa Arotakenga Pukapuka: Ngaa Pukapuka Pikitia

    Ngaa Arotakenga Pukapuka: Ngaa 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 whakaaro? Me pānui koutou i ēnei pukapuka! Tio Tiamu, nā Kurahau rāua ko Laya Mutton-Rogers (Huia Publishing) Kāore e kore ka mōhio tātou katoa i te haunga a ngā waewae pirau! I te wā e pānui ana mātou i tēnei pukapuka, te ahua nei, ka rongo mātou ki tērā ha
    Book Review: The Book of Overthinking

    Book Review: The Book of Overthinking

    Last year, Gwendoline Smith's The Book of Knowing was a huge hit with teenage readers across the country. Now, Gwendoline has followed it up with a companion book, The Book of Overthinking – this time with a bent towards older readers while making use of her same great pool of knowledge. Louisa Woods reviewed The Book of Knowing for us last year, so we were delighted to get her take on the follow-up. In a follow up to her highly successful book for teenagers, The Book of Know
    Book Reviews: Fresh Aotearoa Non-fiction

    Book Reviews: Fresh Aotearoa Non-fiction

    It has been a tremendous year for children's non-fiction literature from little old Aotearoa. Here's our last batch of reviews for 2019, where bookseller and editor Briar Lawry checks out some marvellous marine titles and a graphic memoir that has completely stolen her heart. Mophead, by Selina Tusitala Marsh (Auckland University Press) When I heard that Selina Tusitala Marsh was writing a graphic memoir, I’m not quite sure what I expected. I knew it was something I’d be inte
    Book Reviews: New Picture Books from Aotearoa

    Book Reviews: New Picture Books from Aotearoa

    From curious noises to sneaky felines to whānau-focused native birds, we've got a cracker of a line-up of new Kiwi picture books in this set of reviews. Early childhood teacher Alana Bird gives us her takes. Hoihoi Turituri, by Soledad Bravi (Gecko Press) Hoihoi Turituri is the te reo Māori edition of Soledad Bravi’s The Noisy Book. With 116 brightly illustrated pages, this compact little board book is great for infants and toddlers. Onomatopoeia is an excellent way to engage
    Book Reviews: Middle Grade Reading

    Book Reviews: Middle Grade Reading

    Rachel Moore has read and reviewed three new books for the middle grade space – two excellent chapter books and a fabulous new non-fiction title full of answers to all manner of curly body-related questions. Avis and the Promise of Dragons, by Heather McQuillan (Ahoy!) This is a fast-paced junior novel that does a lot more than meets the eye. On the surface this is a fantasy novel, about a young girl who takes on a pet-sitting job and ends up minding dragons. However, McQuill
    Book Reviews: New Children's Titles in Te Reo

    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 ō Tūpuna nā Darryn Joseph i tuhi. Nā Munro Te Whata ngā pikitia Whakarongo ki ō Tūpuna is a children’s book that follows the life of a kuia/kaiako/māmā who tells their mokopuna/tamariki about ancestors and atua Māori – and how they can help them to be stro
    Book Reviews: Lively New Books for Young Readers

    Book Reviews: Lively New Books for Young Readers

    When the review titles arrived this month, my kids called me the Book Queen and hugged the pages to their chests, eyes wide, already imagining what was inside. Book Queen? I said, I am the Queen of all the world and they laughed and told me I was right, people who buy books should rule the world. Then they curled up and devoured the stack over a weekend. Digging through the two anthologies and two short translations, we’ve had a blast deciding who are our favourite characters
    Book Reviews: The Latest in NZ Non-Fiction

    Book Reviews: The Latest in NZ Non-Fiction

    It isn't news to anyone that Aotearoa is currently marking a significant anniversary, as we pass the 250 years since James Cook circumnavigated this country's islands in the H.M.B. Endeavour. Some see it as a cause for celebration, others commemoration, and still others consider it a time to better highlight the impact colonialism has had on Aotearoa and its tangata whenua, from that first arrival through to today. It's also not news to anyone in the literary community that t
    Book Reviews: New Picture Books from Aotearoa

