The Curioseum : collected stories of the odd & marvellous

New Zealand authors; New Zealand illustrator
Summary: What happens when you take 22 of New Zealand's best children's story writers and let them loose 'backstage' at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa? We invited authors from around the country to choose one of the museum's taonga (treasures) as a starting point for an imaginative journey. The result is a truly original compendium of stories and poems for children with spirited, original illustrations from the award-winning Sarah Laing

The phantom tollbooth

When Milo receives a mysterious and intriguing package through the post, all his previous feelings of boredom are banished. Having nothing better to do, he points his pedal car towards the strange land beyond the Tollbooth, and quicker than a flash he's entered the Kingdom of Wisdom, where everything is unexpected...

I read this book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.  A great "read to" book. If you like word play this is the book for you.  Great for upper primary age.

Toucan can!

New Zealand author; New Zealand illustrator
Summary: Toucan can do lots of things! Toucan dances! Toucan sings! Toucan bangs a frying pan! Can you do what Toucan can

New Zealand Post Book Award Finalist 2014

Watch Out, Snail

New Zealand author; New Zealand illustrator
Includes some Maori text
Summary: In the New Zealand bush, a native Powelliphanta snail must escape from a variety of predators, including a possum, a hedgehog and a wild pig. Includes factual information on Powelliphanta and New Zealand wildlife, and an English-to-Maori glossary

New Zealand Book Award Finalist 2014

Flight of the Honey Bee

Summary: A narrative non-fiction story with parallel expository text explaining the behaviour exhibited by the bees. The cold is coming and Scout is on a daring flight in search of the last flowers of autumn.  Scout's mission is very dangerous, but it is also vital, because the flowers provide the precious  nectar the hive needs to make honey. Can the hive make enough honey to survive the long  winter months

New Zealand Book Awards Finalist 2014

My nanna is a ninja

Summary: All nannas are different. But what if your nanna was really different? What if your nanna was a ninja? This fun, poetic picture book portrays the many different guises, faces and personalities that nannas can have and demonstrates the significance of their role in the modern family

Pinocchio

English edition
Original Korean text by Gyeong-hwa Kim. English text edited by Joy Cowley
Based on the tale by Carlo Collodi
New Zealand author
Summary: Gepetto, a toymaker, creates a puppet that comes to life, but Pinocchio is more of a prankster than a pleasure until he learns that being a real boy is much more complicated than simply having fun

Rikki~Tikki~Tavi

Summary: This is the tale of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, a fearless young mongoose. Soon after a flood washes Rikki into the garden of an English family, he comes face-to-face with Nag and Nagaina, two giant cobras. The snakes are willing to attack Rikki, and even the human family who lives there, to claim the garden and house for themselves. But they do not count on the heart and pride of the brave little mongoose

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs

Summary: Life is delicious in the town of Chewandswallow where it rains soup and juice, snows mashed potatoes, and blows storms of hamburgers, until the weather takes a turn for the worse

Includes CD-Rom

A wonderful read-to book, very humorous. I really enjoyed reading it.

Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

Originally published: 1922
Summary: When his colleague Long Arrow disappears, Dr. Dolittle sets off with his assistant, Tommy Stubbins, his dog, Jip, and Polynesia the parrot on an adventurous voyage over tropical seas to floating Spidermonkey Island

Tui : a nest in the bush

Summary: A series of photographs showing the 37-day development of a pair of tui from eggs to fledglings

The Good Ship Crocodile

Summary: During the rainy season, when the river rises, Snout the crocodile helps many creatures cross to the other side but when the rain stops and the river dries up, it is Snout who needs help getting home

Granny Grommet and me

Summary: My granny and her friends go to the beach, and I go too. When they hit the surf, they duck and dive and twist and turn. It looks like lots of fun. But I don't want to go in the water. There are strange things under the waves

Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Cafe

First paperback edition
Summary: Figaro and Rumba are best friends. Figaro is a dog who loves to run like the wind. And Rumba is a cat who once sang and danced in Cuba.  When they catch the Very Fast Train that goes all the way to the beach, they meet a cunning crocodile with conga drums and an elegant satin waistcoat. Surely such a musical creature couldn't be a villain? (Back cover)

Black Beauty

Summary: Narrated by Black Beauty - from his carefree days as a colt on an English farm, to his difficult life pulling cabs in London, to his happy retirement in the country. Along the way, he meets with many hardships and recounts many tales of cruelty and kindness

The Great Gilly Hopkins

1st Harper Trophy ed
A Harper Trophy Book
Summary: An eleven-year-old foster child tries to cope with her longings and fears as she schemes against everyone who tries to be friendly

In the garden : explore & discover the New Zealand backyard

Contents includes: The garden -- In spring -- What lives in the ground? -- In summer -- What lives on the plants? -- What lives in the trees? -- At night -- Bees, wasps, flies & ants -- Butterflies & moths -- More insects -- Spiders, snails, worms & more -- Birds -- Lizards & mammals -- Plants & fungi

"Explore the garden, get close to the soil, flowers and trees and discover the many different animals that make the New Zealand backyard their home"--Back cover.

A book is a book

This book asks "what is a book?" It celebrates books and reading. It captures the value and magic of books felt by all voracious readers, and is a perfect gift for book-lovers of all ages.

Swallows and Amazons

Swallows and Amazons was first published by Jonathan Cape in 1930
Summary: The Walker children set sail on the Swallow and head for Wild Cat Island. There they camp, swim and fish for their dinner, but they are soon disturbed by the Blackett sisters, fierce Amazon pirates. (From book cover)

The incredible journey

Instinct told them that the way home lay to the west. And so the doughty young Labrador retriever, the roguish bull terrier and the indomitable Siamese set out through the Canadian wilderness. Separately, they would soon have died. But, together, the three house pets faced starvation, exposure, and wild forest animals to make their way home to the family they love. 

The magician's elephant

Summary: When ten-year-old orphan Peter Augustus Duchenne encounters a fortune-teller in the marketplace one day and she tells him that his sister, who is presumed dead, is in fact alive, he embarks on a remarkable series of adventures as he desperately tries to find her

Blubber

When pudgy Linda is given the cruel name of Blubber by her classmates, Jill laughs along with everyone else. It's easier that way, right? It's not until Jill becomes a victim of bullying herself that she realizes how much it hurts and how hard it can be stand up for yourself.

Goodnight moon

In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. "Goodnight room, goodnight moon." And to all the familiar things in the softly lit room—to the picture of the three little bears sitting in chairs, to the clocks and his socks, to the mittens and the kittens, to everything one by one—he says goodnight.

Late for school

1st trade pbk. ed
Summary: A boy who has never been late to school runs into some very strange obstacles as he hurries on his way, only to discover when he arrives that he is a day early. A story in rhyme
Originally published: 2003

See inside recycling and rubbish

Other Title: Recycling and rubbish
A board book with flaps to lift
"With over 60 flaps to lift"--Cover

What happens to your rubbish after you throw it away?
Open this book and lift the flaps to find out.
Follow rubbish on a journey through a gigantic sorting machine and all kinds of recycling processes, and see how it can be turned into new and useful things.

Faiths and their festivals

(Teacher Resource)

(back of book) -- A guide to religions and celebrations in our multicultural society.

A key aim of education is to recognise, value and promote a positive attitude to differences, foster tolerance and develop cultural competence.

This book is designed to help by giving background information to the faiths and celebrations in our multicultural society. It looks at the beliefs and core practices of the main faiths and describes the festivals associated with them. It explains the origins of the festivals and how they are celebrated within the faith communities, and includes suggestions on how to explore them in a way that is meaningful to young children..


Faith and Festivals contains:
. stories
. songs
. recipes
. ideas for activities
. advice on useful resources


Christine Howard is a former LEA adviser in RE, founder and director of Articles of Faith Ltd and an independent consultant/trainer in religious and multicultural education. Kay Margetts is Associated Professor in Early Childhood Studies and Director of International Baccalaureate programs at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

You will find this book in the Teacher Resource Library - Social Studies - Box 3.

