Board books including English and Te Reo Māori for basic concepts are being welcomed with open arms by young families all over New Zealand. Jane Arthur evaluates four, plus a tale with a tough princess at its centre. My Body…
One of the biggest-selling and most-loved children’s picture books in New Zealand is undoubtedly My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes by Eve Sutton and Lynley Dodd. Sarah Lin Wilson looked into the story behind the story. There were two…
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…
What makes a bestselling New Zealand kids book? This list looks at eight of the bestselling kids books and what makes them so popular. Filled with classics and recent gems, everyone should know at least one of the wonderful stories…
It seems to impossible to think of a New Zealand childhood without certain things: jandals, gumboots, lolly cake and of course, Lynley Dodd. Two of her newest titles are reviewed here by Simie Simpson, alongside Little Hector and the Big…
Founding Sapling editor, Jane, has been away from The Sapling for the past three months due to having a baby, Pete. Here she offers ten thoughts about books and reading in relation to hanging out with a new human every…
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…
‘Out of the gate, and off for a walk, went Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy.’ It’s possible that this is the most famous line of any NZ picture book, thanks to Hairy’s superstar status in the UK. Dame Lynley Dodd…