Friends of Gecko Press
At Gecko Press, we believe that one good book can spark a lifetime love of reading.
We have built a digital and real-life community where people can share knowledge about great books for children (not just our books) and find creative ways to encourage children to love to read.
Friends of Gecko Press takes books to places they are not normally found and works with anyone who wants to encourage a child to love to read. This community brings together the entire book ecosystem – libraries, booksellers, schools, families, children.
If you want our help to organize an event, create a book club, or if you have ideas to promote children’s books and reading, please become a Friend of Gecko Press and share them with us.
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Gecko Press Blog:
Time to be brave: publishing in a pandemic
Julia Marshall started Gecko Press in 2005 when she discovered that Ulf Stark’s classic Can You Whistle, Johanna? had been translated into 20 languages but not English…and that was the start of being brave for Gecko Press.
15 years on and in the middle of a pandemic, Julia reflects on publishing children’s books.
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Book List of the month: Stories that teach kindness
This month’s book list is from Bridget Schaumann, Chair of the Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival Trust.
As Bridget says on the books in her list, “[these books] melted my cynical old heart, I guarantee you’ll feel that too with these treasures.”
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To receive a reading journal, send us an email at [email protected] with ‘Gecko Press Reading Journal’ subject line and your home address. Currently available to New Zealand club members only. Produced with support from the Wright Family Foundation.
Book Talk
In the Forbidden Forest with Ole Könnecke
For the release his book Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest, Ole took over the Gecko Press Instagram account to show behind the scenes of creating the story.
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Book Lists
The books that raised me: Emma McIlroy
I have always loved reading, to the point where as soon as I could read by myself, I would read anything I could find, including encyclopaedias cover to cover.
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Q&As
Dulcinea in the Forbidden Forest: Q&A with Ole Könnecke
My previous book in Germany was a Western with a boy as the main character, so this time I wanted simply to tell an exciting story centred on a girl.
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Book Talk, Q&As
Koro/Pops and Mihi: Q&A with Gavin Bishop
In their own way these ‘little’ books are as challenging as the much bigger books I’ve been doing in recent years. They don’t take as long because they don’t
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Q&As
Being translated: both terrifying and relaxing
For Women in Translation month we asked Swedish writer Frida Nilsson about the translation process. Nilsson’s new book released in English is Hattie and Olaf, one of over a dozen novels she has written for children which have been published around the world. The Ice Sea Pirates, her most translated book, is available in 20… Read more »
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Book Lists
Book list featuring single fathers
With the approach of Father’s Day and this month’s release of Seahorses Are Sold Out, featuring the best dad-hair Gecko Press has published, we asked Helen Wadsworth from Dorothy Butler Children’s Bookshop in Auckland to tell us what books about single fathers she enjoys recommending to customers. Picture books Just Because… Read more »
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Q&As
The Tiny Woman’s Coat: Q&A with Joy Cowley
Joy Cowley is one of New Zealand’s best-loved writers for children and adults, with an international reputation. She has won a multitude of awards and honours for her bestselling books, including the Prime Minister’s Award for contribution to literature. She was shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2018. What… Read more »
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Book Talk
Seeds of the Hattie story: Frida Nilsson
Frida Nilsson shares the inspiration behind her much-loved character Hattie and memories of her own school days for the publication of Hattie and Olaf.
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Book Lists
The books that raised me: Sarah Rennie
Sarah is our newest member of Gecko Press, having joined our marketing team this month. Sarah has fond memories of reading with multiple generations of her family growing up in the 1980s in the UK. Here are some of the classic picture books and 80s bestsellers that raised her. When I was young, I had… Read more »
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Book Lists
Book list for fostering empathy
This month’s book list has been collated by Bob Lingle from Off the Beaten Path Bookstore. The store is located in the Village of Lakewood, New York, with a focus on fostering empathy, to curate titles for the community that promote understanding, diversity, and creativity. Find Off the Beaten Path Bookstore on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter…. Read more »
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