The Sapling

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Website dedicated to celebrating Aotearoa-New Zealand literature for children and young adults. Lead Editor @lindajane.bsky.social, with editors Nida, Hannah & Faith. Pitches welcome!

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Three wonderful Sāmoan picture books! A love letter to the future, Matariki from a Sāmoan perspective, and a celebration of diversity through toes! In English and gagana Sāmoa. Reviewed by Mele Tonga-Grant. www.thesapling.co.nz/reviews-pasi...

Reviews: Pasifika Picture Books - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Mele Tonga-Grant reviews three fantastic Pacific themed titles. They are a love letter to our future, Matariki in a Sāmoan context, and a celebration of our differences. Gagana Sāmoa is sprinkled thro...

"I always hesitate to call a book ‘unputdownable’ but Steph Matuku’s Migration honestly didn’t leave my hands from the first page to the last." Ceridwyn Roberts reviews. www.thesapling.co.nz/review-aotea...

Review: Aotearoa YA that rivals The Hunger Games - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Steph Matuku’s latest YA novel grapples with themes of enforced migration, loss, societal expectations, and coloniser violence. Ceridwyn Roberts describes it as ‘unputdownable’, a match for The Hunger...

This week the publishers of the NZCYA Te Kura Pounamu Award share why it was important to publish these particular titles in te reo, and our editor Faith Tupou weighs in as well. www.thesapling.co.nz/2024-nzcya-t...

2024 NZCYA Te Kura Pounamu Award Finalists - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz For the Te Kura Pounamu finalists we asked the publishers why it was important to them to publish these particular books in te reo Māori, and our te reo editor Faith Tupou makes some comments as well....

A very varied selection of picture books! Tia Haira reviews. www.thesapling.co.nz/reviews-five...

Reviews: Five Fresh Picture Books - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Tia Haira reviews a varied selection of picture books, covering te ao Māori, an auto-driver in Chennai, manatee antics, experiencing eczema, and the joy of being yourself. Because I’m Māori | He Māori...

Pipi and Pou are back! Leila Austin joins two cousins with magical powers and their nana on their latest adventures dealing with floods, giant crabs and a furious fire goddess. www.thesapling.co.nz/reviews-two-...

Reviews: Two New Junior Fiction Titles - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Leila Austin joins two cousins with magical powers and their nana on their latest adventures dealing with floods, giant crabs and a furious fire goddess. Pipi and Pou and the Waves of Destruction (Pip...

This week we hear from the NZCYA Non-Fiction Award finalists! They asked each other about their books and we love getting these insights. www.thesapling.co.nz/2024-nzcya-e...

2024 NZCYA Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction Finalists - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz The Non-Fiction shortlist is absolutely top class. We asked the finalists to pose a couple of questions to each other about their books. Read our comments about the books in all the categories here. S...

A batch of new picture books from Scholastic New Zealand, reviewed by librarian Zac McMcCallum. There’s something here for fans of vehicles, cats, dogs, and sleeping (it’s possible the fans of sleeping might be adults). www.thesapling.co.nz/reviews-four...

Reviews: Four Picture Books - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz School librarian Zac McCallum reads and reviews four recent Scholastic picture books. There’s something here for fans of vehicles, cats, dogs, and sleeping (it’s possible the fans of sleeping might be...

One acclaimed author talks to another: Rachael King puts a few questions to Jane Arthur about her newest book, Brown Bird. www.thesapling.co.nz/interview-ja...

Interview: Jane Arthur on Brown Bird - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz The intimidatingly-talented author of two acclaimed poetry collections, owner of the best fringe in New Zealand lit, and all round book-ish Good Sort sat down with Rachael King to talk about making th...

Time for From the Shop Floor! Today we hear from Page & Blackmore Booksellers in Whakatū | Nelson 📚😊 www.thesapling.co.nz/from-the-sho...

From the Shop Floor: Page & Blackmore - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Page & Blackmore bookstore is a beloved Nelson icon and has been going strong for over 25 years. In this month’s From the Shop Floor, shop owner Jo tells us about Page & Blackmore’s history, their hig...

This week we hear from the NZCYA Young Adult Award finalists about why they wrote their book. We love getting a little insight into the making of these stories. www.thesapling.co.nz/2024-nzcya-y...

2024 NZCYA Young Adult Finalists: Why I Wrote This Book - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz This year’s NZCYA YA finalists span a huge range of genres, settings, and themes. From the journey of an escaped convict as she tries to forge a life in colonial Tāmaki Makaurau, to a graphic novel ab...

