Information books, poetry and fairytales — Holiday Reading 2013

Anthea Bell (Trans.) Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A handsome edition from the well-known collection of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm containing eleven popular stories. Illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger.
R. S. Bhathal Rocket into space!: Visit the moon and the planets. Maddy and Jack are flying into space! If you come with them you can turn the countdown wheel from ten to zero and help the rocket ‘lift-off’ by pulling the tab.
Quentin Blake Beyond the page: Blake writes about his projects since 2000, vividly describing his working processes, his collaborators, his travels, and his various projects and commissions, including his ‘illustrated walls’ projects for hospitals in the UK and France. Generously illustrated with 240 full-colour reproductions of his inimitable work.
Bronwyn Bancroft Remembering Lionsville: Come with me to my family’s old house in Lionsville. It’s full of memories. It’s a special place. Uncle Pat calls it a secret place. We played in that old tin cubby, swam in the creek with the catfish, and fell asleep to the ribbip of frogs at night. And around the red cedar table we listened to the old people’s stories. We learned a lot that way. Renowned artist Bronwyn Bancroft’s Remembering Lionsville brings to vivid life her family’s oral history and her own childhood memories.
Jennifer Berne On a beam of light: a story of Albert Einstein: Follows the life of the famous physicist, from his early ideas to his groundbreaking theories.
Nicholas Brockelbank Nic’s lunchbox (New Zealand): Mouthwatering lunch for kids who love to munch. Our favourite kid-chef is at it again, this time with a range of quick, easy and delicious lunchbox ideas.
Chris Caldicott World food alphabet: Presents words for food, food production, and food consumption for each letter of the alphabet, and explains what and how people all over the world eat.
Louise Chilvers I see a sea lion! (New Zealand): Simple text and illustrations describe the life of a New Zealand sea lion, including its biology, behaviour, life cycle, habitat, and the threats it faces.
Chuck Close Face book: Presents an autobiography about the author’s artistic life, describing the creative processes he uses in the studio and his struggles with his disabilities. Includes a self-portrait mix-and-match section that demonstrates his techniques and images.
Fifi Colston Wearable wonders (New Zealand): An introduction to the World of Wearable Art Awards with history, examples, interviews and photographs in a workbook which details how to make your own Wearable Art creation using various art and craft techniques.
Julia Donaldson Poems to perform: In this collection, Julia Donaldson has chosen poems with performance by children in mind, and in the notes section at the end of the book are her ideas on performing them.
Fatcat & Fishface The wreck of the Diddley (New Zealand): The Wreck of the Diddley was originally a song, a devilishly dark pirate’s tale, that winds up badly off Island Bay. Accompanying the book is a DVD of the animated version of The Wreck of The Diddley, so that all readers, young and old, can enjoy this musical tale.
Thomas C. Foster How to read literature like a professor: Selected by a master storyteller and beloved New York Times best-selling author, the 16 stories in this menagerie will introduce teen readers to a host of strange, wondrous beings that have never existed anyplace but in the richness of the imagination.
Kathleen Fox A book is just like you!: Do you know that a book is just like you? It’s true! Think about it: on the day you were born, you were given a name. A book is given a name, too: it’s called a title. You have a spine that helps to keep your body together. A book also has a spine, which keeps the book’s body of pages together.
Susi Fowler Arctic Aesop’s fables: The animals of Alaska’s far north teach life lessons in these retold tales from the classic Aesop’s fables, set in the unique landscape of Alaska’s wilderness.
Ute Fuhr Life below the city: Explore the hidden world below the city streets. Includes some transparent pages and a ‘torch’ to search for sewers, cellars and trains!
Bobbie Gargrave Let’s go zudie-o: A stimulating and creative exploration of dance and music for children aged 0-9 years. All the activities spring from world, contemporary and historical music and dance. Includes a CD and videos.
Betty Gilderdale Magical Margaret Mahy (New Zealand): Who was Margaret Mahy? What was she like as a child? How did she become a writer? Where did her weird and wonderful ideas come from? In these pages we meet the woman behind the name on the book covers. First published in 1987, Betty Gilderdale’s biography of Margaret Mahy has been fully revised and updated.
Maria Gill Running the country (New Zealand): In simple accessible language and employing fact boxes, statistics, photos and engaging cartoons, the book features who’s who in central government and how it all works.
Marie Greenwood Real-size farm animals: Children will delight in seeing a calf, duckling and other farm inhabitants as they learn more about how the animals behave whether feeding, playing, or just snuggling close to their mums and dads. With fold-out flaps, each spread presents a photograph of a farm animal at its true size.
