October Kiwi Kids Books: Day 10.

Share a New Zealand book for children or teens that is creative / narrative non-fiction

 

Queen of the Cosmos: Beatrice Hill Tinsley.

Written by Maria Gill.

Illustrated by Alistair Hughes.

Upstart Press Ltd, 2024.

Beatrice Hill Tinsley lived every day as if she was on borrowed time. Over her short time on Earth, she was determined to further the world's knowledge of the stars and galaxies. But it was not easy being a female scientist in those times. She would have to make a heartbreaking decision in order to follow her destiny. Find out about this extraordinary woman, who became one of New Zealand's greatest scientists.

I appreciate that aspects of Beatrice’s life aren’t glossed over – nor gone into in depth – but are included, even for a child audience.

October Kiwi Kids Books: Day 9.

Share a New Zealand book for children or teens that deserves more attention

Digging up the past: archaeology for the young and curious.

Written by David Veart.

Auckland University Press, 2011.

What do moa eggs, seeds chewed by rats & 600-year-old footprints have in common? Lost planes, dog turds and frozen sleeping bags? Archaeologists deal with artefacts like these every day in Aotearoa New Zealand to make sense of the world of our ancestors, our tūpūna. In this book David Veart walks alongside the archaeologists as they dig up the past on top of volcanoes and beneath our city streets, in Māori pā and explorers' huts. He offers us the things they find - obsidian blades, enamel cups, the carved prow of a waka - and the remarkable stories they have uncovered of Polynesian sailors and Pākehā sealers, Māori gardeners and Chinese storekeepers.

David Veart worked as a DOC historian and archaeologist for years. This is a brilliant book, and should be more known. I’d love if it was updated and reprinted!

October Kiwi Kids Books: Day 8.

Share a New Zealand book for children or teens for ages 5-7 years

Bird in spring! Along came a spider.

Written and illustrated by Raymond McGrath.

Graphic Universe, 2026.

Spring is here! The leaves are green. The sky is blue. The flowers are in bloom. And there's a new bird in town . . . Bird is finally out on his own, but he's having a hard time. Finding the perfect tree is anything but easy. Building a perfect nest isn't going well. As for making friends? That's proving to be the biggest test of all. That's when Spider swings by, catching Bird's eye. But they can't possibly be best friends . . . or can they?

There is a paucity of fiction for this age group – that aren’t picture books. It hasn’t been an area often covered by New Zealand creators – first readers (apart from actual readers by publishers like Wendy Pye) and first chapter books.

In this case, the author is a New Zealander, but the series is published in the USA, and looks and feels more USA than NZ.

October Kiwi Kids Books: Day 7.

Share a New Zealand book for children or teens that is a graphic novel

 

Folk remedy: the hidden world of the yōkai. (Book 1).

Written and illustrated by Jem Yoshioka.

Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2025.

After twelve-year-old Maple Morimura reads a book detailing her family's relationship to the spirits and supernatural beings called yōkai, she unexpectedly travels to a hidden spirit world with a mischievous Yōkai named Ember.

Shortlisted for the Russell Clark Award for Illustration, in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, 2026.Shortlisted for the NZSA Best First Book Award in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, 2026.

Ends on a cliffhanger!

Jem dedicated her first book to her grandmother, Taeko, who travelled from Japan to Aotearoa New Zealand.

October Kiwi Kids Books: Day 6.

Share a New Zealand book for children or teens that is translated by a New Zealander

The Little Rabbit books.

Written and illustrated by Jörg Mϋhle.

Translated by Catherine Chidgey.

Gecko Press.

Board book.

Perfectly simple interactive board books for babies who love to take care of Little Rabbit.

There were so many books I could have chosen – but I love the fact that Catherine Chidgey translates these!