Children and Teens > NZ children and teens

Unreasonable rhymes, preposterous paintings, tenacious photography and enchanting music come together in this remarkable package of book and audio-CD, to delight and stimulate the child in us all. Twent-five wonderful songs which criss-cross musical boundaries previously untravelled in children's music. Tracklist: The Underwatermelon Man Melon-cauli baby The girl with the porcupine coat The man with the cast iron belly Neville the enchanted rug The hide & seeky bird The girl with the empty head The wicked conjuror Pottie trai... read more

Join Cookie, TJ, Anzac, Shadez and Missy as they explore New Zealand from top to bottom. They uncover heaps of weird, odd and fascinating facts and stuff as they drive around the country in their Kombi. An entertaining and informative look at our country from well-known author and illustrator Dave Gunson.

Meet Grace the gannet, and learn about gannets and their habitat. This fun and educational book tells the story of Grace and her home in Hawke's Bay. The book takes you through a day in her life and how Grace learns to stand out from the crowd.

Reading age 3 to 6 yrs. Abigail the Fantail can't keep still and will not stop to have a rest when her mother tells het to. One day she follows some children and gets lost. Abbey spends a night in the forest alone and frightened. Will she find her way back home again? Writeen in rhymes.

Jasper is camping with his family at the beach. When he wakes up in a tent, at first he doesn't remember where he is, but soon the various sights and sounds of a day at the beach make him dance with joy. This delightful picture book captures the quintessential kid's summer holiday spent at the beach. With a catchy repetitive structure, it will have children chanting along as it is read to them - and a "jig-jiggling urge to dance" will set in! Former Weta Workshop artist Rebekah Holguin matches vibrant illustrations to the infec... read more

A delightfully illustrated picture book about support for families with babies, and the coming of a new baby. The charming and simple text has been written by Yvonne Morrison, author of The Kiwi Night Before Christmas and Kiwi Jingle Bells. Illustrations by Jenny Cooper, who has illustrated Down in the Forest and many educational books.This book was produced following a request from Plunket, who felt they should celebrate their centenary with something for children as well as more serious works for adults.

This is the true story of the Kiwi war horses of the First World War. The jet-black mare galloped wildly across the scorching white sands, the guns and shells exploding around her with a deafening roar. Her master spurred her on, his legs tightly gripping her heaving sides. With foam-flecked lips and ears laid flat, she thundered on through the flying bullets and choking dust ...Every ANZAC Day we celebrate our heroes, with many books written and stories told about the brave soldiers who fought and died in World War One. Until now ... read more

Tara is heading home. Ryan is driving his mates. Neither of them is paying attention and the tragedy that follows changes many lives. A compelling story by by one of New Zealand's leading authors.

Set sail on an ocean of adventure as Cork surfs the high seas. After riding a sea horse, evading a shark and befriending an exhausted butterfly, Cork meets a wise old whale who shares the secret of staying afloat. Sparingly illustrated and awash with colourful rhyme, Cork on the Ocean is an uplifting tale of courage, friendship and the joy of positive thought.

Ness is looking out to sea, waiting for the arrival of Dev. It's been two years since the two set out in a dinghy, escaping the wrath of the Islanders of Dunnett; two years since their shrivelled and sun-battered bodies were coaxed back to health by Dev's people. Ness's new home, the city of Vidya, is in ruins; the air is unsafe, and the buildings scarred by fire. Towers loom empty and hollow. The community of Vidya is bravely building a new society and Ness yearns to find a place where she might belong. Sent to work on the ho... read more

Rhyming children's picture book with full colour illustrations. "Everyone knows that kiwi birds always sleep in the day - all except Emily the Kiwi, who loves to play here ukulele." A story about the joy of music, and sharing. Also featuring Annie the Granny, Louie the Tui, Molly Morepork, Abigail Fantail, and others.

