New Zealand Children's Books

Another tale from the home of Grandpa and his ever-patient wife. This time, the family cat is missing. Grandma insists that the cat will turn up, but Grandpa is determined to find his precious moggy. He searches the house and garden before discovering the cat high up a tree. How ever will he get it down? Enjoy this delightful story...

The Clouds think Sun and Rain would get along well, but Rain thinks Sun doesn’t want to know her as Sun always vanishes when she turns up. Likewise, Sun feels that Rain stays away when Sun is around. The Clouds think they’d be a good match, however, and scheme a meeting, resulting in the most beautiful union ... a rainbow!...

Christmas is in trouble ... but Stan has a plan to waft in and save the day! The dinosaurs can’t wait for Christmas morning, but unfortunately, Santa is having transport problems. Stan heads off to the North Pole to see if he can help. Luckily, he comes up with a super (if smelly) solution! Can Stan the Stink-o-saurus live up...

Can Spotty the Zebra learn to embrace life without stripes? “Just look at my patterns,” poor Spotty declared. “The other young zebras all tease and compare. I’m tired of being different and not fitting in. I want to have regular, stripe-patterned skin.” Spotty the zebra is tired of standing out in a crowd. Sick of being teased, Spotty asks a...

Can Spotty the Zebra learn to embrace life without stripes? “Just look at my patterns,” poor Spotty declared. “The other young zebras all tease and compare. I’m tired of being different and not fitting in. I want to have regular, stripe-patterned skin.” Spotty the zebra is tired of standing out in a crowd. Sick of being teased, Spotty asks a...

Sleep is for Babies! George thought. Not for me! There’s too much to do and too much to see. It is George’s bedtime and he is determined that sleep is not something he needs. He sneaks outside and, as he explores, he discovers a range of animals along the way, including a possum, owl, and frog, all of whom he...

Learning times tables has never been more fun! Learn the two times table to a disco beat... rap your way through the four times table... swing through the ten times table! From rap to calypso, reggae to motown, each number in this unique introduction to the twelve times tables is accompanied by a different form of modern music. Included is...

This favourite traditional children’s song, which is sung in schools and preschools around the country (and sometimes in the car on family holidays!), receives the Topp Twins/Jenny Cooper treatment, in the style of its best-selling predecessors There’s a Hole in My Bucket, Do Your Ears Hang Low? and Dingle-Dangle Scarecrow.

Sharing with Wolf by Melinda Syzmanik explores Wolf's dilemma with sharing. "I can’t share with sheep," said Wolf. "I ... ah ... have a tendency to eat them. It’s in my nature." But would Lamb listen? No! He bleated on and on, determined to be Wolf's knitty-knotty new housemate ...

Become best-best-besties with Big and Little Blue, two lovable and lively little penguins! There are three, simply illustrated stories in the book, each one featuring two friends, Big Blue and Little Blue, nicknames Bigsies and Littles. Each story is connected by a wellbeing theme and is designed to offer children coping strategies for navigating friendships, understanding emotional responses, and the...

Meet Ruru, a bird of the night and a silent Night Hunter! Dusk creeps. Birds peep. Ruru opens his eyes, stretches his wings, and calls ... More-pork! More-pork! Ruru, also known as a morepork, is Aotearoa New Zealand’s only surviving species of native owl. Ruru, Night Hunter is set in an urban landscape and follows Ruru’s nocturnal activities, where he...

The heart-warming tale of a small Pekingese and a very large dog called Roo. Roo is big. He is goofy. He is clumsy. And all he wants is a friend. But the other dogs are afraid of him, which makes Roo sad. Then he is befriended by Vladimir the Pekingese—the best friend in the whole world. It takes a big...

Twelve-year-old Cassi Whelan and her dad have just moved into a repaired house on the edge of Christchurch’s Red Zone. Although Cassi was only four when earthquakes decimated Christchurch, her memories still haunt her. An obsessive runner, she finds the wide-open spaces of the cleared Red Zone suit her perfectly. However, she becomes suspicious about strange comings and goings at...

Moving with his dad to live on Grandma’s farm turns out to be great fun for Danny. He makes friends with a wee goat who is motherless, just like Danny, and together they have many adventures. When his father remarries, they move to the city. Will Danny ever see Rasmas again? An uplifting and heartfelt story of friendship by award-winners...

