Weekend reads: 22 March 2026

 

Rere atu ki Poronihia = Flight to Polynesia

Written byTangaroa Paul, nā Luca Tu'avao Walton ngā pikita.

Oratia Books and Ngā Pātaka Korero o Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland Council Libraries, 2026.

Picture book.

Bilingual.

Te reo Māori.

Sequel to Rere atu taku poi! = Let my poi fly by Tangaroa Paul and Rebecca Gibbs.

An earnest and sincere exploration of non-binary representation around the Pacific, told through traditional performing arts.

Possible read-alongs:

• Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, and Daniel Sousa.
• Ho'onani: hula warrior by Heather Gale and Mika Song.
• Téo’s Tutu by Maryann Jacob Macias and Alea Marley.
• Raven’s ribbons by Tasha Spillett and Daniel Ramirez.
• The spectacular suit by Kat Patrick and Hayley Wells.
• A fairy called Fred by Robert Tregoning and Stef Murphy.
• Strong by Rob Kearney, Eric Rosswood, and Nidhi Chanani.
• Sadiq wants to stitch by Manta Nainy.
• A song for Nolan by Rushie Ellenwood and Sally Chen.
• A costume for Charly by CK Malone.
• My fade is fresh by Shauntay Grant and Kitt Thomas.

 

Black dog.

Written and illustrated by Levi Pinfold.

Templar Publishing, 2011.

Picture book.

Facing fears – or realising they were blown out of proportion.

Possible read-alikes:

• Safe at last by Richard Jones.
• Shy Willow by Cat Min.
• Eeny and her sisters by Jane Yolen and Kathryn Brown. 

You choose bedtime.

By Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart.

Puffin Books, 2025.

Picture book.

What do you need to make your bedtime perfect?

Possible read-alongs:

• The kiss and The hug by Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar.
• Just go to bed by Mercer Mayer.
• Tuck me in by Nathan W. Pyle. 

Let's go! = haw êkwa!

Written and illustrated by Julie Flett.

Greystone Books, 2024.

Picture book.

A celebration of community and skateboarding – and Cree-Métis heritage.

Possible read-alikes:

• Logan's big move by Logan Martin, Jess Black, and Shane McG.
• Skater Cielo by Rachel Katstaller.
• Ride, roll, run: time for fun! by Valerie Bolling and Sabrena Khadija.
• Together we ride by Valerie Bolling and Kaylani Juanita. 

Kwesi and Nana Ruby learn to swim.

Written by Kobina Commeh.

Illustrated by Bárbara Quintino.

Barefoot Books Ltd, 2025.

Picture book.

Kwesi and his Nana Ruby use the story and strength of Mami Wata to face their fears and learn to swim.

A powerful story of reclamation and rejecting the generational effects of racism.

Nana Ruby emigrated from Ghana to the USA.

Possible read-alikes:

• Together we swim by Valerie Bolling and Kaylani Juanita.
• Yaya and the sea by Karen Good Marable and Tonya Engel.
• Where’s Rodney? by Carmen Bogan and Floyd Cooper.
• Swimming with seals by Maggie de Vries and Janice Kun.
• Over or under? by Pip Harry and Hilary Jean Tapper.
• When love is more than words by Jocelyn Chung and Julia Kuo. 

 

Littlelight.

Written and illustrated by Kelly Canby.

Fremantle Press, 2020.

Australian.

Picture book.

A small child quietly – and powerfully – rejects the aggression and xenophobia of the mayor. Their powerful action sends ripples through the town and a complete rejection of the mayor’s prejudice and hatred. More grown ups should read, and actually take to heart the messages of, picture books.

Possible read-alikes:

• Y Ddinas Uchel/The Builders written and illustrated by Huw Aaron.
• Who left the light on? by Richard Marnier, Aude Maurel, translated by Emma Ramadan.    
• The wall in the middle of the book by Jon Agee.
• Walls by Tania Ingram and Ruth-Mary Smith.
• Usha and the stolen sun by Bree Galbraith and Josée Bisaillon.
• Out of the blue by Robert Tregoning and Stef Murphy.
• One light by Christie Matheson and Anuska Allepuz. 

