Have a look through this selection of books we are recommending for summer reading and as seasonal gifts. Click through to read our reviews. Use the 'click and collect' function on our website to reserve your copies.
If you don't find what you're looking for here, come and talk to us: we have many other interesting books on our shelves.
Once, the mighty tohora, or southern right whale, was a common sight in winter off the coast of Aotearoa. But it proved to be an easy target for the 19th-century whalers, and was soon driven to the edge of extinction. In the 20th century, however, it became a protected species, and once commercial whaling was virtually stopped, the southern right whale made a comeback.
Gavin Bishop's beautiful large-format book features the various animals (birds! fish! insects! mammals! reptiles!), both native and introduced, that live on land and in the waters and air of the cluster of islands that we share with them. Both browsable and readable, the book is an excellent source of information for a wide age-range, a guide to environmental concerns, and a handsome companion volume to the splendid Aotearoa: The New Zealand story.
For the next generation of green fingers there are different ways to bring nature into the home. Make your own pots, build balcony boxes, create your own bird feeders and even get friendly with worms! Each activity has been carefully chosen to create living, renewable and sustainable environments for kids and their families. Each activity has been carefully written by Kirsten Bradley, a leading practitioner in permaculture for kids and co-founder of Milkwood permaculture farm in Australia, and the book is illustrated by Romanian folk artist Aitch.
An exquisite illustrated book telling the story of Tupaia, Tahitian priest navigator, who sailed on board the Endeavour with Captain Cook on his first voyage to Aotearoa. Follow Tupaia as he grows up in Ra'iatea, becoming a high-ranking 'arioi and master navigator. Join him as he meets up with Cook in Tahiti and sails as part of the crew on the Endeavour across the Pacific to Aotearoa. Witness the encounters between tangata whenua and the crew as the ship sails around the coast, and discover the important role Tupaia plays as translator and cultural interpreter.
>>Watch the trailer!
A bilingual graphic novel accessibly exploring the history and importance of New Zealand's founding document.
Equips your whanau with the first words you need to speak te reo at home together.
Fun facts! Incredible illustrations!
Moves from children's natural curiosity to develop philosophical enquiry.
Bend water with static power. Pack a suitcase for a trip to space. Design a new musical instrument. This wonderful book is full of activities centred on seven key scientific areas: force and motion, electricity and magnetism, earth and space, light, matter, sound, and mathematics.
Did you know that mathematics can be beautiful and that it is used in nature every single day? Have you ever wondered how prime numbers can protect us, or why bees use hexagons in their hives?
Why do grannies always tell us to speak up? Why do they have creases on their faces? Are grannies flexible? How do you cheer up a sad granny? How old are grannies, actually? All your questions are answered — and several more besides — in this delightful illustrated book.
>>Read Stella's review.
At last — an honest and funny book about sexuality, bodies, puberty, &c. All the questions came from eight- and nine-year-olds, and are answered clearly and straight-forwardly. The drawings are very funny.
A beautifully presented large-format guide to the human body and its wonders.
A fact-filled tour of the world's most wonderful winged creatures. Yuval Zommer's distinctive illustrations show off some of the most colorful, flamboyant, impressive, and wacky birds of the sky.
>>Other wonderful books by Zommer.
Follow! Point! Press! Interact with the bright, bold artwork to complete simple activities using your fingers. Follow the wiggly dog to pat him on the head, help the butterflies get to the flowers and lots more. Features tactile embossing on every page. These activities are perfect for encouraging the development of fine motor skills.
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