Book Recommendations for Gifts by Age Range

monkey on the run (c) Leo Timmers

We often get asked for recommendations for a particular age of a child so this month’s book list is by the Gecko Press team recommending our top picks from our shelves to help with your gift buying this season.

Day in the life of Anete Melece

Anete Melece

Anete Melece is a Latvian author and illustrator. On Wednesday 23rd September she took over the Gecko Press Instagram account to share her journey of becoming a freelance illustrator, how she created The Kiosk, and what she is working on now.

Book list: Wordless picture books

Migrants

I’d like to share some of my favourite wordless or silent picturebooks in the hope that this will encourage you to become familiar with silent books and their particular gifts.

The Magic of Wordless Picture Books

Migrants

Wordless picture books can be magical. With no text pulling our eyes away, adults and children can explore the pictures together, and together tell the story.

Adding your own story to Mihi

Mihi

Mihi is Gavin Bishop’s beautiful new baby book that introduces ideas of me and my place in the world in the shape of a simple mihi or pepeha.

Gavin Bishop shares his mihi and how you can you the book Mihi to guide you to create your own.

How Gavin Bishop discovered his whakapapa

Mihi iwi

Author and illustrator, Gavin Bishop, shares his story of how he discovered his family history, his ancestors, and his whānau.
“Finding this enormous whānau came about because of what my grandfather had taken care to do in 1918. When he gave his youngest daughter, my mother, “all the names” he also gave her her whakapapa.”

Day in the life of Bei Lynn

Bei Lynn

Bei Lynn is an award-winning artist from Taiwan who has illustrated around 20 picture books for children. She took over the Gecko Press Instagram account on Thursday 13th August to share her day and also gave a sneak peek of her next book coming out next year!

Giselle Clarkson on illustrating The Gobbledegook Book

Giselle Clarkson

I’ve lived my whole life with Joy Cowley’s stories and was totally stunned when I was invited into the Gecko Press office and asked if I’d like to illustrate a collection of them. I felt pretty daunted, but also very excited and I couldn’t wait to start drawing.