Congratulations to all the writers, illustrators, translators and publishers shortlisted for the 2026 New Zealand Childrens and Young Adult Book Awards! www.thesapling.co.nz/nzcya-2026-t...

Who's getting up at 6am tomorrow for the #NZCYA shortlist?

Long weekend reading! Tauanu’u Perenise Tapu Sitagata shares how he's sharing Samoan culture and language with children through picture books: www.thesapling.co.nz/the-signific...

Kenneth Chapman's LONASEI AND THE MYSTERY OF ORIGIN GROVE was the second-best selling kids title at Auckland Writers Festival. Not bad for a debut novel! To get to know him, we asked him to answer the Mahy Questionnaire: www.thesapling.co.nz/the-mahy-que...

Here's a lovely good news story! The opening of a brand new library at Te Papapa School in Onehunga: www.thesapling.co.nz/gamechanger-...

Harriet Elworthy attended Auckland Writers Festival, and has written about the 'joyful and exhilarating' coverage of kids books there: www.thesapling.co.nz/kids-books-a...

Any Terry Teo fans around here? Legendary comic creator Bob Kerr has shared 'A Day in His Life' on The Sapling: www.thesapling.co.nz/a-day-in-the...

Briar Lawry took a group of students to the secondary schools day at Auckland Writers Festival. She reflects on what worked, and what didn't, for a teen audience: www.thesapling.co.nz/scene-report...

Scarlett Robinson-Kean has recently been awarded an Arts Foundation Springboard Award. Here, in the first of four comics on working with new mentor @giselledraws.bsky.social, she tells us how the award happened: www.thesapling.co.nz/comic-on-win...

A Sampling for your weekend! www.thesapling.co.nz/the-sampling...

We're giving away books! Head to our Facebook page for a chance to win one of two copies of A FLAME IN THE DARK by Maria Gill, with thanks to One Tree House www.facebook.com/share/p/17GQ...

SECRETS, SPIES AND STORYTELLING: Maria Gill and Brian Falkner on writing spy stories for teens www.thesapling.co.nz/secrets-spie...

Thank you to The Sapling for running such in depth and thoughtful reviews of CYA lit. I love this review (of course I do) of Song of the Saltings and will always accept a nice comparison to Mahy, Cooper and Garner with thanks. #YA #kidlit #pukapuka

'The folk-mystery genre has become a signature for King ... and harks back to classic eerie children’s stories such as Margaret Mahy’s The Haunting and The Changeover, Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising sequence, and Alan Garner’s The Owl Service': sl1nk.com/a8d8svg @rachaelking70.bsky.social

'Of course, even the most enchanting stories have their knotted roots' Pearl D'Silva examines the enduring appeal of Enid Blyton, and how The Magic Faraway Tree can be utilised in classrooms to inspire modern creative thinking skills: www.thesapling.co.nz/why-the-magi...

'At its heart, this is a story about freedom from oppression, and what we as individuals can do to bring about greater change in the world ...' Alex Adank reviews THE RAVEN'S EYE REBELLION by @clairemabey.bsky.social: www.thesapling.co.nz/review-the-r...

August Elworthy reviews COUNTING DOWN WITH THEODORE BROWN, a YA 'story that is as punchy and readable as it is sincere and authentic’: www.thesapling.co.nz/review-a-com... @allenandunwinnz.bsky.social

'Part of me feels a responsibility to pay it forward and create the stories I desperately needed as a teen.' Daniel Devenney shares a day in his writing life: www.thesapling.co.nz/a-day-in-the...

'Right now so much beauty in this world is being destroyed and that is incredibly painful.' @clairemabey.bsky.social answers the Mahy Questionnaire! www.thesapling.co.nz/the-mahy-que...

Ali Fullick created her Innerlinks decodable readers with dyslexic learners in mind. She tells us why off-white paper, custom fonts, and sizing and spacing on the page make all the difference: www.thesapling.co.nz/innerlinks-d...

'A mega-pandemic, combined with the Great Quake has rendered Wellington a semi-lawless wasteland.' Alex Adank reviews Shaun Barnett's posthumously published middle grade novel: www.thesapling.co.nz/review-a-pos...

Alex Adank recommends the best books for introducing children to a new baby in the family: www.thesapling.co.nz/book-list-in...

'There is family history here, a responsibility to do better, to leave a legacy of healing and sustainability.' Author Tim Saunders on farming and writing: www.thesapling.co.nz/a-day-in-the...

'Who can ever be lonely (or stupid) when a library is your friend?' Vasanti Unka shares a love letter to Auckland Central Library: www.thesapling.co.nz/love-letter-...

QUIZ! The shortlists for the NZ Booklovers Awards were announced yesterday, so we're putting your knowledge of the children's finalists to the test today! www.thesapling.co.nz/quiz-nz-book...

