Events

What makes these the best children’s books? (Panel discussion)

Join us at Unity Books next Wednesday 10 August at 12.30 pm to hear two librarians, two publishers and a bookseller talk about shortlisted books for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

Book Talk

Simon the Rabbit activities

Join Simon the Rabbit in these cheeky activities!

Starting with the international bestselling picture book Poo Bum, and now an animated series screening worldwide, the Simon series stars a cheeky rabbit who always gets what he wants.

The following activity sheets are downloadable. Please print out as many as you like.

Book Lists

Book list: Sibling rivalry | Tales on Moon Lane

Sibling relationships can be full of fun and complexity, which is why we always love when they take centre stage in a book. There are also so many different kinds of families and siblings from brothers, sisters, half siblings and step siblings. It was really hard to choose this list because there are so many fantastic books out there, but these are just a few of our favourites.

Book Lists

Book list: LGBTQIA+ children’s books

What we really enjoy about these picture books/board-books is the casual inclusion of LGBTQIA+ folks. It’s wonderful to have books where queer characters are normalised within another narrative. We really wish there were more for us to choose from, especially from local publishers. It’s 2022 after all!

Q&As

A Perfect Wonderful Day with Friends: Q&A with Philip Waechter

When I was a child, my best friend lived with about 15 people in a shared house, a big old villa. It had absolutely everything! There was a big garden with fruit trees, and a cosy treehouse.

Q&As

Lionel: Q&A with Éric Veillé

When I created the character of Lionel, I tried to reconnect with the deep feelings of two- and three-year-olds, and I found myself confronting some contrasting and powerful emotions! It’s a very rich universe that you don’t always find in stories for toddlers, where things are often soft and kind.

Events

Inclusivity and diversity highlighted in Asian Festival of Children’s Content 2022

The Asian Festival of Children’s Content based in Singapore runs from 26-29 May. This year’s festival theme is Lit Up! It includes sessions on inclusivity and diversity, mental wellness, the role of stories and books as a coping mechanism.
Gecko Press publisher Julia Marshall is chairing a session on translating change—one story at a time and will also be in the session on humour in children’s books.

Book Talk

A dinosaur by another name | Translation

By Rachel Lawson, publisher at Gecko Press. When we translate a book into English from another language, one of the first questions for the translator is the names of the characters—and often that affects the title too.

Q&As

The Secrets of Cricket Karlsson: Q&A with Kristina Sigunsdotter

“When I was eleven I used to pretend I was a boy a lot, and I was longing for love. All I wanted to do was to play-wrestle with my friend Michael. He had bleached hair and could play Nirvana songs on his guitar. But I was so tall and skinny it was hard to get boys interested. They liked the short and cute girls, not ones with cricket legs like me.”

Book Lists

Book list: dinosaurs, fossils and the people who found them

There are so many excellent books about dinosaurs and fossils that it is very difficult to pick just a few to feature. Our scientific knowledge of extinct animals has increased exponentially as researchers continue to discover amazing fossils and use modern tools to gather insights about their lives.