New Zealand Children's Books

'Twas the dawn before Christmas and, down at the bach, Santa was fishing... just one more he'd catch. From the creators of the ultimate Kiwi Christmas read-aloud A Kiwi Night Before Christmas comes the prequel—A Kiwi Day Before Christmas—and Santa’s...

A class trip to the zoo descends into a chaotic hunt for the missing hippopotamus. Teacher, zookeeper, and all the children join the search. The noise and drama reach a fever pitch, yet no one thinks to listen to quiet...

Treasured mums, queen mums, and all the in-between mums!What kind of Mum do you have? Celebrate them all in this ridiculously fun, rhyming picture book from Sarina Dickson, with humourous search-and-find style illustrations from award-winning artist Ant Sang.A perfect book...

“Funny, exciting, charming, mysterious, and just the right amount of genuinely scary. Brave young heroes, dark secrets, and a warm heart make this a hugely satisfying adventure for readers of all ages.” Dylan Horrocks, author of HICKSVILLE Miro and Zia...

It's been a dry summer in the valley when food starts going missing. Hare wants to mount a defence to protect the precious food that remains, but is that the right approach? Moonlight Mission is a story of community, ingenuity...

Where the Te Arai stream meets the sea, a rare little bird nestles among the seashells and sand. Iti, a Fairy Tern chick is hungry. His parents flew away in search of food and haven't returned. Join Iti as he...

I Am Love

Look, my friend! Happy Easter. Ngā mihi o te Aranga! In this seventh adorable bilingual adventure, little Rapeti, the rabbit, works hard to surprise all his friends at Easter time. He is a happy, hoppy Easter bunny! Run, Rabbit: Easter...

Join Sam, Dad, Uncle Peng and Eli as they venture out on a fishing trip for Sam's birthday. After a dramatic rescue, will Mum have fresh fish to cook for dinner? Going Fishing contains three illustrated short stories using the...

Po marie, e Ika. Po marie, Pukeko. Po marie, e Hipi. Little Rapeti (Rabbit) wants to say goodnight to all his friends ... is he going to be late for bed?

The popular children's picture book Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is now translated into te reo Māori. With the same lively, cartoon-like illustrations as the original book, the reo Māori version retains the fun and humour of Mo...

A child describes all the delightful occasions where she might wear her gumboots in and around her day in both the town and countryside in NZ. Familiar NZ tropes are recalled and recaptured in this playful English and Maori singalong:...

How do you describe colour to someone who is blind? Isaac and Luke are friends. Luke is blind and believes that he doesn’t need colours in his life. Isaac can’t imagine a world without colour and decides to teach his...

Kia ora! Join hands with us and explore this country we call Aotearoa. Welcome to the shores of New Zealand, where you can be a Kiwi too! From the creator of Tawhirimatea A Song for Matariki comes a playful new...

Tahi, Rua, Toru, Wha, let's race, e hoa ma! Little Rapeti (Rabbit) races with his friends, but he keeps hurting himself ... can he be brave and reach the finish line?

Join Sam and Te Rerehua as they prepare a Matariki feast! It’s the day before Matariki and a big feast has been prepared. Eeling took place months ago and Te Rerehua and Sam are excited to give thanks to Tupuanuku...

Join Rapeti and friends as they embark on a hunt in the outdoors to find their treasure ... which may come as a surprise to readers!

Rapeti's friends are having fun at the swimming hole, but Rapeti is too afraid to get in the water. Can Mum help? Can little rabbit be brave enough?

What happens when a pūteketeke egg turns up in a duck's nest? Find out in this entertaining picture book raising funds for Aotearoa New Zealand's Bird of the Century! This funny and fabulously New Zealand-flavoured tale of a puking Ugly...

How Maui Defied the Goddess of Death is a beloved Māori myth about how Maui challenges Hine-nui-te-Po, as told by the iconic author and illustrator, Peter Gossage. When one of Maui's uncles dies, Maui sets out to defeat the goddess...

Scarface Claw, Hold Tight by Lynley Dodd is another delightful addition to the much-loved Hairy Maclary and Friends series. This rollicking picture book captures both the excitement and humour that fans have come to expect. It’s a peaceful morning as...

Follow Tupaia as he grows up in Ra'iātea, 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....

Winner of the prestigious Swedish August Prize 2020. A bright, contemporary and fearless novel about an ordinary extraordinary eleven-year-old trying to win back her best friend and get her mother to stop sighing. Cricket Karlsson is going to become an...

* #1 Bestselling title *'Would I use the book to support tamariki (children) better understanding emotions? Yes, I definitely would.' - Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand'An excellent book for parents and ECECs' - Maggie Dent, parenting author and educator....

Meet Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, who hopes the things she's done will help everyone, especially children, to believe that they can do great things too. An inspiring illustrated story for children about Jacinda Ardern, and her...

Out in the Bay, a calm morning reveals a coastal world of seabirds, seals, jellyfish and shoals of fish. As the day dramatically unfolds into a wild coastal storm, life above and below the water continues in fascinating ways.

This cute bedtime board book helps to explain where birds and animals like to go to bed. With bright colours and charming illustrations for babies to enjoy as part of their own bedtime routine.As the clock strikes bedtime around the...

Set in a future dystopia with no internet or global communications, where books can no longer be made and have become invaluable, eleven-year-old Herman’s life is turned upside down when he’s sent off to an orphanage – known as Castle...

One night, Honey's great-grandmother tells her a story. . .On the night of a raging storm, a baby girl survived a shipwreck and was rescued by a pod of whales. She grew bigger, learning to spout water and plunge deep...

Merlion Magic is a 16-page retelling of a traditional tale from Singapore - Level 23. The "flip" side of the book is Singapore Lion City - Level 26. Singapore - Lion City contains 8 pages of information on the life...