Matariki book reviews from Ariana Stewart and Linda Jane Keegan www.thesapling.co.nz/reviews-new-...

Reviews: New Matariki Books - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Ariana Stewart reviews four Matariki pukapuka (see her reviews also in te reo Māori) and Linda Jane Keegan reviews two more. Ko Ngā Whetū Kai o Matariki: Tupuānuku rāua Ko Tupuārangi (The Kai Stars of...

Pukapuka Matariki! Ngā arotakenga nā Ariana Stewart. (Reviews will be available in English tomorrow). www.thesapling.co.nz/nga-arotaken...

Ngā Arotakenga: Pukapuka Matariki - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Whā arotakenga o ngā pukapuka Matariki, nā Ariana Stewart. These reviews will be available in reo Pākekā/English tomorrow. Ko Ngā Whetū Kai o Matariki: Tupuānuku rāua Ko Tupuārangi, nā Miriama Kamo rā...

We are honoured to be able to share some of the drafts and behind-the-scenes work from the NZCYA illustrator finalists. Check out this vibrant and insightful collection of before, during, and after images! www.thesapling.co.nz/2024-nzcya-r...

2024 NZCYA Russell Clark Illustration Finalists - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz The Sapling is excited to continue its tradition of sharing drafts, sketches and process work from the NZCYA illustration award finalists. Thanks to the Book Awards Trust for the book descriptions, th...

Following on from yesterday's arotakenga pukapuka, here they are in English. Reviewed by Lady Kataraina Pōkai. www.thesapling.co.nz/nga-arotaken...

Reviews: Three reo Māori pukapuka - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz These are reviews of new picture books, by Lady Kataraina Pōkai. What do we think? You must read these books! Read these reviews in te reo Māori here. The Dream Factory, Rere Atu Taku Poi! | Let My Po...

Arotakenga pukapuka! Read them in reo Māori today and/or in reo Pākehā tomorrow! Nā Lady Kataraina Pōkai. www.thesapling.co.nz/nga-arotaken...

Ngā Arotakenga: Toru reo Māori pukapuka - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz He arotakenga pukapuka ēnei, mō ngā pukapuka pikitia hou, nā Lady Kataraina Pōkai. He aha ō mātou whakaaro? Me pānui koutou i ēnei pukapuka! These reviews will be available in reo Pākehā/English tomor...

What do tamariki think of the NZCYA picture book finalists? Linda Jane Keegan takes the pukapuka to school to find out. www.thesapling.co.nz/2024-nzcya-p...

2024 NZCYA Picture Book Award Finalists - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz The picture book finalist pukapuka are as varied as they are colourful. Linda Jane Keegan takes the shortlisted books to a few classes at Tākaka Primary School and asks the tamariki what they think. S...

It’s time to look into a day in the life of another Aotearoa book creator! New York Times bestselling author Graci Kim reveals all the hardships* of being on tour. *Possibly not actually hardships—we'll let you decide! 😅📚🍹 www.thesapling.co.nz/day-in-the-l...

Day in the Life: Graci Kim - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz It’s time to look into a day in the life of another Aotearoa book creator! New York Times bestselling author Graci Kim reveals all the hardships of being on tour. A day in the life of an author, you a...

Seven Aotearoa creatives respond to the NZ school English curriculum—Albert Belz, Renee Liang, Sanjana Khusal, Kyle Mewburn, Poata Alvie McKree, Caren Rangi, and Penny Ashton www.thesapling.co.nz/o-let-my-boo...

‘O, let my books be then the eloquence…’—Seven Aotearoa creatives respond to the new English curriculum - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz The announcement last week that the Year 7–13 English school curriculum is being rewritten by a select group of just five educators has drawn a strong response from the education and creative sectors....

And here they are! The NZCYA Book Award finalists! www.thesapling.co.nz/the-finalist...

The Finalists of the 2024 NZ Kids’ Books Awards Are... - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Each year, the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults make for a massive occasion in the Aotearoa kids’ book world—move over Oscars, out of the way Silver Scrolls. This is our night. We...

Following yesterday’s review of Te Ata o Tū | The Shadow of Tūmatauenga (Te Papa Press), Frank Wilson had several conversations with three of its writers—all Te Papa curators—about the creation of the book and how they hope it will be used. www.thesapling.co.nz/interview-br...