    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 and scary poems to read with your very best spooky voice! Rugby 123 / Whutupōro Tahi Rua Toru by Thalia Kehoe Rowden, illustrated by Myles Lawford, translated by Ngaere Roberts (Scholastic) I couldn’t quite believe my eyes when I saw this
    Mai i te akomanga: He matapaki pukapuka

    Mai i te akomanga: He matapaki pukapuka

    I tēnei putanga whakanui i te Wiki o Te Reo Māori kua kōrero ki ētehi tamariki nō Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o te Tonga o Hokianga, kia rongo he pēhea ō rātou whakaaro mō ētehi tānga reo Māori ina tata ake nei kua puta mai. Ko tā rātou whakatau: Te nanakia hoki! Nā Stella Rutherford ngā whakaahua Ko Flit te Tīrairaka me Ngā Hēki Muna, nā Kat Merewether; nā Ngaere Roberts ngā korero i whakamāori. I te tuatahi, i kima a Flit i ngā hēki itiiti, he hēki inarapa. Katahi ka whakaaro a F
    Book Reviews: Three NZ Picture Books

    Book Reviews: Three NZ Picture Books

    Each of these vibrant, colourful books comes from an independent publisher. Helen Vivienne Fletcher finds a lot to love about them. A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies & Other Such Collective Nouns, by Kate Hursthouse A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies & Other Such Collective Nouns is a beautifully unique book, featuring vibrant illustrations and gorgeous hand-drawn typography. The collective nouns featured range from the more commonly known “pride of lions”, to the less familiar “lovel
    Book Reviews: Two Great Female Writers

    Book Reviews: Two Great Female Writers

    Sarah Forster reviews another fantastic YA book by Eileen Merriman, and a book by Philippa Werry telling a WW1 story from the perspective of a 14-year-old girl at home, working as a telegram delivery girl. Both books are well-written and highly recommended. Invisibly Breathing, by Eileen Merriman How on Earth is Eileen Merriman writing a book a year and making each one better than the previous one?! This tale of two troubled 16-year-olds finding in each other an oasis from e
    Book Reviews: Perceptive Picture Books

    Book Reviews: Perceptive Picture Books

    Alana Bird reviews three perceptive picture books. From the hilarity of Granny McFlitter: A Country Yarn, to the reflective Emmett and Caleb, and the funny and reflective WRESTLE!, all three of these titles get a Sapling seal of approval. Spread from Emmett & Caleb, slightly cropped. Illustrated by Delphine Renon used with permission from Book Island. Granny McFlitter: A Country Yarn, by Heather Haylock, illustrated by Lael Chisholm The day of the A&P show is perfect with cl
    Book Reviews: Fantastic Female Protagonists

    Book Reviews: Fantastic Female Protagonists

    What a treat to be handed three titles with wonderful female protagonists. While they all sit comfortably in the junior fiction or middle grade category, they are all very different reads. Hazel and the Snails is a gentle tale of mortality, Bullseye Bella is a gold-suited, fully televised, humour-laced, action adventure story, and Koolio the Problem Pony is the next instalment in the real-life adventures of the Wilson sisters which will delight equestrian lovers young and old
    Book Reviews: The Dog Runner and Jillion

    Book Reviews: The Dog Runner and Jillion

    The only thing these two books have in common is that they are absolutely stunning, and they are broadly for a junior fiction age range. The Dog Runner, by Bren MacDibble, is another well-told ecological story; while Jillion is a journal of writing by talented kids aged 5-13. Sarah Forster recommends them both. The Dog Runner, by Bren MacDibble ‘I saw on the news, before they stopped the TV stations, that there’s no grass anywhere in the whole world no more. No rice in Asia e
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