Pre-order

The Waking Wood

Name: The Waking Wood
Brand: Allen & Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand
SKU: 9781835870136
Price: 32.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

A beautifully illustrated modern fable with papercut pages

By Alexi Francis

Series: Alexi Francis

0.0 (0 reviews)

Brief Description

In the heart of the wood stands an ancient oak, home to a badger family for generations. As night falls, the badgers roam the forest, following paths laid down by those who came before. But when one young badger loses his way in the darkness, how... Read More

Format: Hardback

$32⁹⁹

Pre-order

Releases 19^th January 2027 (Approx. Date) Pre-order "The Waking Wood" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

Found a better price? Request a price match

The Waking Wood

$32⁹⁹

A Court of Splintered Harmony: How to Get Your Copy on Release Day

A Court of Splintered Harmony is almost here, and we have some exciting news for...

ACOTAR 22 Oct 2026

The ACOTAR Countdown Is On, But We Need to Talk…

Last week, things started taking a dark turn. The excitement surrounding the release was suddenly...

GRAPHIC NOVEL 22 Oct 2026

Pick up a Graphic Novel for Halloween

Wanting something different for spooky season? Try a horror themed graphic novel! Lizzy has rounded...

Even More New Board Games Just Arrived!

It's been another busy week at Book Hero, with heaps of new board games and...

BOOK BRIEFING 21 Oct 2026

The Book Briefing 21/10/2026

Welcome back to another edition of 'The Book Briefing', your weekly round-up of all the...

Follow the journey of a little badger as he explores the woodland at night, from dusk until dawn, venturing deep into the waking wood in this beautiful new picture book by debut author and illustrator Alexi Francis.

Description

A beautifully crafted modern fable about family, growth and adventure, this debut picture book by Alexi Francis, with intricate papercut pages, offers a gentle moral for young readers whilst inspiring a love of nature and outdoor exploration.

Featuring stunning pen-and-ink illustrations of woodland creatures, the book moves from shadow to light as dawn breaks, drawing readers into its immersive world. Intricately cut pages reveal hidden layers of the story, inviting readers to follow the badger's journey through the woods.

Perfect for fans of The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith.

Series: Alexi Francis

View all

Pre-order

The Waking Wood

In the heart of the wood stands an ancient oak, home to a badger family for generations. As night falls, the badgers roam the forest, following paths laid down by those who came before. But when one young badger loses his way in the darkness, how will he find his way home? A beautifully crafted modern fable about family, growth...

By Alexi Francis

Hardback

$32⁹⁹

Pre-order
Out 19 Jan 2027

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781835870136

Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 13 August 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bonnier Books Ltd

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 11.0mm

Width: 224.0mm

Height: 293.0mm

Weight: 400g

Pages: 40

Collections

Alexi Francis Children's Books Children's Fiction Children's Picture Books Children’s & Teenage Non-Fiction Children’s, Teenage and Educational Kids & YA Pre-orders Pre-order Books Pre-Order Children's Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Series: Alexi Francis

About the Author

Alexi Francis is a writer and illustrator living in West Sussex, UK. She has a BSc in Zoology and has been involved in wildlife surveys in the UK, Crete and Cambodia. Alexi has self-published several books of nature writing pieces accompanied by her pen and ink illustrations. The Waking Wood is her debut picture book.

More from Children's Books

View all

New Release

Fight or Flight: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (21)

When the going gets tough, what’s a wimpy kid to do? In Fight or Flight, Greg Heffley faces his biggest challenge yet as he becomes a target for the school bully. Luckily for Greg, his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, takes karate, so at least Greg’s got someone in his corner. But an unexpected twist makes Greg realize he’s facing an uphill...

By Jeff Kinney

Paperback

$16⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$21⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Gruffalo Granny

The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day, "Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay." Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure...

By Julia Donaldson

Hardback

$24⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$30⁰⁰~~

(3)

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

The Sixth Faction

Beatrice Prior stands on the brink of a decision every person in her world must make: five factions, five futures, five lives. She has a plan: she's going to make the bravest choice, and leave Abnegation behind to join Dauntless, even though it means leaving her family behind. But when tragedy strikes at her Choosing Ceremony, everything changes—her world, her...