A re-release for a new audience, introducing a key event in NZ political history. The Rainbow Warrior was the flagship of the Greenpeace anti-nuclear movement, when it was sunk by agents of the French Foreign Intelligence (DGSE), while anchored in Auckland harbour, on the 10th of July 1985. In this My New Zealand Story, 13-year-old Rowan Webb gets herself a...

“Being in quarantine sounds like being in prison,” I said, shivering. Lily nodded. “A bit like that. Except that the prison is your own home.” It might sound familiar in 2021, but this is New Zealand in 1936–37. The disease is infantile paralysis, or polio, and nobody knows where it will strike next. When even the adults are afraid, Tom...

Shuffle to the left, then shuffle to the right. Twist your hips from side to side, with all your might. Wriggle and shuffle along with Mumma and Bubs as they do a happy pipi dance to gather kai from the moana for their picnic dinner with the whanau.

Best mates Jake and Cooper are doing a roaring trade at school, selling tubs of homemade slime, saving their money for a ride on the new roller coaster at Adrenalin World… until Jake’s sister begins selling a superior product. But when the boys (with the help of a scientist uncle) invent a new 'magnetic neon gloop' that becomes all the...

Out in the Moana, underneath the sparkling sun, lived a mother sea lion and her little pup one... By the author of the children's classics A Kiwi Night Before Christmas and Down in the Forest comes a catchy and playful version of the much-loved traditional story, Over in the Meadow. This ocean adventure is brought to life by the beautiful...

An egg in the garden. An egg on the path. An egg in a shoe. An egg in the bath. Cluck, cluck! Wonderful me! Cackle, cackle! My eggs are free! Young Nelson despairs that his hen won’t lay her eggs in his henhouse, so decides to lock her in until she lays in the nest. But Omeletta is a stubborn...

Everyone loved Old Hu-Hu. But nobody loved him quite as much as little Hu-Hu-Tu. Old Hu-Hu is a thoughtful tale of young Hu-Hu-Tu's search for understanding of what has happened to his beloved Old Hu-Hu, who flew all the way to the moon (or so they said), then fell down dead. Sensitively written, this is a beautiful story of death...

At one time, not so very long ago, there remained only five black robins in the entire world. The story of Old Blue is a remarkable account of survival and conservation that never fails to inspire.

A shy kiss, a bold kiss. A warm kiss, and a cold kiss ... There are oh, so many kisses! Can you catch them all? Discover the charming world of kisses in Oh, So Many Kisses! by Maura Finn, a delightful journey that explores the myriad ways we express affection. Perfect for young readers and those young at heart, this...

Brand new animal fantasy series! The first of three funny, full-of-heart adventures in this new fantasy series follows a gentle but determined vegetarian wolf named Faelan (which means ‘Little Wolf’ in Gaelic), who is something of a misfit, derided by the other wolves in the pack. He would rather make friends with other animals than eat them! He also likes...

Inspiring stories of courage, resilience, and determination in the face of disaster. New Zealanders have endured phenomenal natural and human disasters throughout the ages. This inspiring book documents some of these key moments in our history and, more importantly, how we responded and grew stronger; what changes and improvements were made as a result. Cyclones, tornadoes, earthquakes, landslides, floods, volcanic...

All Tilly Angelica wants for her thirteenth birthday is to be normal! But with her changeover party looming and her mad, magical family gathering from near and far, Tilly is set to inherit a terrifying or tantalising talent of her own. But what if she inherits Hortense's talent of super smelling, with an oversized nose to match? As the enchanted...

Nga Poaka e Toru is a timeless retelling of the traditional fable, delivered in te reo Māori. This beautifully illustrated version by Gavin Bishop is brimming with huffing, puffing, and endless fun. Dive into this classic tale, elegantly brought to life through exquisite illustrations, capturing the essence of a traditional favourite.

When Debbie’s grandmother gives her a copy of her forefather’s old sea journal, she finds it fascinating. While Debbie’s own diary tells of 1960s school life and troubles with her friends, excerpts from the diary of 1841 tell of the hardships of life on an emigrant sailing ship. At home, sick with glandular fever, Debbie feels transported back in time....

The Springbok Tour held in New Zealand over three months in 1981 remains one of the most divisive periods in New Zealand’s recent history. Through his (fictional) diary entries, we learn about 13-year-old Martin Daly’s experiences during the tour and his thoughts and feelings about the escalating conflict. His sister, Sarah, is out to stop the tour in protest against...

