Forest, Fungi and Whitebait - West Coast Stories

The West Coast of New Zealand's South Island is rich in history and rich in nature's wonders. So it's no wonder that I enjoyed taking part in the week long Storylines National Festival Story Tour of the region. The tour started in Hokitika, where the sea comes crashing in against the beach and surging up the river - sometimes it rained, sometimes the sun shone.

Driftwood sign on the Hokitika shore

Our team drove up the coast visiting schools, libraries and early childhood centres. Everywhere we went we met with a friendly welcome.

Schools visited on day 1

Some schools had book displays, others had books for me to sign, all had children keen to learn about being an author. Here are some of the Greymouth schools...

Make a Kaka Mask - beaky fun

Kākā play a role in my book 'Whose Beak is This?' illustrated by Fraser Williamson. To celebrate its publication Fraser created a super kākā mask. Print it out on A3 paper to fit a child's face. See the instructions below.

These children added feathers to their masks
at Storylines in Dunedin in 2016

When it's Raining - Kiwi Book Corner Craft

While it's great to be outdoors with kids, on some rainy, wintery days it's good to be inside. Sometimes, too, it's fun to follow up outdoor observations with indoor activities. Here's a fun idea that I tried out recently at the Storylines Family Days in Dunedin and Christchurch.

Kiwi Book Corners
These cute origami kiwi hold the place in your book.

Kiwi book corners

Finalist in Children's Book Awards - Under the Ocean

Great news - Under the Ocean is a finalist in the New Zealand Children's Book Awards.

Image from Booksellers NZ

A Cool Visit to NIWA's Sea Critter Collection

Ned (illustrator of the 'explore and discover' books) and I were excited to be invited to NIWA along with the wonderful people from the Wellington Storylines Family Day committee. There we met with Sadie Mills, a deep ocean specialist who is in charge of the NIWA Invertebrate Collection.

Sadie telling us about the collection

Storylines Notable Books List 2014

Looking for a good New Zealand book for children or young adults? Look no further than the Storylines Notable Books Lists. The Storylines lists are longer than the finalists lists for the various children's book awards and so cater for all reading levels and a wider range of interests. This makes them a great starting point for parents, grandparents, educators and librarians.

You can access the 2014 list here, as well as see lists from previous years.

And yes - In the Garden has been selected as a Notable Non-Fiction title. Thank you Storylines judges.