Weekend Reads: 28 September 2025

Peggy Goes Gardening. 

Written and illustrated by Tonka Uzu. 

Post Wave Children's Books, 2025. 

A lovely introduction to gardening - or not - from a child's point of view. 

Saturdays at Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighbourhood. 

Written by Tony Hillery. Illustrated by Hartland, Jessie. 

Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2024. 

Written by one of the founders of Harlem Grown - a charity which has created gardens and farms throughout Harlem. 

My Grandparents Were Dinosaurs. 

Written by Anne Brusatte and Stephen Brusatte. Illustrated by Enrico Lorenzi. 

Magic Cat Publishing, 2025. 

Rhyming text tells the story of a fearless chicken, who uses their family tree to warn off predators. Stephen Brusatte is Professor of Palaeontology and Evolution at the University of Edinburgh. 

Weekend Reads: 10 November 2024

The Iguanodon's Horn: how artists and scientists put a dinosaur back together again and again - - and again. 

By Sean Rubin. 

Clarion Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9780063239210. 

Great introduction to dinosaurs, seen through the lens of whatever was known - or believed - at the time. 

Where's My Pet? Whiskers: with lift-and-find flaps.  

By Beth Hamilton and Carly Gledhill. 

Little Tiger, 2024. 

ISBN 9781838915650. 

Board book. 

Simple, fun, and a cute ending. 

Who's Jolly? 

By Camilla Reid and Nila Aye. 

Macmillan Children's, 2024. 

ISBN 9781035031702. 

Board Book. Lift-the-flap.

Christmas. 

Solid offering. Nothing dramatic. 

Cheese! 

By Felice Arena and Beatrice Cerocchi. 

Affirm Press, 2024. 

ISBN 9781922992833. 

Australian. 

Rhyming Text. And how do you get cheese names to rhyme like that! 

Read alongside Pasta by the same creators. 

Nose to Nose. 

By Thyra Heder. 

Abrams Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781419757518. 

Really interesting way to convey the importance of scent marking with dogs. And, of trying to fit in. 

The Young Queens Collection: The Curious Crown. 

By Megan Hess. 

Hardie Grant, 2024. 

ISBN 9781761212673. 

Christmas. 

Rhyming couplets. 

Serviceable, but slightly leaden rhymes. The creator knows her audience, and caters to it. 

Busy Betty & the Perfect Christmas Present. 

By Reese Witherspoon and Xindi Yan. 

Puffin Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781761047527. 

Christmas. 

A serviceable Christmas story about the importance of caring - and that it isn't about money or buying presents. 

Where To Hide a Star. 

By Oliver Jeffers. 

HarperCollins, 2024. 

ISBN 9780008579685. 

The sequel to: 

• How to Catch a Sar. 
• Lost and Found. 
• The Way Back Home. 
• Up and Down.

Exquisite as always. 

Maisy's Rocket. 

By Lucy Cousins. 

Walker Books, 2024. 

ISBN 9781529520712. 

Board book. 

A lovely and educational addition to the Maisy books. Perfect for wannabe astronauts. 

Giinagay Juluum, Hello Mountains. 

By Melissa Greenwood. 

HarperCollins, 2024. 

ISBN 9780733343025. 

Australian. Indigenous creator. Bilingual. 

Part of a series of books by Gumbaynggirr artist Melissa Greenwood. A glimpse into the world view of one of Australia's first people. 

The Very True Legend of the Mongolian Death Worms.  

The Three Little Tardigardes: a slightly scientific fairy tale. 

By Sandra Fay. 

Henry Hold and Company, 2021 / 2024. 

ISBNs 9781250776082 and 9781250776099. 

Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Wonky, quirky, factual, scientific, subversive. What more could you want? Definitely aimed at school-aged children. 

To Stir With Love. 

By Kate Mildenhall and Jess Racklyeft. 

Simon & Schuster, 2024. 

ISBN 9781761426391. 

Australian. 

Dementia, in the early stages. Generational sharing. Family photos are included in the illustrations. 

Sometimes It's Nice to be Alone. 

By Amy Hest and Philip Christian Stead. 

Neal Porter Books / Holiday House 2023. 

ISBN 9780823449477. 

Something about this title caught my attention, for some reason. 

Saving Wānanga: the true story of a kea rescue. 

By Kris Herbert. 

Potton & Burton, 2024. 

ISBN 9781988550671. 

Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Non-fiction, told as a story in picture book form. 

I'm not sure about this one. It's ok. 

Secret Gardeners: growing community and healing the earth. 

By Maija Hurme, Lina Laurent, Jen Pulju Porter, Sofia Karlsson. 

Pajama Press, 2024. 

ISBN 9781772782479. 

A story of community and determined children. Includes tidbits of information about no-till gardening. 

The Cars and Trucks Book. 

By Todd Parr. 

Little Brown and Company, 2018. 

ISBN 9780316506625. 

What isn't there to love about a Todd Parr book? He is a master. 

A Really Short History of Words. 

By Emma Young, adapted from Bill Bryson; Daniel Long, Dawn Cooper, Katie Ponder. 

Puffin, 2024. 

ISBN 9780241666173. 

I'm a word nerd, and have read many Bill Bryson books about the English language. 

It's great to have this version of children available. 

One Upon a Word: a word-origin dictionary for kids: building vocabulary through etymology, definitions & stories. 

By Jess Zarafarris and Marco Marella. 

Rockridge Press, 2020. 

ISBN 9781646112593. 

Another one for my word nerd heart. 

The History of Information. 

By Chris Haughton. 