Wearable Wonders

Summary: An introduction to the World of Wearable Art Awards with history and examples, interviews, photographs etc., in a workbook which details how to make your own Wearable Art creation using various art and craft techniques (Publisher)

(New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults finalist - 2014)

A wonderful book for primary, easy to read instructions and wonderfully illustrated with fact files.

Billy and Bella

Summary: "This charming tale explores the unique bond between big sisters and little brothers everywhere."--Back cover

One funky monkey

Have you ever seen a meerkat moonwalk?
An eagle rock?
Or a dragon dance disco?
Come and dance with one funky monkey as he counts to ten and back again.

The woods

"I had to go into the woods. And I wasn't afraid at all. Until..."
When a boy can't find his favourite stuffed bunny, he bravely heads into the woods to search for it... and discovers a big, scary brown bear instead! But he learns that the bear is just lonely, so he promises to share his night-light, and the two forge on together, until... they run into two scary giants! As the boy continues his search, he comes across other seemingly scary creatures, but finds that, like him, they're just looking for some comfort and security before bedtime.

A story about the comfort of companionship and the courage it takes to help a stranger, this sweet picture book will remind readers of all ages that being afraid of the dark doesn't mean you have to afraid alone.

A book

1st ed
Cover title
"Once, in A book by Mordicai Gerstein, published by Roaring Brook Press, New York, there lived a family of characters"--P. [1
Summary: Once upon a time there was a family who lived in a book. All but the youngest had stories they belong to - fighting fires, exploring space, entertaining in the circus - but the little girl doesn't have her own story. So she goes on a quest through the book, and encounters different genres in children's literature including graphic novels, mystery, pirate/adventure, historical fiction, and science fiction. A sophisticated picture book

Cake Girl

In this bedazzling picture book for all seasons, a Witch is once again alone on her birthday. So she uses her powers to bake a Cake Girl to act as her servant for the day. She tells Cake Girl to sing and dance—and do all the housework! “And then,” says the Witch, “I’ll eat you.” But Cake Girl proves to be too clever a confection for such a fate, and she soon turns the tables on her maker, with happy results for them both.

Cheery and cheeky themes abound in this deliciously illustrated story about the magic of laughter and play and new companions.

The Fly

Includes lift-up flaps

An informative story about life from a fly's perspective, punctuated with 'FLAP' as the fly swatter comes down! Loved the fly's panic as the book is about to close on him. This could be an interesting read aloud with a fly swatter prop, plenty of exaggeration and a great pairing with the song 'Shoo fly, don't bother me'!

Opposites

Captioned illustrations of everyday objects and activities demonstrate opposites such as wet/dry, on/off, old/new. Suggested level: preschool, junior.

Liu and the Bird : a journey in Chinese calligraphy

A 2006 IBBY Honor List title, this innovative book combines the story of Liu who goes off to visit her grandfather with a rebus-style look at the evolution of Chinese written language from pictures to today's modern calligraphy characters. You can read them, play with them, and dream about them. This book is sure to please children and adults of all backgrounds with its peek into this fascinating topic.

Jeremiah Jellyfish flies high

Join Jeremiah Jellyfish as he swims away from his shoal and finds himself 

taking charge of the World's Biggest Rocket Plane Factory!

Warambi

Summary: When the home of a little bent-wing bat colony is destroyed, Warambi finds herself separated from her family and forced to shelter in a rather unusual place. Scary sounds are all around her and danger is never far away. Will she find her way home

The Three Bears

This familiar nursery tale features a warmly appealing bear family and a 

naughty, gap-toothed Goldilocks.

Paraphernalia's present

Dottie and her hen, Paraphernalia, share breakfast, trips into town, even afternoon tea! But one day, Dottie has an accident and Paraphernalia surprises her with the greatest gift of all...

It's a Miroocool!