The Library of Bears.

Written and illustrated by Cat Rabbit.

Berbay Publishing, 2025.

Australian.

Picture book.

I think the best thing about this book is the illustrations – which are the cutest little soft toys and accessories! They are at an intense level of accuracy, observation, and detail.

Possible read-alikes:

• Alone by Scott Stuart. 
• The Hotel for Bugs by Suzy Senior and Leire Martin.
• Nop by Caroline Magerl.

Books with 3D / assemblage / diorama illustrations:

• Anything by the taonga (treasure) that is Jeannie Baker.
• The princess and the pea by Lauren Child. 
• Picture a tree by Barbara Reid.
• The bean’s story by Tatiana Aslund and Vasanti Unka.
• Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales. 
• The visitor by Antje Damm.
• Frostfire by Elly MacKay. 
• Great job, Mom! and Great job, Dad! by Holman Wang. 

Juniper sails through the solar system.

Written and illustrated by Sarah E Willis.

Bearger Studios, 2025.

Picture book.

The blurb says: “Juniper is a young Micronesian girl who comes from a long line of explorers who traveled the vast Pacific Ocean thousands of years ago. Now she embraces their legacy and sets sail to explore the solar system.”

Juniper is from Aelon Kein Ad (the Marshall Islands).

An earnest book.

Possible read-alongs:

• I love my island by Moemoana Safa'ato'a Schwenke and Moanaroa Te Whata. 
• Moana adapted by Laura Hitchcock, illustrated by Griselda Sastrawinata-Lemay. 
• Abigail and the birth of the sun by Matthew Cunningham and Sarah Wilkins.
• Ada and the galaxies by Alan Lightman, Olga Pastuchiv, and Susanna Chapman.
• Those magnificent voyagers of the Pacific by Andrew Crowe and Rick Fisher.
• Fishing for islands: traditional boats and seafarers of the Pacific by John Nicholson. 

Hugged by the night.

Written by Harold Green III.

Illustrated by Karabo Poppy.

Chronicle Book, 2026.

Picture book.

Rhyming text.

Animals representing African diaspora.

Possible read-alikes:

• Teddy's midnight adventure by Yoko Mori, translated by Cathy Hirano.
• A happy place by Britta Teckentrup.
• The Midnight Panther by Poonam Mistry.
• I feel a foot! by Maranke Rinck and Martijn van der Linden.
• Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o and Vashti Harrison.
• Shine like the stars by Anna Wilson and Harry Woodgate.
• Think big: a mythological fable about animals who discover how to live their best lives by Kat Kronenberg and David Miles. 

 

One goose, two moose and One goose, two moose, three raccoon, four baboon.

Written by Kael Tudor.

Illustrated by Nicola Slater.

Scholastic, 2024 and 2025.

Picture book.

Rules and breaking them. Complete chaos – and fun.

Possible read-alikes:

• Bear cubs don't do queues by Maudie Smith.
• Wrong! by Ciara Flood and Lucia Gaggiotti.
• Perfectly polite penguins not! by Georgiana Deutsch and Ekaterina Trukhan.
• Line up, please! by Tomoko Ohmura, translated by Cathy Hirano.

   

A cup of quiet.

Written by Nikki Grimes.

Illustrated by Cathy Ann Johnson.

Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2025.

Imaginative play – and the wonders of being quiet.

Possible read-alikes:

• Quiet by Tomie DePaola.
• All around us by Xelena Gonzalez and Adriana M. Garcia.
• Grandpa's gift by Fiona Lumbers.
• Quiet time with my seeya by Dinalie Dabarera.
• Birdsong by Julie Flett.
• The sun never hurries by Roxane Turcotte and Lucie Crovatto, translated by Barbara Creary.
• Grandad's world by Michael Foreman. 
• Sandcastle by Philip Bunting. 

