World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 30: Gavin Bishop

Day 30: Gavin Bishop, master of image as a subtle political statement.

Aotearoa: the New Zealand story (2017).

Wildlife of Aotearoa (2019). 

The house that Jack built: being the account of Jack Bull, Esq. who sailed from these shores to a land far away to live there and trade with the natives of that said land 12th day of September, 1798 (1999). 

This is a tour de force. The use of a traditional English nursery rhyme to tell the story of colonisation and raupatu (confiscation) is stunning. The messages in the images requires intense study and examination. 

 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 29: Tumeke

Day 29: 

#Tumeke! by Michael Petherick (2019). 

Something so very, very New Zealand! So New Zealand, it is hard to explain to someone NOT from NZ. 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 28: Sacha Cotter & Josh Morgan

Day 28: 

The bomb by Sacha Cotter; illustrated by Josh Morgan (2018). 

Te pohū nā Sacha Cotter; nā Josh Morgan ngā pikitia; nā Kawata Teepa i whakamāori. 

 

Unlike the rest of the world, this has nothing to do with weaponry, but 'diving'. Oh, and a fabulous grandmother.

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 27: Who's driving

Day 27: another translation! 

Finally, another translated book!

Who's driving? by Leo Timmers; translation by Bill Nagelkerke (2006). 

One of the fabulous Gecko Press imprints.

Who knew ambulances had different sounds around the world?

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 26: Roadworks

Day 26: something more light-hearted!

Roadworks by Sally Sutton; illustrated by Brian Lovelock (2008).

First in a 'series' of vehicle-related picture books.

Great sounds! 

 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 25: Afakasi Woman

 Day 25: Afakasi woman by Lani Wendt Young (2019). 

A collection of heartbreaking intensity and in-your-face matter-of-factness of deep-rooted trauma.

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 24: Knitting

Day 24: time for some yarns!

Granny McFlitter, the champion knitter (2018) and Granny McFlitter: a country yarn by Heather Haylock & Lael Chisholm.

Sharing with Wolf by Melinda Szymanik & Nikki Slade Robinson (2020). 

 I'm a knitter and I love these!

 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 23: Invisibly Breathing

Day 23: identity. 

Another YA book: Invisibly breathing by Eileen Merriman (2019). 

A story of relationships, bullying, truth, and identity.

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 22: Recent YA

Day 22: recent young adult books.

Flight of the fantail by Steph Matuku (2018). 

Legacy by Whiti Hereaka (2018). 

If you like your books to be mind-bending, then these are for you. 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 21: Helen and the Go-go Ninjas

Day 21: graphic novel dystopia!

Helen and the Go-go Ninjas by Ant Sang and Michael Bennett (2018).

A great addition to the dystopian/ post-apocalyptic genre. With added time-travel. 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 20: Fuzzy Doodle

Day 20: a joyous picture book! 

Fuzzy doodle written by Melinda Szymanik; illustrated by Donovan Bixley (2016). 

A joy in all aspects: writing, illustrations, production - even texture! 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 19: Mandy Hager

Day 19: Mandy Hager.

Dear Vincent (2013). 
A story of grief and redemption.

Hager has also written the dystopian/ post-apocalyptic Blood of the Lamb series:

1. The crossing (2009). 
2. Into the wilderness (2010). 
3. Resurrection (2011). 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 18: Poetry

Day 18: time for poetry!

There are so many amazing poets, I couldn't choose just one, so...

A treasury of NZ poems for children edited by Paula Green; illustrated by Jenny Cooper (2014). 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 17: Sports for Teens

Day 17: sports for teens. 

This time sport for teens, using sports as a vehicle to explore deeper issues. 

Speed freak by Fleur Beale (2013). 

Aimed at an older audience than Beale's Slide the corner (1993) this title is focused on karting (Slide the corner was rallying). 

Single Fin by Aaron Topp (2006). 

Surfing - and suicide. Yep. Sport as a vehicle. 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 16: Diversity

Day 16: diversity. 

Two picture books celebrating/ acknowledging the diversity of New Zealand's population.

Watercress Tuna and the children of Champion Street by Patricia Grace; illustrated by Robyn Kahukiwa (1984). 
Child of Aotearoa by Melanie Drewery; illustrated by Bruce Potter (2004). 

