When it comes to children's literature writers in New Zealand - three people are legendary in their contributions and encouragement of others. One was Margaret Mahy, one is Maurice Gee and one is Joy Cowley. Read NZ wrote an article about the 50 books all New Zealand Children must read and couldn't decide on just … Continue reading Joy Cowley – New Zealand Children’s Literature
My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder is a charming, whimsical graphic novel for readers ages 7-11. Illustrated with beautiful watercolors, the book consists of four heartwarming tales about a young disabled girl named Yu’er and her beloved, quirky grandfather by renowned Chinese author-illustrator, Nie Jun. My Beijing introduces English readers to Nie’s East-meets-West art and … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder
When it comes to children's writing in New Zealand, Margaret Mahy has made an incredible contribution over her lifetime. She was a children's librarian in Christchurch until 1980 when she resigned to write fulltime. Her work has been translated into 15 different languages and has won many awards. The Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award began in … Continue reading Margaret Mahy – New Zealand Children’s writer extraordinaire
Sam Hunt was a performance poet before any New Zealander knew there was such a thing as a performance poet. I remember, as a student, being asked to meet Sam Hunt in our school carpark and guide him to our auditorium where he was to address our year group. Even his arrival was performance poetry … Continue reading New Zealand Poet – Sam Hunt
I have this poem on the noticeboard above my desk at work. I work in a school library and that last line is magic to me. Here is the complete work- thanks for Victory University. Glenn Colquhoun is someone who lives life to the full. He is a practising Doctor, working for a youth health … Continue reading NZ poet Glenn Colquhoun
Moving on from poetry for Valentine's Day one poet absent from the list compiled by Paula Green was Hone Tuwhare. Perhaps his poetry lacked romanticism but Tuwhare is recognised as New Zealand’s most distinguished Māori poet writing in English. Tuwhare was a working man turned poet. He was trained as a boilermaker and worked with … Continue reading NZ poet Hone Tuwhare
When it comes to romance poetry is the language of love right? Apparently, our poets have a very dark approach to the subject of love according to journalist Bronwyn Sell who had been asked to find a New Zealand poem to read at a friend's wedding. If you have time please read her entire article. The … Continue reading Romantic kiwis – happy valentine’s day
Lloyd Jones' book Mr Pip was shortlisted for the Man Booker Awards in 2007. The novel is set on the island of Bougainville during a civil war in a village where many people had left in fear of what may happen to them at the hands of the brutal fighters. It is a story of … Continue reading Mr Pip ~ the power of a book
Sometimes it’s the little observations that spark the imagination and inspire readers to look anew at the world around them. Written by well-known Spanish poet Karmelo C. Iribarren and translated by Lawrence Schimel, this slim book of illustrated children’s poems is a source of wonder and enjoyment for children ages 6 and up. Iribarren invites … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Poems the Wind Blew in
"The play's the thing..." to half quote Shakespeare and it would be remiss of me not to include drama in a month-long look at literature from New Zealand. The difficulty is that while novels, short stories and poetry are able to be enjoyed for a long time after they have been published - a play … Continue reading New Zealand Playwrights
