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Recommended reads

Book list of good ideas from our 2021 books

Pablo

Looking back on what we published in 2021 we noticed some unexpected recurring themes. They turned out to be a pretty good list of ideas so we’ve collected them here.

The books that raised me: Bookshop Day edition

Early October brings Bookshop Days so we asked booksellers around Aotearoa to share a book that was special to them growing up, a book that raised them. Sometimes, when you’re surrounded by so many good books, it’s hard to pick just one. Jenna at Time Out, Auckland Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak… Read more »

Book list: Good books in te reo Māori

In honour of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, we want to celebrate the increasing number of books being published in te reo Māori.

The books that raised me: Emma McIlroy

Emma reading at a young age

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.

Book list featuring single fathers

Seahorses Are Sold Out: Dad falling backwards in surprise

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 »

The books that raised me: Sarah Rennie

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 »

Book list for fostering empathy

Dulcinea reading to duck and dog (c) Ole Konnecke

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 »

The books that raised the librarians of SLANZA

chlidren reading

For our new series, The Books that Raised Me, we talked to the School Library Association of New Zealand to discover the books that raised the librarians of SLANZA.

Book list of bedtime favourites

Childrens Books by Gecko Press. Tickle My Ears Boardbook

For this month’s book list we asked some parents in the book world what bedtime favourites their children ask for again and again. Jane Arthur, manager at Good Books, Wellington, poet and mother of Pete We’ve somehow ended up with two identical copies of Peter Gossage’s How Maui Slowed the Sun in board book format,… Read more »