By Veronica Roth

Paperback

$29⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$34⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Detective Beans Colouring Club

Help Detective Beans solve the case of the missing colours! Join the Colouring Club now! Join the Detective Beans Colouring Club! Inside you'll find 40 removable colouring pages featuring scenes from all over Cat Town. Filled with all the characters you know and love from the Detective Beans graphic novels like Biscuits, Beans' mum, Mr Brickle, Bear, Detective Baby Bird...

By Li Chen

Paperback

$17⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$21⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Wahine

From a majestic mermaid to a clay woman, the creator of glaciers to the mother of gardening, discover powerful wahine and how their stories shaped the world around us. Wahine introduces readers to twelve purakau of brave, bold, and inspiring women of Aotearoa. A beautifully illustrated collection that will delight the whole whanau, from award-winning illustrator Isobel Joy Te Aho-White....

By Isobel Joy Te Aho-White

Hardback

$31⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$39⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Lottie Brooks’s Twelve Disasters of Christmas

From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! But this time... it's not about Lottie! From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a new story collection from the world of Lottie Brooks! And it's CHRISTMAS! In The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks we spent the holiday season with...

By Katie Kirby

Paperback

$17⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$21⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
On Sale
21% off
New Release

Matihe! Achoo!

What happens when a grumpy tupua has to sneeze? Matihe! Achoo! is a bilingual story about the tupua Mataoho and his connection to the volcanoes of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. It comes with an action song to engage young readers! He pūrākau e pā ana ki a Mataoho me ngā puia o Takamaki Makaurau. He tupua pukukino a Mataoho e noho...

By Qiane Matata-Sipu

Paperback

$15⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$21⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today
The Sweet As Looky Book

Can you find all the chocolate fish? Is it possible for kiwi to fly? Can you spot the difference? See Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of award-winning artist Donovan Bixley in The Sweet As Looky Book. Use your finest skills to seek out pirates in the Bay of Islands and birds in Rakiura Stewart Island. Get in a car...

By Donovan Bixley

Hardback

$22⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

Backorder
Ships late October
New Release

Pocket Observology

Pocket Observology is a practical field guide designed for those who love to explore and understand the natural world around them. Slip this guide out of your pocket to identify, measure, compare, or find clues to the things you encounter every day in nature. This pocket guide is a useful tool and a fun reminder of how to engage with...

By Giselle Clarkson

Paperback

$23⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$27⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

The Day of the Dinosaur Disaster

Angry anacondas, blizzarding blobs, carnivorous cactuses ... what kind of twisted curse will Glam-Evil think up this time?!Only it's not just Glam-Evil's curse the gang needs to worry about; they've got a few other problems, too. Swooping Pteranodons, a hungry T-Rex, a missing mother, and ... is that ... an ASTEROID?!Join MILES AND JONES as they face their biggest challenge...

By Sam Smith

Paperback

$14⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$14⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
On Sale
15% off
New Release

The Neverfear

A world of richly-imagined wonder Cressida Cowell It’s the Midsummer Feast on the Islet of Glimt and on this magical moonlit evening, the word on everyone’s lips is bandits. Reports of masked men burning villages are spreading throughout the Archipelago, but worse is still to come: Christopher and Anya are ambushed and one of the people they love most is...

By Katherine Rundell

Paperback

$17⁰⁰
Elsewhere:
~~$22⁹⁹~~

In Stock
Ships today
New Release

Mari the Unwonderful Witch

A charming, cosy and thought-provoking tale about a wonderfully unconventional little witch, by bestselling author of BUTTER, Asako Yuzuki. Perfect for fans of WICKED, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, and THE HATMAKERS series by Tamzin Merchant - and anyone who likes an enchanting adventure with just a hint of mischief. Mari the Unwonderful Witch introduces us to Mari, an eleven-year-old witch who...

By Asako Yuzuki

Paperback

$19⁹⁹
Elsewhere:
~~$24⁰⁰~~

In Stock
Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.