Dorling Kindersley, 2024. 

ISBN 9780241553916. 

Vibrant, full of information. Interesting choices in layout and typography. 

A weighty, for children, book. 

Weekend reading: 6 October

Every few weekends, I binge read the children's books I've checked out of the library and brought home.

Some are because I'm checking if they'll work for storytime. 

Some are new from Aotearoa creators.

Some are just because.... 

This weekend's reads were: 

A couple of old favourites, which I own: 

• Old Pig by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks. Allen & Unwin, 1995. 
• The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek by Jenny Wagner and Ron Brooks. Longman, 1973. 

The Bunyip lived in my memory for years, before I owned a copy. Friends bought me a copy, in Australia, in about 1993. And the staff of the bookshop had never heard of it. They had one copy tucked away. 

    

Other books read this weekend: 

• The book of rules by Brian Gehrlein and Thomas Knight. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2021.  
• Sent with love from my other nephew. 

    

Non-fiction / dinosaurs: 

• Name that thing by Gareth Moore and Ryan O'Rourke. Magic Cat Publishing, 2023. 
• Fly by David Lindon and Sara Boccaccini Meadows. Magic Cat Publishing, 2024. 
• Aotearoa Klaxon sounds! 
• Fighting with love: the legacy of John Lewis by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome. Simon & Schuster, 2024. 
• This is one of those books I wish there were illustration notes for. 

        

        

Dinosaurs: 

• Dinosaur knowledge genius by Dr Chris Barker and Riley Black. Dorling Kindersley, 2024. 
• Side note: I'm a little disappointed that they have used a gendered pronoun for the T. Rex Sue. 
• My encyclopedia of very important dinosaurs. Senior editor: Kritika Gupta. Dorling Kindersley, 2024. 
• Note: this is a very thick book that is obviously aimed at younger readers. I'm not sure how many of them would pick it up, because the size is daunting. 
• We went to find a T. rex by Catherine Cawthorne and Aysha Awwad. Hodder, 2024. 
• Stegosaurus makes its way home by Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia and Marie Bollmann. Dorling Kindersley, 2024. 
• Horridus and the hidden valley by Chris Flynn and Aaron Cushley. Museums Victoria, 2022. 
• One day on our prehistoric planet: with a diplodocus by Ella Bailey. Flying Eye Books, 2024. 

        

A double dose of Margaret Mahy! 

•  17 kings and 42 elephants by Margaret Mahy and Alba Gil Celdrán. Little Moa, 2024. 
• Footsteps through the fog by Margaret Mahy and Gavin Bishop. Penguin, 2012. 

 

Books that made me cry: 

• The garden of broken things by Freya Blackwood. Angus & Robertson, 2024. 
• Everywhere with you by Carlie Sorosiak and Devon Holzwarth. Walker, 2022. 

        

Other picture books: 

• Little Owl's new friend by Debi Gliori and Alison Brown. Bloomsbury, 2022. 
• Paul the peacock by Tilly Matthews. Happy Yak, 2024. 
• Hunt for the whistle: a cleft adventure illustrated by Scott Pearson. Huia, 2024. NZ title.  
• "This story was developed with the generous assistance of Allison Brown (Cleft New Zealand Te Manatōpū Ngutu Riwha o Aotearoa), Genevieve Boyer (Cleft New Zealand Te Manatōpū Ngutu Riwha o Aotearoa) and the Youth Advisory Group." 
• And, alas, it reads like a story by committee, and one trying desperately to share their message. 
• In the words of a panel I was on: worthy, but not notable. 
• Jibber-jabber by Randall Enos. Creative Editions, 2018. 
• I've been asked by a couple of my local day cares / early childhood centres, for stories / rhymes that would help with speech therapy exercises. This might be on the list. I have to think about encouraging audience participation with it. 
• Ada, are you ready? by Daishu Ma. Walker Books, 2024. 
• Lali's feather by Farhana Zia and Stephanie Fizer Coleman. Peachtree, 2020. Vox book read by Farhana Zia. 
• I like how the non-English words are incorporated into the story, without explanation. 
• The bread pet: a sourdough story by Kate DePalma and Nelleke Verhoeff. Barefoot Books, 2020. 
• When Glitter met Glue by Karen Kilpatrick and Germán Blanco. Henry Holt, 2022. 
• Hello Horse by Vivan French and Catherine Rayner. Walker Books, 2018. 
• The dictionary story by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston. Walker Books, 2024. 
• My big fantastic family by Adam & Charlotte Guillain, and Ali Pye. Nosy Crow, 2021. 
• What do you wish for by Jaen Godwin and Anna Walker. Penguin / Viking, 2018. 
• Godfrey is a frog by Alex Latimer. Oxford University Press, 2024. 
• The crossodile by Rachel Morrisroe and Ella Okstad. Puffin, 2024. 
• Bee you by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and Clare Fennell. Andersen Press, 2024. 
• Fart Zoo by Leigh Hodgkinson. Walker Books, 2024. 
• The Daily Sniff by Jane Cabrera. Holiday House, 2023. 
• Witch's cat wanted: apply within by Joy H. Davidson and Nikki Slade Robinson. Scholastic NZ, 2016. NZ title. 
• I liked this when I first read it. And, I still like it. Especially now I am co-human to two black rescue cats. 

    

    

    

    

What is there to say about this? 

The remarkables: the most incredible children I have met - so far! 

Written and illustrated by Clotilde Perrin. 

Translated from the French by Daniel Hahn.

Gecko Press, 2024. 

Original title: Les incroyables.