Picture Books: Beach Reading for January 2013

By Trevor Agnew

[First published in Your Weekend magazine, The Press, Christchurch] 

 

At the Beach: Explore and Discover the New Zealand Seashore   Gillian Candler, ill. Ned Barraud, Craig Potton Publishing, 2012, 32 pages, pb, $19.99

ISBN 978-1-877517-73-0

Nic’s Cookbook   Nicholas Brockelbank, Scholastic, 2012, 32 pages, pb, NZ$10

ISBN 978-1-77543-110-7

Kiwi: the Real Story  Annemarie Florian, ill. Heather Hunt, New Holland, 2012, 32 pages, hb, NZ$29.99  ISBN 978-1-86966-378-0

The Looky Book  Donovan Bixley, Hachette NZ [Hodder Moa], 2012, 24 pages, pb, NZ$19.99

ISBN 978-1-86971-272-3

The Wreck of the Diddley   Fatcat and Fishface, ill Stephen Templer, Craig Potton Publishing, 2012, 26pages, pb, inc. DVD, NZ$24

ISBN 978-1-877517-40-2

Llama Drama  Yvonne Morrison, ill. Neroli Williams, Scholastic NZ, 2012, 32 pages, pb, NZ$19.50

ISBN978-1-77543-053-7

I Love Lemonade  Mark Sommerset, ill. Rowan Sommerset, Dreamboat Books, 2012, 32 pages, hb, NZ$29.99   ISBN 978-0-9864668-6-1 

That’s Mine!  Michael Van Zeveren, Gecko Press, 2012, 32 pages, pb, NZ$19.99

ISBN 978-1-877579-28-8

Anton and the Battle  Ole Könnecke, Gecko Press, 2012, 32 pages, pb, NZ$19.99

ISBN 978-1-877579-26-4

The Old Man and the Cat  Anthony Holcroft, ill. Leah Palmer Preiss, Puffin, 2012, 32 pages, pb, NZ$19.99    ISBN 978-0-143-50464-1

 

 

New Zealand picture books offer splendid summer reading for the young. In At the Beach Gillian Candler shows considerable skill in describing the various kinds of beaches enjoyed by many of her young readers. The various creatures found along the foreshore are not only described in a brief lively way but are also shown in their natural environment. Thus mud crabs and mud snails are shown tunnelling down into mudflats, while sandhoppers are hiding under dead seaweed.  Ned Barraud’s handsome colour illustrations make this a book to take to the beach. Any beach.

Nic’s Cookbook is a gem. Nicholas Brocklebank assembled his first cookbook when he was only 8, after a shrewd teacher realised that food preparation and cooking would help develop his maths and literacy skills. Aged 9, he was the winner of TV’s Good Morning Kids’ Cook Off. At 10 he has had his first cookbook published. Beautifully photographed and skilfully designed, Nic’s Cookbook is easy to work with, providing clear lists of ingredients and equipment. Each step in the 14 recipes is numbered and several processes are shown in step-by-step photos. (One of these taught me a new technique for cutting-up onions.) Best of all, from Spanish omelette to chocolate slice, lamingtons to sushi, Nic’s personality shines through in his instructions. Step 15: “Eat!”

Kiwi: the Real Story takes a genuinely fresh approach to our national bird.  Inspired by the success of the Backyard Kiwi project at Whangarei Heads, Annemarie Florian has written a marvellously onomatopoeic tribute to the kiwi. “Gorging grubber, larvae-lover, snail-scratcher, beetle-battler…” The poem (which demands to be read aloud) weaves sinuously across the top of each page, while interesting kiwi facts occupy the lower section. Heather Hunt has created vibrant and truly original portraits of the kiwi in action. The result is a handsome book that can be both skimmed through and enjoyed in detail.

Donovan Bixley is such a talented artist that he can even make a giant pink squid into an appealing character. Following the success of his Kiwi versions of Old MacDonald’s Farm and The Wheels on the Bus, he has now produced a colourful visual puzzle delight, The Looky Book. Each double-page spread has a different challenge – match the geckos, spot the errors, and so on. Bixley’s sense of humour neatly matches that of his young readers and they will adore his carefully concealed jokes and visual puns. And the pink squid.

Fatcat & Fish may not be a familiar name to adults but children know the duo as cheerful and amusing musicians. The Wreck of the Diddley presents the lyrics of one of their songs as a picture book, vividly illustrated by Stephen Templer. The Captain is spinning a yarn of shipwreck but his parrot corrects every detail. Parents who feel daunted by the task of catching the rhythm will find the free DVD gives them the tune and brings the pictures to life. A grand shared vocal item for bedtime.

