Rachel Moore reviews five new New Zealand picture books, which cover everything from the beauty and brutality of nature, to how to cope with anxiety and bullying. The Promise of Puanga, by Kirsty Wadsworth and Munro Te Whata It’s wonderful to see publishers embracing the multitude of Matariki stories that are out there in Te Ao Māori – we’re all richer for reading them. This new title from Scholastic is no exception; I had heard of the star Puanga but didn’t know its signific

As part of our ongoing finalist coverage of this year's New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, we have some glorious snippets to look at from the five Russell Clark Award for Illustration finalists! There are covers, decadent interior spreads, working sketches and even a script sample in there – so go forth and enjoy! Thanks to the Book Awards Trust for the descriptions of the books from a visual perspective. A semi-fictionalised account of Captain Cook’s jour

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 picture book form. The journey to meeting and making Mini Whinny Stacy Gregg is a hugely popular and masterful storyteller, so when the opportunity arose to publish a series of playful pony-themed picture books that would reach out to a younger audi

Helping children deal with obstacles and setbacks is a core part of parenting and teaching. Today education lecturer and writer Frank Wilson suggests some picture books that can help model these skills - while also being fantastic reads. Detail from Puffin the Architect, by Kimberly Andrews (Puffin/Penguin Random House NZ) If you know a kid at primary school in New Zealand at the moment, you probably will have heard the term 'growth mindset' - this idea is incredibly popular

Dear Donald Trump, by Sophie Siers and Anne Villeneuve This book is gold! Dear Donald Trump tells the story, in a series of letters, of a little boy called Sam who doesn’t want to share a room with his older brother any more. His brother plays on his phone after lights out, and steals his stuff. He is done with him – and he wants to build a wall. Sam ... doesn’t want to share a room with his older brother any more. His brother plays on his phone after lights out, and steals h