Both books quietly acknowledge the diversity of our population. It is not a melting pot - but a boil-up: each piece adds to the overall flavour, but doesn't loose its individual taste and appeal. 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 15: Henry and the Flea

Day 15: Henry and the Flea by Brian Falkner (2003). 

New Zealand is often sports-focused, and kids books are no exception. What is exceptional (IMO) is Henry and the Flea (aka The Flea thing [2007]) by Brian Falkner. Yes, it's about sport. But, more importantly, it is about friendship and the value of childhood.

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 14: Hill & Hole

Day 14: Hill & Hole by Kyle Mewburn and Vasanti Unka (2010). 

Time for a story of friendship, support and differences. 

This is a quiet, subtle gem - which sort of snuck under the radar - but deserves wider exposure. 

World Kid Lit Month: Day 13: Hairy Maclary

Day 13: Hairy Maclary series by Dame Lynley Dodd.

Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack (1999). 

This is my favourite title in this classic and popular series - claimed by many countries. But, it is a New Zealand grown beauty. 

'It was drowsily warm and dozens of bees were lazily buzzing through flowers and trees...'

This came out in my first year as a children's librarian, and I read it three storytimes a week for over a month. 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 12: Sherryl Jordan

Day 12: The wonderful Sherryl Jordan! 

The secret sacrament (2003). 

Time of the eagle (2007). 

Winter of fire (1993 / 2019). 

Rafferty Ferret ratbag (2018). 

These are just a small selection of her varied work. 

Although often Medieval-themed / influenced, her works often go in unexpected places. Sometimes, what seems Medieval or ancient, is actually post-apocalyptic / dystopian. 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 11: The Kitchen Science Cookbook

Day 11: The kitchen science cookbook by Dr Michelle Dickinson (2017). 

The kitchen science cookbook by Dr @medickinson, the force behind the magnificent @NanogirlLabs!

I am uncomfortable using food items for non-eating purposes, so I love that you can eat your experiments.  

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day 10: Haere, Farewell Jack

Day 10: Haere: farewell, Jack, farewell by Tim Tipene; illustrated by Huhana Smith (2005). 

Also available in te reo Māori, translated by Manu Te Awa. 

I have read quite a few books about death over the years, and this one has stuck. 

It is a beautiful exploration of the cycle of life, through one year of a whānau - and including life and death. 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day Nine: David Hill

Day 9: David Hill. 

A New Zealand literature great, and a lovely human. A true gentleman and scholar. David Hill.

Enemy camp (2016). 

Another little-known moment in New Zealand history: a 'rebellion' of Japanese POWs in New Zealand, which led to the deaths of 48 POWs. 

See ya, Simon (1992). 

A New Zealand classic. How this didn't win EVERY award at the time of publication!

Taking the lead: how Jacinda Ardern wowed the world (2020).  

Written BEFORE Whakaari / White Island disaster AND COVID-19 pandemic! 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day Eight: History

Day 8: History. 

Because kids need to know history - and this isn't taught in schools.

The diary format makes these stories more immediate & appealing. 

Two examples of our racist history - with ongoing and lasting damage. How far have we come? 

Bastion Point: 507 days on Takaparawha: Auckland, 1977-78 by Tania Roxborogh (2017). 

e-tangata has a fabulous article from an eyewitness. 

Forty years on, Auckland is the site of another land protest at Ihumātao.  

Dawn raid by Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith (2018).  

In 2019, Porirua hosted a gallery exhibition commemorating the Dawn Raids of the 1970s. Now, our Pacifica communities are facing online abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day Seven: How to mend a kea

Day 7: How to mend a kea + other fabulous fix-it tales from Wildbase Hospital by Janet Hunt. 

It's time to celebrate New Zealand's fauna. New Zealand is home to some unique wildlife - and the Wildbase Hospital treats many examples of them. 

The follow-up book, Three kiwi tales is also worth hunting out.  

World Kid Lit Month 2020: Day Six: Mophead

Day 6: 

Mophead: How Your Difference Makes a Difference by Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh (2019). 

Absolutely brilliant. There's really nothing to add to that. This is a brilliant graphic memoir, ready to inspire and reassure children that they CAN be and do what they want. Exactly as they are.