Before becoming a book seller I was a Child Rights Educator, and before that a Zoo Educator, but before that I was a teacher for a few glorious and tough years. I taught year 5 and 6 in South Auckland and had the most incredible kids to learn alongside. A huge thing for me was, of course, trying to share my love of reading and storytelling, and my classroom library was a huge part of that - selecting a big variety of books for different abilities and interests to help get them hooked in. I would spend my weekends exploring dusty op shop shelves for $2 treasures that I could add to the collection, or going along to any and every book sale to nab a bargain with my $0 teacher budget. I know that for me, my love of reading comes from both a book-loving family but also the teachers who recognized my love of books and engaged me with authors and stories that I wouldn’t have discovered on my own. 

Left: Me on my last day as a teacher after graduation for my Year 6's, still one of the most special moments of my life / Right: One of my student's black out poems, a favourite lesson

There have been so many amazing new books released recently, so I wanted to do a little round up of the ones I would be looking to add to my own classroom library to hopefully help any time-poor teacher out there who might want some fresh inspiration for their own (or who might be looking for their next book to read aloud to the class!). Here are some of the recent highlights that I’ve spotted while eyeing up each new book that arrives in stock here at Book Hero.

These picture books are perfect for the junior teachers helping our 5 and 6 year olds fall in love with stories, or even to use with older kids too. I truly believe that so many of our amazing picture books are just as important for older readers and there are so many fun invitations to explore illustration and imagination through these more visual stories.

Toitū by Paniea Tahau Hodges is an incredible new picture book inspired by the hikoi that took place in repsonse to the Treaty Principles Bill (please vote people). This is a perfect book for talking about resistance and the determination of Māori who have showed such resilience in the face of those who would prefer they would stay quiet. Matihe! Achoo! is a fun book for tamariki who live in Auckland as it uses bright illustration and short, sharp storytelling to share the story of the tupua Mataoho, and the way his sneezes had an impact on the volcanoes around Auckland. I could definitely see this being used in class as a great jumping off point for some exciting volcano science! A picture book about getting outside that I would be bringing to class is Wild Summer, the beautiful new book from Vasanti Unka. Full of beautiful watercolour illustrations of enjoying summer days, this book is a wonderful invitation for all of us into gratitude and appreciation.

At the moment my daughter's favourite picture book (and one of mine too!) is the newly re-illustrated Margaret Mahy classic, The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate. With stunning new illustrations by Emma Collicott, I am enamoured with the vibrant storytelling about a man and his mum who escape to the ocean. The Plane Over My Backyard by Tom Jellett is another excellent new picture book about a boy who has planes that soar over his backyard. It's a book that would invite heaps of discussion and reflection with tamariki, and is wonderful to share for any children who have been or about to go on holiday too! Story Rug by Sophie Blackall and Phoebe Wahl is a picture book that was made for the classroom, a beautiful story about children who braid things from home, weaving together their tales to create something special. It's also got tips for how to do you own class craft project which I love.

For more mature or sophisticated picture books I highly recommend anything and everything by Shaun Tan. His newest book is called Hometown and it's another incredibly important story that would be incredible to read and explore as a class. Hometown is about the things that make us feel at home, and our identity that shifts and changes. These are definitely more mature picture books and with the support of a teacher provide a really useful scaffold for discussing bigger issues children face around the world. Wāhine by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White is another beautiful new picture book that would be perfect for older primary students, with an illustrated collection of Māori Pūrakau about powerful women and their stories.

Stunning illustrations from Shaun Tan's Hometown

I love graphic novels for engaging tamariki who might not feel super confident picking up a novel, but can we also take a second to appreciate that a story told through a graphic novel format is often just as incredible as one with no images. They are two different forms, and both have huge merit at being provided as options for kids. I adore many graphic novels and will now reach for one when I need a break from my usual books. Here are some of the recent ones I would be picking up for my classroom!

Some other graphic novels that have come out recently that I think are great for kids because they hit the funny mark include the newest Miles and Jones book, The Day of the Dinosaur Disaster. These books are hilarious and great for kids aged 7 and up who love a silly adventure story. Another silly graphic novel to check out if like many young ones you have kids obsessed with Guinea Pigs is Guinea Wigs Copy Rats, a silly superhero adventure about a found family team of rodents. You can't talk about silly books without featuring Aaron Blabey who my four year old loves for his Pig the Pug series, but older kids love for his famous series, The Bad Guys. Brand new is the first story in a new series, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, Game of Pets, which is about a diabolical intergalactic game show that I know kids would LOVE.

