top of page


Happy Birthday to Little Island Press
Happy 10th Birthday to Little Island Press! In celebration of this anniversary, Auckland teacher, writer and mother Emmaline Matagi sat...

From the Shop Floor: Children's Bookshop
We are pleased to present the first in a regular monthly series highlighting the work, expertise and enthusiasm of some of the greatest...


Brian Falkner: A Superhero for all Eras
In 2007, when I first encountered Brian Falkner, he was at the top of the national request list for the Writers in Schools programme,...


Writer Interview: Eileen Merriman and Ella West
Eileen Merriman’s and Ella West’s latest books were on the bookshop shelves as we headed to the beach this summer. Catch Me When You Fall...


Sarah Davis: Re-drawing our classic books
Margaret Mahy's The Christmas Tree Tangle was originally published in 1994, and a newly illustrated edition was released by Puffin in...


Darryn Joseph: Kaituhi, kaita pikitia, kaiako
Today Kura Rutherford introduces Dr Darryn Joseph (Ngāti Maniapoto), a writer, dad, illustrator, comic collector and Māori language...


School Librarians of Aotearoa: Greig Daniels
New Zealand's school librarians are passionate, engaged professionals who know how to get students of all ages and reading levels into...


The Books of Jenny Bornholdt's Childhood
Poet, author and anthologist Jenny Bornholdt tells us about the books she read - and heard - as a child. My earliest memory of being read...

Ned Barraud: A day in the life of an illustrator
The superb New Zealand writer and illustrator team, Gillian Candler and Ned Barraud, have recently released their sixth collaboration in...


Stacy Gregg and Kelly Wilson talk horse writing
Ridiculously prolific pony writers Kelly Wilson and Stacy Gregg each take a very different approach to their work but at the heart, their...

Gavin Bishop's Voyages of Discovery
We get two legends together for this extraordinary interview about an extraordinary book, Aotearoa: The New Zealand Story. Donovan Bixley...


The Books That Formed My Childhood
The follow-up to the award-winning Annual is out this month, ready to be part of the formative childhood reading of a new generation of...

Hairy Maclary: 'The Books Lead the Way'
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...


Across the Ditch: Freya Blackwood Chases Rabbits
Children's book designer Vida Kelly has worked with Freya Blackwood at various times throughout Freya's career as an illustrator. This...


How to Dad: Jordan Watson Talks Books
Jordan Watson is better known - to millions of YouTube viewers - as How to Dad, giving hilarious advice on the practicalities of dad-hood...
bottom of page