Nicholas Harris The glow in the dark book of space: A glow-in-the-dark introduction to astronomy, including the universe as a whole, the stars and galaxies, and our solar system.
Deborah Heiligman The boy who loved math: Growing up in Hungary during WWI, Paul Erdös was fascinated by numbers, and by the time he was 20, he was known as The Magician from Budapest. Unable to do common tasks such as cooking, laundry, or driving, he spent his adult life flying around the world, staying with other mathematicians, and working collaboratively on challenging math problems.
Bridget Heos Stronger than steel: Enter Randy Lewis’s lab and come face to face with golden orb weaver spiders and genetically engineered goats, whose milk contains the proteins to spin spider silk - and to weave a nearly indestructible fibre. Learn how this amazing material might someday be used to repair or replace human ligaments and bones, improve body armour, strengthen parachute rope, and even tether an airplane to an aircraft carrier!
Kathy Hoopmann Inside Asperger’s looking out: Brings to light traits that many Aspies have in common, from sensitive hearing and an aversion to bright lights, to literal thinking and difficulty understanding social rules, body language and facial expressions.
Langston Hughes Lullaby (for a black mother): With a few simple words as smooth as a song, the poet Langston Hughes celebrates the love between an African American mother and her baby. The award-winning illustrator Sean Qualls’s painted and collaged artwork captures universally powerful maternal moments with tenderness and whimsy.
Susan Hughes My school, our world: There’s a whole world of incredible and unusual schools out there! From schools in caves or on boats, to mobile schools and even schools that ‘un-school’, this book celebrates the people and places that work to ensure that even children living in the most challenging or unusual of circumstances can get an education.
Elin Kelsey You are stardust: Introduces readers to the extensive and surprising ways in which they are connected to the natural world around them.
Judith Kerr Judith Kerr’s creatures: A lavishly illustrated retrospective in celebration of the 90th birthday of Judith Kerr, author of The tiger who came to tea and many other iconic books.
Dick King-Smith Jungle jingles: What happens if you fall into a river full of piranha fish? And do man-eating tigers only eat men? This poetry book deals with these questions.
Doris Kutschbach Art detective: spot the difference!: Presents reproductions of famous art works alongside “forgeries.” Readers are asked to play detective as they examine each painting closely, looking for the differences, while a small cartoon sleuth leads them through the paintings, uncovering technical and historical details that enhance readers’ appreciation and knowledge.
Daniel Lipkowitz LEGO minifigures character encyclopaedia: Features character biographies, accessories information, and fun LEGO facts.
Finlay MacDonald The life and art of Lynley Dodd (New Zealand): Includes never-before-seen working pages from Dodds ‘ideas book’, character roughs of Hairy Maclary and his gang, images of text drafts and of course big beautiful reproductions of finished artwork - giving readers an insight into the painstaking labour of the creative process and the genius inherent in the end result. This beautiful book celebrates one of the country’s most talented children’s artists, whose work has delighted children and adults around the world for three decades.
Margaret Read MacDonald Give up, Gecko!: Elephant was shouting and stomping. But could he stomp a hole deep enough to reach water for the thirsty animals? Maybe, maybe not. All the animals tried until tiny Gecko took a turn. He was small but he was determined. And he was not going to give up!
Mack Vicks the polar bear cub: The true-life story of Vicks, a polar bear cub at the Rotterdam Zoo. From his first soft growl as a baby to his first dive as a tough polar bear, it chronicles young Vicks’ adventures in the year following his birth.
Sandra Markle The long, long journey: the godwit’s amazing migration: A godwit hatches, evades predators, and learns to hunt and fly. Then, she sets off on her first migration 7,200 nonstop miles, from Alaska to New Zealand!
Yoko Moriwaki Yoko’s diary: the life of a young girl in Hiroshima during WWII: In April 1945, Yoko Moriwaki started high school in Hiroshima, excited to be a prestigious ‘Kenjo’ girl, and full of duty towards her parents, school and country. But the country was falling apart and in four months’ time her city would become the target for the first atomic bomb ever used as a weapon. In her diary, Yoko provides an account of that time when conditions were so poor that children as young as twelve were required to work in industry; when fierce battles raged in the Pacific and children like Yoko believed victory was near.
James Norcliffe Packing a bag for Mars (New Zealand): James Norcliffe’s exemplary poems and Jenny Cooper’s witty illustrations reveal what most teachers and nearly all pupils secretly know - that poetry can be fun to read and fun to write. For the most part they are easily accessible but in case they do puzzle and perplex at times, there are explanatory notes and a guide to the main writing techniques used.