Interview: Bringing the shadow of Tūmatauenga into the light - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Following yesterday’s review of Te Ata o Tū | The Shadow of Tūmatauenga (Te Papa Press), Frank Wilson had several conversations with three of its writers—all Te Papa curators—about the creation of the...

Today's review is for a book not specifically for children but an excellent reference for the kete of any teacher or educator wanting to supplement their teaching and their own learning around the New Zealand Wars. www.thesapling.co.nz/review-te-at...

Review: Te Ata o Tū |The Shadow of Tūmatauenga - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Just like the Aotearoa Histories curriculum itself, the catalyst for Te Ata o Tū was the petition from several Otorohanga High School students to include the New Zealand Wars as a compulsory topic in ...

“...I see it as our responsibility to encourage students to continue to engage with extended texts; not discourage them by dictating a narrow range of literature, written by a narrow selection of authors, with a narrow range of protagonists.” www.thesapling.co.nz/the-reckonin...

The Reckoning: Antiquating the NZ English Curriculum - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz The New Zealand English school curriculum is undergoing a rewrite and some of the changes suggest a move backwards rather than forwards. High school English teacher Susan Briggs questions who this rew...

This month's Sampling is from The Te Papa Activity Book! The best bit is you can fill it in anywhere—at the museum, in the park, at home, or wherever you like! www.thesapling.co.nz/the-sampling...

The Sampling: The Te Papa Activity Book - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz By Helen Lloyd & Pippa Keel Te Papa Press brings us an excerpt from their latest activity book which can be used at Te Papa, at home, or wherever the desire takes you! It contains colouring and drawin...

More books for middle grade readers! They are spine-tingling, slow-burning, and heart-warming, with richly written and endearing characters. Reviewed by Claudine Tapsell. www.thesapling.co.nz/reviews-thre...

Reviews: Three More For Middle Grade - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Claudine Tapsell reviews three recent middle grade reads from two well-known authors and one on-their-way to being well-known winner of the Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award. These pukapuka are spine-ti...

Auckland Writers Festival had record-breaking attendance this year, but what of the children's events? Annelies Judson gives her take on attending some awesome sessions with three tamariki. www.thesapling.co.nz/festival-rev...

Festival Review: Pukapuka Adventures at AWF - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Earlier this month the Auckland Writers Festival saw record-breaking attendance levels. Pukapuka Adventures—the children’s hub of the event—took over Level 5 of the Aotea centre and was brimming with ...

Two new and deeply personal middle grade reads, reviewed by Cassie Hart www.thesapling.co.nz/reviews-two-...

Reviews: Two New Books for Middle Readers - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Author Cassie Hart reviews two new and deeply personal middle grade reads: one about a shy kid who learns that they might not just be “the sole weirdo on the planet” and a coming-of-age historical fic...

Three new non-fiction books for dolphin lovers, nature artists, and journal writers! Linda Jane Keegan—Writer gives the lowdown on these cool pukapuka. www.thesapling.co.nz/reviews-thre...

Reviews: Three New Non-Fiction - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz There are so many awesome non-fiction pukapuka coming out every year. This batch of assorted non-fiction covers nature crafts, endangered dolphins, and hauora. Linda Jane Keegan gives a rundown of wha...

David Hill on the perennial question for writers everywhere: why do you write? www.thesapling.co.nz/the-reckonin...

The Reckoning: The Reasons Why - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Following on from the Auckland Writers Festival, David Hill answers the perennial question of authors everywhere: why do you write? In Graeme Lay’s first novel, The Mentor, a sultry female follower ap...

Introducing The Sapling's new Resources section! Starting off with an index of places to find teaching notes and other activities for your favourite NZ pukapuka. Let us know if we're missing yours! www.thesapling.co.nz/resources-wh...

Resources: Where to find teaching notes and activities for Aotearoa books - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz There is a multitude of resources available for Aotearoa children’s books and The Sapling has collated as many as we can find all in one handy place! We’ve also included a non-exhaustive list of other...

It's a Day in the Life of Feana Tu‘akoi! Here she tells us about her writing process and her experience as the University of Otago / Creative New Zealand Writer in Residence. www.thesapling.co.nz/a-day-in-the...

A Day in the Life: Feana Tu‘akoi - The Saplingwww.thesapling.co.nz Feana Tuʻakoi has authored many fiction and non-fiction works for children and is the current University of Otago College of Education Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence. Here she tel...