Summary: Audrey lives in the outback, so when she loses her first tooth, she's worried the tooth fairy will never find her. How will she let the tooth fairy know where she lives...and what will the tooth fairy leave her

Athlete

Having asthma means thinking about your breathing. In this book you can follow Ada as she trains for a race and wins!
(Making It) series.

I want a boyfriend

One day, the Little Princess decides she wants a boyfriend. After searching everywhere, the Royal household finds Donald. He is proclaimed as the Royal Boyfriend. But the Little Princess soon finds out boyfriends aren't nearly as much fun as she thinks!

Orange Pear Apple Bear

The utter simplicity of the beautiful picture book is 

breathtaking. By rearranging just four words, Emily 

Gravell creates a series of playful images which are

a sheer joy - and intensely satisfying. The loose 

energy of the pencil and water colour pictures will be

irresistible to adults and children alike.

Cat and bear

Bear arrived in a big red box for the child's birthday. He was lovely and cuddly with a twinkle in his eyes. But Cat didn't like him at all. Cat had always been the little girl's favourite, and frankly, he was jealous of this handsome new Bear...
An amusing tale of two rivals, with exquisite illustrations.

Fox tale

The young fox cubs have rattling, roaring whirlwinds racing past their den by the railway tracks. Each evening these trains bring a kind old man who feed them. But then a gang of wild man-cubs throw snowballs and snatch the old man's bag.
A moving story about kindness and unlikely friendships illustrated with breathtaking, atmospheric artwork.

Indoor Crafts

Packed with exciting and imaginative craft projects specially created for 7-11 year olds, this book encourages children to develop new skills with an enormous array of materials over a wide range of crafts. With its easy step-by-step instructions and colour photographs it will inspire readers to want to make useful and attractive creations.

Make a bunch of flowers from tissue paper
Colour in a paper teddy bear
Crayon some candy cushions
Recycle a milk carton into a mobile
Crete ethnic beads from felt
Make some wild animal pegs

Make these and many more using easy-to-follow instructions in Get Crafty Indoor Crafts.
. Straightforward, lively text guides the young person through a new project on each double-page section.
. Over 100 colour photographs illustrate craft activities.
. At a-glance guides to materials needed for individual projects.
. Special help boxes spread throughout the book.

. Ideas for further projects.

Pumpkin: a story of love and friendship

Summary: Pumpkin is a kunekune pig. Learn about Pumpkin, the friends she makes and the mischief she gets up to at the wildlife park where she lives. Illustrated using photographs. Contains factual information about the animals mentioned in the story
New Zealand author

Rosa and the three wishes

Return to the magical world of Enchantia in the captivating second series of Magic Ballerina by Darcey Bussell! Rosa knows that it is time to hand over the magic red ballet shoes to another special girl. But before she does; her friends in Enchantia need Rosa's help one last time!

Attack of the lizard king

When Jamie moves to Dinosaur Cove with his father he's looking forward to doing some fossil hunting on the beach. But when he and his friend, Tom, discover a forgotten cave with fossilised dinosaur footprints, it takes them to another world ...a world of dinosaurs. In this secret place the boys meet a small, friendly Wannanosaurus, who leads them further into the prehistoric landscape, past mysterious fungi and strange fruits (which smell like sick!). But when the ground starts to shudder and the Wannanosaurus runs off at lightning speed, the boys know they're in serious danger. The Tyrannosaurus Rex has spotted them and he's coming their way ...Can the boys outwit the T-Rex? Will they be able to find their way back to the cave? And can they make it to their own world before the tide comes in?

The Red Poppy

New Zealand author; New Zealand illustrator
CD contains song: Little red poppy / by Rob Kennedy
Summary: Jim, a soldier on the Western Front in World War I, is wounded while charging through No Man's Land. He stumbles into a shell crater for shelter and finds a badly wounded German soldier. The two men try to help each other, but it's Nipper, the messenger dog, whose gallantry gives them a chance for survival. A sophisticated picture book
Little red poppy