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

Alexandra Saunders admires Linda Jane Keegan's debut picture book Things in the Sea are Touching Me, for many many reasons. The bright, crisp, clean illustrations by Minky Stapleton, the two mums, the rhyme scheme - find out what else! Spread from Things in the Sea are Touching Me, by Linda Jane Keegan, illustrated by Minky Stapleton Things in the sea are touching me! is a delightful debut rhyming picture book by Linda Jane Keegan, featuring a young girl and her mothers at th

Hearing the wonderful news that six more towns are going to be Refugee Resettlement centres, we got thinking about what books might provide the best and friendliest introduction to a new life in Aotearoa New Zealand. Here's our starting list of picture books for newly arrived former refugees. What favourites would you add? Detail from Kia ora, You can be a Kiwi too, by June Pitman-Hayes, translated by Ngaere Roberts, illlustrated by Minky Stapleton The books that form our chi