Who is your favourite picturebook grandparent? 4-year-old great-nephew knows all about knitting, because he has had the Granny McFlitter books re-read to him, repeatedly. I want a Granny McFlitter tattoo! I may not be a granny, but I feel connected to Granny McFlitter.

"With her gentle sense of humour and vast knowledge of te ao, Nanny Mihi teaches her mokopuna values like patience and connecting to nature." Annelies Judson examines the role of grown ups in picture books Read the full article in @thesaplingnz.bsky.social

Big people in books for little people – Annelies Judson examines the role of adult protagonists in picture books: www.thesapling.co.nz/big-people-i...

OMG!! Totally recommend this to anyone feeling a bit flummoxed about the literacy lingo 📖🙌

What's a phonic when it's at home? Samantha Montgomerie has created a guide to literacy lingo for parents and others who aren't quite sure what all those terms around learning to read mean: www.thesapling.co.nz/literacy-lin...

And @thesaplingnz.bsky.social for children's books. www.thesapling.co.nz

We've solved Christmas for you! We asked the children's bookstores around the country what books you need this Christmas, and here's what they said: www.thesapling.co.nz/from-the-sho...

Gavin Bishop's latest book is a monster-sized tome about Aotearoa's mythical taniwha. Take a look inside: www.thesapling.co.nz/the-sampling...

Kiwi Christmas Books is a fabulous charity making sure thousands of children have a book to open on Christmas morning. We spoke with founder Sonya Wilson about the initiative: www.thesapling.co.nz/kiwi-christm...

'… what is becoming an adult if it isn’t working out to use your little piece of power, for the good of others, or yourself' @forster81.bsky.social reviews the new YA novel from @elizabethknoxnz.bsky.social: www.thesapling.co.nz/review-kings...

'King, like Violet, is rocking out' Lucy Black reviews @rachaelking70.bsky.social's new Violet and the Velvets adventure: www.thesapling.co.nz/review-a-sop... @allenandunwinnz.bsky.social

This Saturday is Bookshop Day! Here's what your local children's bookstore has planned: www.thesapling.co.nz/bookshop-day...

Fishy business! Reviews for a guide to fishing from Al Brown, and books on coastal creatures and fish from Donovan Bixley and Gillian and Daryl Torckler: www.thesapling.co.nz/fishy-busine...

'If illustration were a sport, then, in my opinion, children’s books are the ultramarathon!' Illustrator Hope McConnell on a day in her working life: www.thesapling.co.nz/a-day-in-the...

Here's short story to start your weekend, 'The Olive Twig' from Sonya McArthur's Tales of Curiosity: www.thesapling.co.nz/the-sampling...

Ruby Jones on her collaboration with @jacindaardern.bsky.social: www.thesapling.co.nz/comic-ruby-j...

Ko te pukapuka whakamutunga o Te Wiki o te Reo Māori ko Hineraukatauri me Te Ara Pūoro. www.thesapling.co.nz/te-whakataui...

Congratulations Vida Kelly (A LOT OF SILLY), Sophie Hooper and Te Kani Price (THE DREAM FACTORY) on your joint win this evening!

The PANZ Book Design Awards are announced tonight! We asked the finalists for the children's category to quiz each other on their work shorturl.at/l6iGo

Mō te Rāpare nei, te rā tuawhā o Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, e whakanui ana mātou i tētahi rangatira nui whakaharahara: pānuihia tēnei Whakatauira nō Te Whaea o te Motu: Whina Cooper me Te Hīkoi Roa mō Te Manatika. shorturl.at/YjzQ1

Ko He Taonga Te Toka te pukapuka mō te Rāapa o Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. Nā Sacha Cotter rāua ko Josh Morgan (Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, Rongowhakaata) tēnei taonga i hanga—koinei tētahi kōrero ātaahua e tūhura ana i te mahamaha, i te mōhio. shorturl.at/xSYjh

He aha te pukapuka mō te Rātū o Te Wiki o te Reo Māori? How Many Times?/Me Hia Rawa Ngā Wā?, nā Tim Tīpene rāua ko Nicoletta Benella! Ko pukapuka reorua tēnei, heoi anō, e whai take ana tēnei mō ngā ākonga reo. He ngahau te karere o te pukapuka mō ngā mātua–(whakarongo ki tō māmā!) shorturl.at/pOhYE

Hei whakanui i Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, ka tukua e rima ngā Whakatauira nā ētahi pukapuka pikitia mīharo.

'When you step into a New Zealand forest, the world changes. The light shifts, the air is damp with earth ... You feel small, but also connected to something that has been here far longer than you.' Ned Barraud on his stunning new book: shorturl.at/Fih5H

'… there is a stripping away of the support systems that build blossoming literacy landscapes which form the backbone of any good education' Samantha Mongtomerie examines NZ's literacy crisis: www.thesapling.co.nz/keeping-the-...