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Great gifts for kids aged 5-7
The Sapling is dedicated to bringing you the best books from Aotearoa for gifting this holidays. This week we bring you the coolest books...


Day In the Life of an illustrator: Flox
Even if you don't know Flox... you know Flox. Her iconic artwork has appeared on everything from murals to umbrellas to trains – to...

What did you do in the War, Grannie?
Dame Fiona Kidman is a legend of letters in Aotearoa. Among her many achievements and accolades, she's been the recipient of the Prime...

perfect gifts for the littlies
The Sapling is dedicated to bringing you the best books from Aotearoa for gifting this holidays, and this year we are doing a little...

The Festival of lights: celebrating Diwali through books
Today is Diwali, the Indian festival of lights! And given that 3.9% of Aotearoa's population has an Indian background, it seems fitting...


te haerenga o reo pepi – the next chapter
The Reo Pēpi series is one of the real success stories in the Aotearoa world of publishing for littlies. The popularity of these...


The Giselle Clarkson Comic: Number 30
It's the most wonderful time of the month! Another Giselle Clarkson comic. Today our resident illustrator extraordinaire takes us through...

Book Quiz: World Famous Beyond NZ
Welcome back to another Sapling quiz! Today, we're testing your knowledge of New Zealanders who have picked up international prizes for...

Book List: this world – but not as we know it
The 2020 winner of the Bookshop of the Year Award was Wardini Books – and we've persuaded Louise Ward to give us some of her top picks!

THE SAMPLING: DEADHEAD
Glenn Wood's new young adult read brings to life some classic horror fiction with brains, a guts full of humour, gory detail...

The Reckoning: Fighting reluctance with humour
Chances are if you've had a young reader in your life in the past decade or so, you'll have a Dawn McMillan book or two somewhere...

Book Quiz: Diverse Families in NZ Picture Books
Three years ago, we asked Thalia Kehoe Rowden to put together a list of picture books showing a variety of family set-ups. At the time,...

The Reckoning: Who are they written for?
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori continues with this installment of The Reckoning from University of Waikato senior lecturer Nicola Daly, where she...

A Day In The Life: Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
If you paid attention to our NZCYA Awards coverage, you would have seen one book appear more than any other!

My Childhood Books: Miro Bilbrough
Filmmaker and writer Miro Bilbrough reflects on a childhood backdrop of whimsical watercolour illustrations and the allure of...
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