  

 

The quacken.

Written by Justin Colón.

Illustrated by Pablo Pino.

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024.

Picture book.

Beware… the Quacken! Disbelief in a local legend leads to terror (in an age appropriate, picture book way).

Possible read-alikes:

• A campfire tail by Sarah Glenn Marsh and Ana Gómez.
• The bear out there by Jess Hannigan.
• Don't trust fish by Neil Sharpson and Dan Santat.
• The duck never blinks by Alex Latimer.  
• Don't feed the coos! by Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox.

 

My tiger.

Written by Joy Cowley

Illustrated by David Barrow.

Gecko Press, 2026.

Aotearoa. Picture book.

Note: possible blackwashing in the illustrations.

A fun and slightly gruesome story, where bossy adults get their comeuppance.

Possible read-alikes:

• Bark, George by Jules Feiffer.
• Mog and the V.E.T. by Judith Kerr.
• Don't scare the dentist by qualified dentist and licensed comedian Sam Smith and award winning illustrator Daron Parton.
• Brenda's revenge by Sarah Tagholm and Laurie Stansfield.
• Penelope Rex and the problem with pets by Ryan T. Higgins.
• Mister Kitty is lost! by Greg Pizzoli.  
• Have you seen my invisible dinosaur? by Helen Yoon.   
• I want a dog by Jon Agee.
• Not that pet! by Smriti Halls and Rosalind Beardshaw. 

 

Me and other bunnies.

Words and pictures by Mo Willems.

Union Square Kids, 2025.

Picture book.

A book about pronouns – not gender related ones. When does ‘them’ become ‘us’?

Possible read-alikes:

• What are your words?: a book about pronouns by Katherine Locke and Anne Passchier.
• Phonobet by Kathy Weedon and Kim Drane.
• Mind your Gramma! by Yvonne Morrison and Nikki Slade Robinson.

 

Thundermaestro.

Written by Annemarie Riley Guertin.

Illustrated by Maria Brzozowska.

Familius, 2022.

Picture book.

The sounds of a storm, shown through a child’s imagination.

Possible read-alikes:

• Storm dragon by Dianne Hofmeyr and Carol Thompson.
• Nighttime symphony by Timbaland feat. Christopher Myers, and Kaa Illustration.
• The rain train by Elena de Roo and Brian Lovelock.
• Downpour: splish! splash! ker-splash! by Yuko Ohnari and Koshiro Hata, translated by Emily Balistrieri.
• The best sound in the world by Cindy Wume.
• Nightsong by Sally Soweol Han.
• When Isaac hears the rain by Julie Thompson and Leah Giles. 

Mermaid, schmermaid.

Written by Terence Araneta.

Illustrated by Cassandra Paillé.

Little Drummer Books, 2026.

Aotearoa.

Rhyming text.

A bit meh – but ok. Seeing beyond the obvious, and valuing what people are good at. The non-mermaid characters are arrogant and annoying. The mermaid is sweet and cloying.

Possible read-alikes / instead ofs:

• Mermaid lullaby by Kenneth Kraegel.
• Mermaids are the worst! by Alex Willan.
• Knight Owl and Knight Owl and Early Bird by Christopher Denise.

More mermaid recommendations are available on the Storytime Solidarity website. 

Dumpling day.

Written by Meera Sriram.

Illustrated by Inés de Antuñano.

Recipes by Laurel P. Jackson.

Picture book.

Counting.

Rhyming text.

Different cultures represented through dumplings, or their equivalents.

Possible read-alikes:

• Luli and the language of tea by Andrea Wang and Hyewon Yum.
• Soup's on around the world by Denyse Waissbluth and Chelsea O'Byrne.
• My rice is best! by Selina Brown and Maxwell A. Oginni.
• Tomatoes in my lunchbox by Costantia Manoli and Magdalena Mora. 