The last influenza pandemic the world faced was in 1918, when the deadly Spanish Flu spread around the world. Part of the popular My NZ Story series, Pandemic is the fictional day-to-day diary of 11-year-old Freda Rose, who is looking forward to the return of her brother Bobby from the Western Front. It is 1918 and little does she know...

Set in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1942, My New Zealand Story: Chinatown Girl takes place in an area of the city known as Chinatown, where the descendants of Chinese miners and market gardeners gather together to maintain their culture and provide a sense of community. New Zealand is at war when Silvey starts her diary, but for Silvey, this is...

This is the tale of Mrs Chippy, a tomcat who was a loyal and loved companion to the crew on Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 expedition to the Antarctic aboard the Endurance. The cat proved to be a great rat-catcher, and the crew felt he was their lucky charm. The ship’s carpenter, Chippy McNeish, is buried in Karori Cemetery in Wellington, and...

Noah’s on the hunt for dry land for all the animals, with two impatient Moa in tow ... A long time ago when the earth flooded over, some creatures set sail on an ark built by Noah. On board Noah's ark are two pesky moa. When will they be able to get off the boat? After the lions? Before the...

Miniwings #6: Moonlight the Unicorn's High Tea Hiccup Sshh... not for parents! You can keep a secret, right? Clara and I have a herd of tiny, talking, oopsie-whoopsie, flying horses–and they're real! It's true. Those naughty Miniwings get us into so much trouble, especially that razzly-dazzly unicorn, Moonlight!

“What’s out there, where the sea meets the sky?” “No penguin has been there.” “I might,” said Ming. Ming's Iceberg tells the story of Ming, who lives in Antarctica and is curious to visit the place where the ocean meets the sky. She leaps onto an iceberg as it breaks away from the ice shelf. As the iceberg drifts into...

Melu decides to follow his dream, instead of the herd... The mules had been clip-clopping around the sun-baked hills for generations. They always clip-clopped in the same direction: west towards the setting sun. And they never ventured down to the glittering green sea. But Melu was different. He was always out of step. When the herd clipped, Melu clopped. When...

Marmaduke Duck on the Wide Blue Seas by Juliette MacIver is an adventurous addition to the beloved series. Marmaduke Duck was a duck with pluck. He was bold, he was brave, he was Dare Devil Duck! When Marmaduke Duck trades sweet shop life for adventure on the wide blue seas, he gets more than he bargained for! The third book...

Another rollicking Marmaduke Duck adventure in which Marmaduke meets his match! Marmaduke sets up shop and does a roaring trade selling his much-feted marmalade... Then along comes Bernadette Bear who opens a honey shop next door, and takes all Marmaduke's business! What will he do? A delightful story about the importance of sharing and caring.

A man and a little girl share their unique way of seeing and hearing the world around them. Look! Said the Little Girl explores their journey together. “Look,” said the little girl, “a ladybird!” “A ladybird!” said the old man. “What does she look like?” “Like a tiny turtle in fancy dress – a red polka-dot coat that’s hiding a...

This charming and highly popular series about Lily, the littlest angel, has been given an exciting, fresh look for a new wave of readers. In the third story of this delightful series, Lily the Littlest Angel, Lily longs for Amelia’s Angel Academy to win the trophy for snow sports. But when she sees her worst enemy, Wanda Westbrook, she is...

When Lily hears a plaintive meowing in the bushes, she breaks all the rules by leaving the grounds of Amelia's Angel Academy and bringing a little kitten into her room. Lily has to find a disguise for the kitten before racing off to practise for the concert. What will happen if her secret is revealed? This charming and highly popular...

Ko Īhaka me te Manuwhiri i Puta Ohorere mai (Māori Edition of Īhaka and the Unexpected Visitor) by Kirsty Wadsworth introduces readers to Tawhirimatea, the Māori god of wind and storms. When one of his little rainclouds goes missing, Tawhirimatea swirls by Īhaka's house to enlist the little boy's help in finding the lost cloud, crucial for an imminent rainstorm....

Set in a time after the great global Environment Revolution of 2072, readers enter a high-tech world of eco criminals, artificial islands, global warming, rising seas, and patrolling coastal rangers. Like other kids of his generation, Dom has a special talent, chosen by his parents at conception. He is a human chameleon—he can blend into any surroundings and become almost...