Golden Eyes is a yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho who lives at the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand. He makes his nest in the bushes at the base of a cliff. Every morning, Golden Eyes waddles down to the beach...

Lately, things have been getting Charlie down. It's like he's got a big rock that just won't go away. He talks to Dad about it, and Dad brings out a dusty old book with a lot of tough rules. The...

Winner of the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and Elsie Locke Non-Fiction Awards Winner Best Children's Book, PANZ Book Design Awards 2023 Te Wehenga is the separation of Ranginui, sky-father, and Papatūānuku, earth-mother. Award-winning illustrator Mat Tait has written...

Learn the Māori words and assist with understanding differences visually, for a number of commonly used opposite words. Illustrated with the cutest native birds and critters, this is a beautifully presented te reo Māori and English bilingual board book. Drawn...

In 1934, four-year-old Derek Challis found a homemade book in his Christmas stocking. On the typed pages bound with pink ribbon were poems written for him by his mother, the writer Robin Hyde. Derek—known as Derry—treasured the gift and could...

Children and toddlers will love lifting the sturdy card flaps to discover what is in the ketes. These two brightly coloured bilingual books will encourage learning to count and recognise colours. The benefits of lifting the flap books are endless,...

Herbert was a small dog who lived in Nelson by the sea. Everybody liked him, but the person who loved him most was Tim. One fine day, an excited Herbert set off with Tim's father on a boat, heading for...

Every Friday night, the family has dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. They all join in making pizza, and over dinner, Grandpa often talks about the stars, especially around the time of Matariki. This is a heart-warming family story about togetherness,...

A delightfully quirky tale that will stimulate the imagination, and will leave a fun and lasting impression on children. Filled with striking and colourful illustrations by Toby Morris, this book will bring a smile to adults and children alike. The...

A shy kiss, a bold kiss. He kihi konekone, he kihi whakapiri. A warm kiss, He kihi whakaahuru, and a cold kiss, me te kihi makariri. The cuddliest, cosiest, most heart-warming book of kisses. A kiss from Mum, Dad, Grandma,...

Meet New Zealand's beautiful birds, from the friendly fantail to the playful kea and the morepork, wide awake at night. Anne Hunter's delightful rhyming story introduces young readers to a number of New Zealand birds, named in both English and...

Take 14 of New Zealand's best-loved native animals, split them down the middle and what do you get? Nearly 200 crazy Kiwi combos, from rare to wacky. Mix and match for hours of fun. Funny pictures of 'Moretaras', 'tuaporks', 'seawis'...

It was deep mid-winter and all through the village preparations were being made to farewell the old year and greet the new. For the first time ever, the seventh little sister, Ururangi, was big enough to make her own celebration...

It is wartime. In the midst of the fighting and devastation, an unusual friendship is formed. A delightful and poignant story that touches on humanity and unexpected friendship in times of war. At the heart of the story is a...

A sequel to celebrity cook Nadia Lim’s bestselling debut children’s book, Marvellous Marvin. No longer a newly hatched chick, teenage Marvin is trying to find his flock. He meets many animals on the farm, but will any of them be...

It’s a beautiful night, let’s have some fun! The two little kiwi bounce and leap, but all the other animals are fast asleep. “Let’s wake them up!” says Kiwi One. “Playing with us will be much more fun!” Kiwi One...

Flit the Fantail and the Mystery Eggs by Kat Merewether. Flit has found some eggs… but whose could they be? It is a misty morning in the forest. Flit the fantail chick is practising his landings. Flap, flop, slip, FLIP....

The final book in this wonderful fantasy animal trilogy, Faelan the Fearless (Faelan the Wolf #3), begins with the death of Pack Leader Bardolph Lupus, and his son Weylin is set to take the Stone. Faelan is fretting about how...

Wonderfully witty and delightfully silly collection of stories and rhyming nonsense from all-star author and artist team, Margaret Mahy and Quentin Blake. Readers meet the man from Fandango who pays a visit once every five hundred years, the word wizard...

This is Where I Stand. All day. Every day. All night. Every night. A beautiful story centred around the statue of a WWI soldier – which could be any soldier. The statue gives readers an insight into the soldier’s memories...

A New Zealand re-imagining of 'This Little Piggy Went to Market' with a special picnic twist, for the littlest readers in your life.'This little kiwi went to market.This little morepork stayed home. This little kea found food to eat. But...

Find one of New Zealand's heaviest spiders, a beetle once thought to be extinct, and many more interesting insects, as Kahukura plays hide and seek with her Chatham Island friends.

This is the third book in celebrity cook Nadia Lim's bestselling children's book series, set on her South Island farm, Royalburn Station. There's a new baby to care for on the farm! Milly is a mischievous goat who nibbles on...

We're so lucky to have this place, Simon's mother would say. The caravan may be small, but it's great to have our own home. When Simon sees a competition in the newspaper for the best-decorated Christmas house, he is keen...

There's a Hole in My Bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza... This traditional 'infinite loop' song is given the country treatment by the iconic Topp Twins, and the characters of Henry and Liza have been brought to uproarious life with Jenny...

The number one bestseller now available in board book form, perfect for little hands! This traditional 'infinite loop' song is given the country treatment by the iconic Topp Twins, and the characters of Henry and Liza have been brought to...

A shy kiss, a bold kiss. A warm kiss, and a cold kiss ... There are oh, so many kisses! Can you catch them all?

The Grinny Granny Donkey is the third book by Craig Smith and Katz Cowley, the creative team behind the Scottish Granny internet sensation, The Wonky Donkey! At a time when bringing stories of laughter, hope, kindness, and courage to children...