Juno and the Taris inhabitants must leave their dying island. The young people look forward to a wider life Outside, but Outside too has its problems. It is two-year-old Hera, with her uncanny ability to foresee events, who saves the Taris people from the injury and death prepared for them by an underground group of protestors. The people of Taris, though, have no choice but to try to live in this seemingly hostile place. The young people are entranced despite the hate campaign against them: there are the fashions, the technologie... read more

The follow-up to Ebony Hill, shortlisted for 2010 NZ Post Children's Book Awards and CLF Notable Book of 2010. A year on from the aggressive attacks against them, the farming community at Ebony Hill still shows the cracks. Everyone is uneasy - workers watch their backs when out in the fields. When it becomes clear the paramilitaries aren't about to give up, hard decisions must be made. The attention of Vidya's governors turns to the ocean, and the islands. Can our heroine Ness risk going back to the Island of Dunnett, the home she ... read more

A new edition of the second installment of Maurice Gee's breathtaking Salt series.
Sixteen years have passed since Pearl from Company and Hari from Blood Burrow defeated the tyrant Ottmar. Now their children, Xantee and Lo, face an even more dangerous foe. Hari lies gravely ill with a fragment of a strange creature wrapped around his throat, draining his life. The beast is called gool, meaning unbelonger. It is one of many, destroying the mountains and jungles of the world. Somewhere a hidden mother nourishes her brood - she ... read more

Most children at some stage of their lives lose a close family member or friend. This story tells a child's experience of a much-loved grandfather getting old, becoming unwell, and dying. The story also shows that people celebrate death in different ways. The family's response to the death of their much-loved grandfather reflects the multi-cultural make-up of New Zealand. Pakeha (European), Maori and Pacific Island traditions and beliefs are interwoven into the family's response. The story creates an opportunity for adults ... read more

Grandma wakes up one Monday morning and decides she doesn't want to be a boring old Grandma any more. So she throws her knitting out the window and embarks on a week of fun-filled adventures, including bungy jumping, hang-gliding, parachuting, and eventually taking a rocket to the moon.

Juno and her family arrive at their new home, but almost immediately danger threatens Hera and they move to Willem's protection in New Plymouth, the city Juno most hoped to avoid. Fairlands school is too like Taris, and Hilto's son Thomas is a pupil there. The handsome Ivor is also there and soon begins to pay attention to Juno in a way she finds both confusing and exciting. Juno's special mind powers are called upon to help her save Hera, and HEART OF DANGER carries on to be a rollicking read that veers between scary situations... read more

Herbert was a small dog who lived in Nelson by the sea. Everybody liked him, but the person who loved him most was Tim. One fine day, an excited Herbert set off with Tim's father on a boat, heading for their cottage in the Marlborough Sounds. However, the weather soon turned rough and Herbert was catapulted into the biggest adventure of his life, from which he emerged a hero. Robyn Belton's heartwarming, beautifully illustrated retelling of a true-life adventure will delight children aged 3 to 7, their parents, teachers and librari... read more

Hokitika, 1865, at the height of the Gold Rush. In a town with a hundred pubs, young Halfie - aka Harvey, Thumbsucker, Bedwetter, Cocoa and Pipsqueak - gets by as best he can. Most of the time he hangs around the Bathsheba pub, washing dishes, running errands and making the odd coin - and observing from close quarters the parade of miners, dancing girls, petty crims and plain drunks that passes through the doors. When you're a coin boy you see a lot of life, and from low down. But how much do you really understand? What's going on ... read more

When Hollie Chips and her mum move to Puriti Road, Hollie is baffled by the way her neighbours all keep to themselves. But Hollie is a remarkable little girl, and it isn't long before she has charmed her way into their lives ...and when she discovers that a bastardly businessman is trying to buy up their houses to bulldoze them and build a dog food factory (which he has told them will be an orphanage!), the neighbours have to band together with Hollie and her mum to outwit him!
Winner of Tom Fitzgibbon Award 2009.