Ihaka and the Unexpected Visitor by Kirsty Wadsworth takes readers on a charming journey inspired by Maori mythology. Tawhirimatea is the Maori god of wind and storms. When one of his little rainclouds goes missing, Tawhirimatea swirls by Ihaka's house to get the little boy's help in finding the little lost cloud. It is needed for an imminent rainstorm. So...

Night was falling, dark and dank. The dog stood beside the wreckage, gazing up at the sky. Slowly a large red moon rose over the mountain, flooding the snow in bloody light. Ice lifted her muzzle to the moon and howled, long and sad. When Zac chooses the rescue dog with the startling ice-blue eyes, little does he know the...

I don’t have to be the best, I just need to be my best! And once I start, I’ll keep on going and encourage all the rest. From adored children’s entertainer Suzy Cato and award-winning singer Kath Bee, comes a story of affirmation; a story to encourage children to use their imaginations and give things a go. I Can Do...

New Board Book edition of the companion to 2023’s Best NZ Picture Book, Duck Goes Meow. “Come,” says Mama, “time to chat. I’ll show you how to be a cat.” The lessons continue as little Duck learns all the tricks of the trade to be a cat. From washing fur, to stalking prey, to climbing trees. Can little Duck do...

“Come,” says Mama, “Time to chat. I’ll show you how to be a cat.” The lessons continue as little Duck learns all the tricks of the trade to be a cat. From washing fur, to stalking prey, to climbing trees. Can little Duck do the same things the kittens do? How to Be a Cat by Juliette MacIver is a...

“Come,” says Mama, “Time to chat. I’ll show you how to be a cat.” The lessons continue as little Duck learns all the tricks of the trade to be a cat. From washing fur, to stalking prey, to climbing trees. Can little Duck do the same things the kittens do? How to be a Cat by Juliette MacIver is a...

At precisely 4.23 in the afternoon, my grandma turned into an alien. Correction. At precisely 4.23 in the afternoon, I turned my grandma into an alien. I was not having a good day. And so begins Suzanne Main's highly entertaining, award-winning story about the hapless Michael and his mate Elvis as they join forces with Mad Bill to save the...

The first sighting of Captain James Cook and his crew is told through the eyes of a young Maori boy

Meet Mini Whinny, the littlest horse in the stable! She’s ever so cute and ever so naughty! It’s August 1st, the official birthday for all horses. But Mini Whinny wants a celebration of her very own. Why should she share with all the other horses? In the middle of the night, she slinks out of her stable and steals away...

Meet Mini Whinny, the littlest horse in the stable! She’s ever so cute... and ever so naughty! It’s August 1st, the official birthday for all horses. But Mini Whinny wants a celebration of her very own. Why should she share with all the other horses? In the middle of the night, she slinks out of her stable and steals away...

It's Christmas Eve, and Grandma McGarvey is excited to get her favourite spot in the camping ground, where she sets about putting up Christmas lights and making her festive preparations. But - oh no! Santa is sick! Will Grandma McGarvey save the day? Grandma McGarvey's Christmas is a delightful tale that captures the magic of the festive season and the...

You never know when there might be a gorilla around... Gorillas can be hard to spot, because they are masters of disguise and good at hiding. You will know when there are gorillas living in your midst, because the grocery stores will be entirely out of bananas. In fact, you should always carry a banana—you never know when you might...

Set in the 1860s, this re-release for a new audience takes place in the gold rush town of Dunstan, in New Zealand’s South Island. Here, Mary Brogan is on a quest to find her father. Mary and her family moved to New Zealand from Australia before her father, who intended to join them later. However, unforeseen events have kept Mr...

We're going on a Kiwi holiday! Grab the beach towels off the line! Use the toilet one more time... and don't leave Grandma behind! From adored children's entertainer Suzy Cato comes a joyful and bouncy celebration of summer, family holidays and the great Kiwi roadie... but uh-oh, where is Grandma? In Going on a Kiwi Holiday, join the fun and...

The collie dog slipped silently through the starlit night. She could smell sheep in the valley, hundreds of them. She knew what she had to do, and she had to do it quickly and quietly. This is the tale of New Zealand’s most notorious sheep-stealer and his loyal working dog. More than 160 years ago, James Mackenzie and his black-and-white...

