We’re continuing our celebration of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori with reviews of five pukapuka centred in te ao Māori, brought to us by Maraea Henare. My First Words About Tikanga Māori, written by Stacey Morrison and illustrated by…
This batch of non-fiction reviews is brought to you by Sue Esterman, featuring a collection of New Zealand adventurers, a collection of Kiwi sports heroes and an epic illustrated biography. Epic New Zealand Adventurers, by Maria Gill and Marco Ivancic…
This year, children’s book illustrator and author Ruth Paul was awarded the University of Otago College of Education Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence Fellowship—a mouthful of a title for a genre of few words. Ruth tells us about…
Annelies Judson brings us another batch of reviews of some of the latest picture books to hit the shelves. Lucy and the Dark, written by Melinda Szymanik and illustrated by Vasanti Unka I’m front-footing this review because it deserves to…
Catherine Robertson is a prolific writer of well-loved novels for adults, as well as being the co-owner of Wellington bookshop GOOD BOOKS. This year, Cyclone Gabrielle prompted her to write her first book for children, Pearl in a Whirl, brilliantly…
Linda Tuhiwai Smith is renowned in her field – indigenous education – and now has authored a series of picture books dealing with social issues, the Whatumanawa collection, available in both te reo Māori and reo Pākehā. They are serious,…
By Margaret Mahy Margaret Mahy’s classic is given a new lease of life with this new edition of the book, beautifully illustrated by the 2021 winner of the Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize, Minrui Yang. Check out an excerpt below! There’s…
Thalia Kehoe Rowden reviews four new books aiming to help children process their feelings and understand their place in the world. Pearl in a Whirl, written by Catherine Roberton and illustrated by Fifi Colston A good book for a good…
It’s the penultimate instalment in our coverage of each category in the NZCYA Awards, and today we’re focusing on the finalists in the Best First Book Award category! Hear from the authors below as they tell us about their writing…
Matariki falls on July 14 this year—the second year Aotearoa has celebrated the Māori New Year as a public holiday. We’ve compiled a quick list of some recent Matariki reads published during The Sapling’s hiatus. Nani Jo Me Ngā…