The Sapling's own co-editor Thalia Kehoe Rowden has just had her first picture book published by Scholastic – Rugby 1 2 3 / Whutupōro Tahi Rua Toru, a rollicking rhyming and counting tale set in and around a classic kiwi rugby match. Thalia shares with us the journey she took to get from kernel of an idea to a glorious real book, on shelves everywhere! First: the why I grew up in a quoting family, where there was a song lyric or book quote for every occasion. It was only in m

Margaret Mahy's The Christmas Tree Tangle was originally published in 1994, and a newly illustrated edition was released by Puffin in November 2017. We ​asked illustrator​ ​Sarah Davis​ ​to​ ​talk​ ​about​ ​the​ ​process​ ​of​ ​re-illustrating an​ ​existing​ ​book, to which she said 'You ​are​ ​very​ ​important​ ​and​ ​terrifying​ ​people,​ ​so​ ​I​ ​better​ ​do​ ​what​ ​you​ ​say, or​ ​else.' Sarah Davis Re-illustrating a well-loved classic The​ ​most​ ​important​ ​thing​ ​a

The superb New Zealand writer and illustrator team, Gillian Candler and Ned Barraud, have recently released their sixth collaboration in the Explore and Discover series, Up the River. Today Ned gives us a peek behind the scenes and tells us about the daily life of a New Zealand illustrator. Inside spread from From Moa to Dinosaurs, by Gillian Candler, illustrated by Ned Barraud, before the text is overlaid. Thalia Kehoe Rowden, for The Sapling: Is there such a thing as an ave

We get two legends together for this extraordinary interview about an extraordinary book, Aotearoa: The New Zealand Story. Donovan Bixley interviews Gavin Bishop. Rain is hammering the roof of my studio in Taupō, so my ears are squinting to hear Gavin Bishop’s sonorous voice coming down the line, from his studio in Christchurch. We yabber away for an hour, me highly excitable and never finishing my sentences, and Gavin deep and thoughtful, with his wacky humour bubbling just

The twenty-first title in the Hairy Maclary and Friends series is coming out in October 2017, and we thought that this made it the perfect time to get Elizabeth Heritage to have a talk to Lynley Dodd, and many of the other people involved in the phenomenon that is Hairy Maclary. Out of the gate and off for a walk... Page 2, Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy. Copyright Lynley Dodd. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy was first pub

Children's book designer Vida Kelly has worked with Freya Blackwood at various times throughout Freya's career as an illustrator. This wonderful interview is part of our 'Across the Ditch' series. Freya Blackwood, photo copyright Seth Buchanan Freya Blackwood is a multi award-winning children’s author and illustrator. Her first picture book Two Summers won at the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) in 2003 and she has gone from strength to strength ever since, creatin

New Zealand's school librarians are passionate, engaged professionals who know how to get students of all ages and reading levels into reading. This, by Kimberley Atkinson, is the second of our monthly spotlights on inspirational school librarians. I am the school librarian at Robertson Road School, a Decile One school located in the South Auckland suburb of Mangere, and I started here eight years ago. We currently have 558 students, mainly of a Pasifika background (Samoan, T

New Zealand's school librarians are passionate, engaged professionals who know how to get students of all ages and reading levels into reading. This is the first of our monthly spotlights on inspirational school librarians. I am fortunate enough to be the librarian at Fendalton Open-Air School in Christchurch, which is for Years 1–6. I have been working here for quite some time. Since last century, in fact. I stay because I love it. I manage the library, teacher resources, an

Legendary author and illustrator Gavin Bishop interviews legendary author and illustrator David Elliot about his masterwork, Snark. Thimbles, care, forks, hope and a great deal of courage is needed to hunt a snark. The hunter may also 'threaten its life with a railway share' or 'charm it with smiles and soap'. David Elliot, in his book Snark: Being a True History of the Expedition that Discovered the Snark and the Jabberwock …and its Tragic Aftermath, not only takes us on a t