Laura Overdeck Bedtime math: Over 100 kid-friendly maths problems on topics from jalapeños and submarines to roller coasters and flamingos, designed to make maths a fun part of kids’ everyday lives.
Christine Paxmann From mud huts to skyscrapers: Chronologically arranged, this large-format book gives each iconic building its own double-page spread featuring an exquisite watercolour illustration and clearly written descriptions, facts, and features. These vibrantly detailed pages are filled with people, animals, and other objects that help bring the buildings to life.
J. P. Percy Can you guess what I am? In the street: Bright and bold photographs combine with simple text in this interactive series.
Jon Richards The natural world: the world in infographics: Infographics illustrate facts about the natural world, providing information about such topics as energy production, food webs, threatened species, and record-breaking animals.
Paul Ruditis Star Trek: the visual dictionary: Voyage through a complete illustrated tour of the Star Trek Galaxy and explore the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Borg technology, The Dominion War, The Q Continuum and much more.
Jo Schofield The wild weather book: Imagine jumping in the biggest puddle you can find! Or running barefoot and feeling squidgy mud ooze up between your toes! When it’s wet, or windy or cold, there’s no need to stay cooped up indoors; it’s a great opportunity to rush outside for some fun.
Susan Schwake Art lab for little kids: 52 playful projects for preschoolers!: Developed for four to six year olds and targeting one of the most critical developmental periods for children, Art Lab for Little Kids is the perfect book for both parents and teachers who are seeking enriching and unique art experiences to offer this age group. See also Art Lab for Kids.
Maurice Sendak My brother’s book: With influences from Shakespeare and William Blake, Sendak pays homage to his late brother, Jack, whom he credited for his passion for writing and drawing. Pairing Sendak's poignant poetry with his exquisite and dramatic artwork, this book redefines what mature readers expect from Maurice Sendak while continuing the lasting legacy he created over his long, illustrious career.
Mara Shaughnessy LEGO man in space: Tells the true story of how two boys launched a LEGO man 80,000 feet into space using a weather balloon, a homemade parachute, and a video camera.
Marilyn Singer Follow follow: a book of reverso poems: A collection of short poems called reversos which, when reversed, provide new perspectives on the fairy tale characters they feature. The companion to Mirror Mirror.
Chris Szekely Swim: the story of Hinemoa and Tūtānekai (New Zealand): This Te Arawa Māori traditional story tells of two lovers forbidden to meet who find a way to be together. A sophisticated picture book, also published in Te Reo Māori as Tāhoe.
Paul Thurlby Wildlife: Did you know that crocodiles cry while they eat? Or that polar bears turn green if they stay hot for too long? Or that bees do a dance to speak to one another? See wildlife as you’ve never seen it before with Paul Thurlby’s menagerie of curious animals.
Jim Trelease The read-aloud handbook: This updated edition of The Read-Aloud Handbook discusses the benefits, the rewards, and the importance of reading aloud to children of a new generation. Supported by delightful anecdotes as well as the latest research (including the good and bad news on digital learning), The Read-Aloud Handbook offers proven techniques and strategies for helping children discover the pleasures of reading and setting them on the road to becoming lifelong readers.
Guy Troughton Whose egg?: Identifies the eggs from eight different animals, describing their coloring, where they are laid, and how they hatch, and encourages readers to match the eggs with their corresponding animals. A lift-the-flap book.
Martin Ursell Illustrating children’s books: How do you go about illustrating a children’s book? How do you illustrate a narrative? How do you get published? This book deals with these questions.
Jeanette Winter Henri’s scissors: When Henri Matisse was a boy, he drew pictures everywhere. And when he grew up, he became a famous artist whose paintings were beloved around the world. Then late in life, a serious illness confined Henri to just his bed and a wheelchair. But amazingly, from there he created some of his finest works, the enormous and breathtaking paper cut-outs.
Sharon Werner Alphasaurs and other prehistoric types: Using letters and an artful assortment of typefaces, Werner and Forss create a menagerie of dinosaurs and pack each page with captivating dino-facts.
Philippa Werry ANZAC Day: the New Zealand story (New Zealand): This book exposes the rich history behind Anzac Day, seeking to answer the many questions children often ask their parents and teachers around the 25th of April every year. It covers all aspects of Anzac Day, from the Gallipoli Campaign and the Great War, right through to the format of the commemorative services held annually throughout the country.
Jane Yolen Wee rhymes: baby’s first poetry book: A collection of nursery rhymes, most original but some from Mother Goose, divided into sections celebrating all of the special moments in a baby’s day, from wake-up time to bedtime.