My sister, the Todzilla.

Written by Jacinta Froud.

Illustrated by Matt Shanks.

Affirm Press, 2026.

Australian.

Picture book.

Rhyming text.

Hangry and tired – the perfect recipe for an attack of the Todzilla!

Possible read-alikes:

• The witching hour by Jennifer Harris and Adelina Lirius.
• One upside-downy day by Renée Kurilla.
• Grumbelina by Esther Krogdahl and Aleksandra Szmidt.
• Red red red by Polly Dunbar.
• Tiny tantrum by Caroline Crowe and Ella Okstad.
• Barbara throws a wobbler by Nadia Shireen.
• I love you just the way you are by Virginia Miller. 

Catnip m ❤️ use. [mouse]

Written and illustrated by AJ Smith.

Kids Can Press, 2025.

Picture book.

Vera, a cat, just wants to play quietly with her catnip mouse. Gipp, a dog, wants to play with Vera.

Disaster ensues – and a fight. Can these friends make it up?

Possible read-alikes:

• Cat Dog by Mem Fox and Mark Teague.
• Twisty-turny house by Lisa Mantchev and EG Keller.
• Blanket by Ruth Ohi. 
• In or out by Stacy Gregg and Sarah Jennings.
• George & Tao by Claude K. Dubois, translated by Daniel Hahn.
• Can I play? by Nicola Kinnear.
• Bear is never alone by Marc Veerkamp, Jeska Verstegen, translated by Laura Watkinson.
• My very own space by Pippa Goodhart and Rebecca Crane.
• Leave me alone by Bera Brosgol.      
• Oh, Carrots! by Mariajo Ilustrajo. 

 

If you make a call on a banana phone.

Written by Gideon Sterer.

Illustrated by Emily Hughes.

Clarion Books, 2025.

Picture book.

A wonderful addition to the flights of fancy of consequences books.

Possible read-alikes:

• How to talk Monster by Lynn Plourde and Mike Lowery.
• Hello by Viola Wang.
• Monster! Hungry! Phone! by Sean Taylor and Fred Benaglia.
• Spacebot by Mike Twohy.
• The only astronaut by Mahak Jain and Andrea Stegmaier. 

Beegu.

Written and illustrated by Alexis Deacon.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.

Picture book.

Beegu is an alien who struggles to find friends, until they meet children.

Possible read-alikes:

• The stray by Molly Ruttan.
• We are definitely human by X. Fang.
• Lights on Cotton Rock by David Litchfield.
• Augustus and his smile by Catherine Rayner.
• The invisible boy by Trudy Ludwig and Patrice Barton.
• The Thing at 52 by Ross Montgomery and Richard Johnson.

 

Marilyn's monster.

Written by Michelle Knudsen.

Illustrated by Matt Phelan.

Walker Books, 2015.

Picture book.

They say you need to wait for your monster to find you – but what if they don’t?

Sort of imaginary friends – but not quite. There is a listof imaginary friends books on the Storytime Solidarity website.

Possible read-alikes:

• I need my monster by Amanda Noll and Howard McWilliam.
• The adventures of Beekle: the unimaginary friend by Dan Santat.
• The whisper by Pamela Zagarenski.
• The magical yet by Angela DiTerlizzi and Lorena Alvarez.
• Waiting is not easy by Mo Willems.
• Lonely bird by Ruth Whiting. 

Officer Buckle and Gloria.

Written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann.

Putnam’s, 1995.

An oldie – but cute story about friendship – and safety.

Note: positive police stories are not suitable for all communities.

Possible read-alikes:

• Utterly otterly night by Mary Casanova and Ard Hoyt.
• Dog gone by Rob Biddulph.
• Alone by Scott Stuart.
• How dinosaurs went extinct: a safety guide by Ame Dyckman and Jennifer Harney.