Five Little Ducks Went off to School went off to school, over the splishy-splashy pool, and one little duck with a schoolbag on her back, she led the others with a QUACK, QUACK, QUACK! It’s back to school with a QUACK, QUACK, QUACK! An adorable new picture book and sing-along set for the back-to-school season. Five little ducks need to...

Imagine having six gorgeous little winged toy horses that come to life when the adults aren’t looking! Firestorm's Musical Muck-Up features Firestorm, the hero—or chief troublemaker—in this fourth book in the series. Clara and Sophia are preparing for their performance in the school orchestra, but those sneaky little Miniwings stow away in their instrument cases. Surely, they won’t press the...

E Hoki Flash by Ruth Paul explores the adventures of Flash, who is in trouble once again! Life outside the fence appears so much more exciting for the young pup. The adorable wee dog from the bestselling Bad Dog Flash returns in another thrilling escapade. For a young puppy like Flash, excursions beyond the yard are irresistibly enticing. He just...

Ronnie the Rocket was bright as a spark, his cheerfulness drew Duggie out of the dark. Ron told him a story about his big dream, and together they hatched an incredible scheme. Duggie’s dune racing days are over, but a reunion with his old friend Ronnie the bottle rocket sparks an adventure that will take them out of this world....

Woof! says Dog. Moo! says Cow. Cluck! says Hen, and Duck Goes ... Meow. A little yellow duckling is amongst animal friends who are all sure of the sounds they make: hiss, neigh, moo, cheep, cluck, and oink. But when Duck goes ‘meow’, the other animals say no, that is wrong, try again ... Then Duck’s mama arrives, and boy,...

Duck Goes Meow by Juliette MacIver is a delightful tale featuring a little yellow duckling and its animal friends. Each animal is confidently sure of the sound it makes: the dog goes woof, the cow moo, and the hen cluck. However, when Duck goes "meow", the other animals insist it is wrong and urge Duck to try again. The story...

In February 2019, a tiny spark in a Pigeon Valley paddock became the largest fire in New Zealand since 1955. Up to 150 volunteer firefighters fought the blaze. Around 3,500 people were evacuated, including the whole town of Wakefield. Dozer the Fire Cat tells the story of Dozer, a cat evacuated from Wakefield who went missing the same evening. He...

The delightful Bigsies and Littles are back, showcasing the importance of being kind and helping others. There are three simply illustrated, playful stories in this graphic novel-style volume, each one featuring two friends, Big Blue and Little Blue. Each story is connected by a wellbeing theme and is designed to offer children coping strategies for navigating friendships, understanding emotional responses,...

Angry and defiant, thirteen-year-old Devlin believes he's unwanted. His younger siblings, who have also been in foster care, are now back home with his mother, who is in an abusive relationship. He's fed up with changing schools and foster homes, and decides to run away from his foster-uncle's farm. Then, when he meets a horse about to become dog tucker,...

Wonky Donkey has a daughter with the same rambunctious spirit as her father. This adorable pint-sized donkey has beautiful long eyelashes, loves to listen to rowdy music, has a very cool spiky haircut ... and sometimes smells a bit bad (like her dad!). She’s a blinky, punky, stinky ... you know how it goes ... dinky donkey! This smaller format...

When you're a sea lion too scared to swim, you get a fair bit of teasing. So instead, the Wuss of the Waves makes up exciting stories of sealers, shipwrecks and castaways. But when she finds herself in real danger, will she be brave enough to escape? Diary of a Sea Lion by Sally Sutton takes readers on an adventurous...

Cyclone Bola (My New Zealand Story) by Kath Beattie takes us back to one of the costliest cyclones in the history of New Zealand. When Amy's parents decide to sail a yacht back to New Zealand from Vanuatu, Amy is sent to stay with her great uncle and aunt on a vineyard near Gisborne. As reports of Cyclone Bola start...

An eleven-year-old’s straight-from-the-heart account of life through the Canterbury quakes and shakes of 2010-11. Anyone would think Maddy’s world had crumbled when she didn’t get a cell phone for her eleventh birthday. But Maddy soon has far more important things to worry about. In the dark of night, with a terrifying rumble and a deafening roar, the world turns upside...

Caged is a heart-wrenching story about Sam, a 14-year-old girl from a struggling homeless family, who is already involved in petty crime. Sam must face her own fears and her sense of what is right to defy a dangerous drug criminal and rescue starving dogs and their pups from an inhumane backyard breeder.