People

Astro Girl

This is the perfect book if you want to introduce pre-school children to the wonder of space travel. Little Astrid wants to be an astronaut and has always been fascinated by everything about space. Her father encourages her in a playful way. He swings her around to see if she would like to spin around…

Everest: The Remarkable Story of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay

There is so much to recommend in this account of how a beekeeper and a former yak herder became the first people to stand on the roof of the world. It is of course an excellent read for any child with a sense of adventure. But it is about much more than the race to…

Lost for Words

Young Dallas Kelly has a lot to deal with. She is still reeling with grief from her mother’s death when she learns that her local library is closing down. The 11-year-old decides she is not going to take another loss, so she leads a campaign to keep Queen Street Library open.  Our reluctant hero does…

My Little Book of Big Questions

This is a book about the big questions everyone asks at some stage in their lives: What will become of me? Is it possible to think of nothing? Why can’t I fly? Is it possible to feel too happy? Britta Teckentrup doesn’t answer the questions, but leafing through this attractive picturebook should encourage many interesting…

Really Rotten Rhymes

A word of warning: this is not a book for the squeamish. If you baulk at references to bodily functions, then you will be doing a lot of flinching as you leaf through this book. But the child beside you will probably be revelling in the rude rhymes. There are many references to toilets and…

The Gobbledegook Book

This is a treasury of favourite poems and stories from the much-loved New Zealand author Joy Cowley. It’s a lovely book to dip in and out of, and is ideal for a bedtime story. The rhymes and stories have something for every reader, from little red tractors to exploding pumpkins to waddling ducks. As you…

Two For Me, One For You

This is a delightful read about the challenges of sharing. Bear finds three mushrooms in the forest and brings them home. Weasel cooks them and Bear puts one mushroom on each plate before giving herself the third one. Weasel is not happy and the pair squabble about the third mushroom. Both have convincing arguments for…

Who’s Your Real Mum?

Children of same-sex parents must find it wearying to be asked which parent is their ‘real’ one. In this book we meet Elvi, who is of mixed race, and has two mothers, one of whom has brown skin. Her friend Nicholas asks her which woman is her real mother. She patiently explains that both are,…

Your Mind is Like the Sky

This book introduces children to the concept that their minds are like the sky – sometimes clear and blue, sometimes dark and stormy. Their thoughts can be like white, fluffy clouds (happy), or dark rainclouds (sad and negative). It is a simple but powerful message. Everyone has unhappy thoughts but remember that they pass, just…