Bookshop Day 26 October 2019

Win a Copy of "Whose Home is This?" - new title out now

Articles and Interviews - a round up of recent publications

I've been appearing in the media quite a bit recently. For an update of articles, reviews and interviews - by me or about me - read on.

Interview with Me and Reviews of My Books
Shaun Barnett interviewed Ned Barraud and I for the December issue of Backcountry -  the FMC magazine - we talk about our illustration and writing work and what influenced us. Shaun also reviewed two of the books in the  'Explore and Discover' series. We were in great company, this issue also includes photography competition winners, a photo-essay on caves and an item pack-rafting.

An illustration from 'In the Bush' features
on the cover of Backcountry

 "In the Bush is perfect for a junior tramper wanting to know more about our forests and the creatures that inhabitat them." Shaun Barnett in Backcountry

A selection of other reviews: 

Up the River - learning about our freshwater in New Zealand

Up the River: explore and discover New Zealand's rivers, lakes and wetlands is the latest addition  to the 'explore and discover' books, following on from books about the seashore, ocean, garden, and forest habitats.

Up the River is the sixth book in the series

Six years ago I would have wondered how many people might be interested enough in our freshwater habitats to buy a book about them for their children or grandchildren, but now as we release this book, there is broad public interest. There's been much publicity about whether our rivers are swimmable, about polluted drinking water and about the loss of rivers to irrigation schemes.

As a nation we've woken up to the facts - that clean freshwater matters and that our freshwater is not as clean as we would like it to be. 

All of these events and debates were going on while I was researching and writing Up the River. The more I researched, the more I realised that the state of our freshwater was worse than I had imagined. I had to work hard to resist the temptation to make the dire findings and debates centre stage in the book. Why?

Top 5 Nature Gifts for Kids this Holiday Season

A southern hemisphere Christmas coincides with the start of the summer school holidays, so it's the ideal opportunity to give gifts that encourage children out into nature.

Here are my top 5 nature gift tips for kiwi kids.

1. Something to read and something to do. Pair a nature book with an exploration aid - binoculars, magnifying glass, waterproof notebook or bird whistle.

Team 'At the Beach' with a waterproof notebook

Competition Time - Tell me what do you want to read about?

It's competition time! Enter to win a copy of my latest book "From Moa to Dinosaurs" or a perennial favourite "Under the Ocean".

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.