For the older kids I'd be picking up a gorgeous graphic novel adaptation of The Odyssey which all the cool kids are on about. I'd also nab Framed by Karina Evans and Andrea Bell which is about drama in middle school and a wrongful accusation about some missing art projects. As a kid who grew up on Goosebumps I can't not include the new graphic novel, Stay Out of the Basement. It looks SO spooky and I know heaps of kids would love it but even if they didn't - I would.

These novels are ones that the kids will love to explore themselves, but also would make perfect chapter books to read together with your class. 

The Comeback Kid by Airana Ngarewa is a story that looks like it would grab a lot of kids with it's story about adventure and friendship which is focused on MMA fighting (there's your hook!). Roopa is reading this one at the moment and I can't wait to hear what she thinks. 

For hooking in the kid who wants something a little stressful, I'd be bringing back to the classroom Web of Spies, the first in a series by Tim Ayliffe and a story about a boy who comes across a dead body and gets drawn into a murder mystery with his friends. It's hard finding good age appropriate crime/thrillers but a lot of kids love the high octane books that keep them turning the page, and this one is just that. Our amazing Emily loved this one and said "This book is a really great read for anyone 10/11+. I really liked the plot and the characters, as twists leapt out in almost every chapter!". 

One that arrived literally a week ago is The Raven's Gift by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom de Freston. I absolutely loved Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, her novels combine real life experiences that kids have to deal with, with beautiful storytelling and creativity. This one seems similar with beautiful illustrations and a story about grief and survival that is appropriate for kids 9 and above.

Speaking of magical creatures, I'm sure everyone has Book 2 of Graci Kim's Dreamslinger duology - Royalslinger (if you don't, you MUST. Korean inspired fantasy by another incredible Auckland author who might be willing to come and visit your kids (or at least answer some questions if you get in touch!). I'm also absolutely obsessed with Mari The Unwonderful Witch by Asako Yuzuki (of literary fiction fame). This translated story of a young witch who is a little unconventional is enchanting in it's Studio Ghibli vibes and I'm loving telling kids about it.

Another new magical story that sounds delightfully intriguing is Bodder Finn at the Edge of the World by Phil Cummings which is about a young boy who must go to the edge of his world after the sky falls apart and plunges his world into darkness.

I'm a big fan of using books to get kids excited about the natural world and some new faves for this include The Living Rock Pool by Dave Gunson which is an incredibly intricate and visual guide to the creatures we find in our local rockpool environments, the newest Reptiles book by the folks at DK who always create incredible non-fiction encyclopedia style books for kids, Animal Factopia by Julie Beer which is a great book for any child who likes learning the most random facts and following trails of curiosity into the strangest of places. This one is a slight cheat because it's technically not super new but after having won the overall award for Best Book Design at PANZ Awards this year, Omnibird is getting more hype and I love it because this book is incredible (along with all of Giselle Clarkson's books which I have written all about already!). The other animal related book I'd be adding is What Did the Skink Think by Kate Preece, a deep dive into the unusual Chatham Island skink but also a beautiful book about 

For those kids obsessed with space, Our Solar System by Dr Vienna Tran and illustrated by Donough O'Malley is a fun addition for the classroom! It's a more advanced guide to the planets, moons, and interplanetary dust that exists in the space around us, with a good balance of illustration to text for readers in primary and above. I was also that kid obsessed with Ancient Egypt so when I saw the newest Tiny Tours Travel Guides Ancient Egypt had arrived I was so excited to take a look through. This is such a fun book, with wonderfully laid out infographics and guides about everything from seeing the Great Pyramids to spending money at the markets. Another newbie that looks SO useful for tamariki is Welcome to Friendship by Yumi Synes and Dr Melissa Kang, an awesome guide to friends and frenemies that I know my 9 and 10 year olds would have benefitted from. You can read more about this book here!

An example of a page from Welcome to Friendship

Some of the other non-fiction books I would get for my class library include a couple that I would never read myself but I know HEAPS of kids would love. Racing Legends by David Clayton is perfect for the kids who are watching Formula 1, the Marvel Character Encyclopedia is a massive tome for the super hero fans, and of course you have to add the newest Guinness World Record 2027 book to the class collection. I still have core memories of the school kids fighting over who would get to have a turn with the Guinness World Records books, with their fascinating stories and sometimes horrifying pictures. What I took away from trying to get kids into reading was to remember that whatever gets them choosing to pick up a book is most important.

To every kaiako and teacher out there, the work you do is not only incredibly challenging but incredibly important too. Thanks for devoting your time and energy to our ākonga, and for helping them to grow up with a love of reading and learning. If you ever need support with choosing a new read for your class, finding a new book for a certain student, or getting non-fiction books that will work with an inquiry, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to support you!