Yvonne Morrison has a flair for witty verse and the text of Llama Drama rhymes as well as its title. Pam irritates her fellow llamas by over-reacting to minor crises like bees and green apples. The llamas provide a handy chorus for those reading aloud:

“Stop making a fuss. Stop making a scene.
You’re just a llama drama queen!”
Surprisingly, however, Pam turns the tables on her detractors and achieves an unexpected show business triumph, beautifully illustrated by Christchurch’s Neroli Williams.

Dreamboat Press is a husband and wife operation, based on Waiheke Island. Mark and Rowan Sommerset have only produced five picture books so far but they have already gained a shelf-ful of awards. Their latest title, I Love Lemonade, has the slightly naughty flavour that young readers adore. Fresh from his humiliation in Baa Baa Smart Sheep, Quirky Turkey plans revenge by offering Little Baa a glass of “fresh, delicious lemonade.”  As before, Little Baa’s verbal skills enable him to outwit the turkey, and young readers will enjoy the way Quirky suffers not one but two self-inflicted humiliations. Gleeful, mischievous fun.

Michael Van Zeverin understands the problems facing small people in a hostile world. In That’s Mine, a tiny frog finds a lost egg. No sooner has he said “That’s mine” than every animal in the jungle turns up to claim it. Soon the snake, the eagle and the lizard are competing for the egg, much to the annoyance of the elephant. Young readers will enjoy Van Zeverin’s lively cartoon illustrations and the gleeful repetition of “That’s Mine,” but they will also be delighted by the witty ending when the mystery egg finally hatches.

Boasting is at the heart of Ole Könnecke’s Anton and the Battle. “I’m stronger than you,” says Anton, to the amusement of his friend Luke. Anton lifts an imaginary boulder but Luke lifts a bigger one. The cartoon illustrations use special colours to show the imaginary objects as the two boys escalate their conflict from lifting logs through picking up pianos to brandishing bombs. “Mine’s bigger.” The unexpected arrival of a puppy changes the nature of the conflict and brings a witty conclusion. Young readers will enjoy recognising the bombastic posturing of the tiny braggarts.

The classic The Old Man and the Cat (1984) by Canterbury writer Anthony Holcroft has been re-published, with handsome colour illustrations by Leah Palmer Preiss. This poignant tale of an old man whose magic flute summons birds and other creatures to his island gains extra power from the current debate on cats. When a sly black cat steals the old man’s flute, the island is devastated. “Afterwards there were no birds left anywhere in the forest. There were no lizards and no moths.” The old man has to act. Holcroft’s pared-back text is perfectly matched by the beautiful, stylised colour pictures.

Trevor Agnew, January 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best New Zealand Picture Books of 2012

Best New Zealand Picture Books of 2012: 

by Trevor Agnew

 

New Zealand picture books are like a grape harvest. Publishers try to produce books that will tickle the palates of young readers and their parents. Since tastes vary, there will never be agreement on what is ‘best,’ but the 2012 picture book harvest has been a good one, with many books to savour. 

Margaret Mahy’s stories, both posthumous titles and reprints, have been the most popular. Atmospherically illustrated by Gavin Bishop, Footsteps through the Fog is Mahy’s tribute to the human senses. A family of five children, visiting the beach, are engulfed by a sudden fog, and become disoriented. “The fog’s just swallowed the world,” wails Max, but his sister Anthea leads them all to safety. Although the story never states directly that Anthea is blind, the reader is aware that she has been listening intently on the way to the beach. Now Anthea uses her hearing to find the stream and bridge, her memory to count the perilous steps – all 23 of them – and her sense of smell to locate the gardens and bakery on their way home. All royalties from this book go to Royal NZ Foundation of the Blind. A complete Braille alphabet is included so young readers will be able to ‘read’ the title embossed in Braille on the front cover.

Mr Whistler is a young man who adores music; he even sings and dances in his sleep. When he goes to catch a train, Mr Whistler mislays his ticket and has to strip off his clothes to search for it, right down to “his elegant spotted underpants.”  Young readers take great glee in the dressing and undressing of Mr Whistler, and they also enjoy the superior pleasure of knowing where the ticket is all the time. Margaret Mahy has put some amusing twists at the end of her tale, and Gavin Bishop’s stylish 1940s period illustrations conceal yet another surprise for Mr Whistler.

 A pleasant surprise in 2012 is the return of Whitcoulls to publishing, marked by Read Me Another One, Please!, a well-packed anthology of New Zealand stories and poems, selected by Belynda Smith and Dorothy Dudek Vinicombe. The stories and poems are widely selected and even include some complete picture books, such as Gavin Bishop’s version of Chicken Licken and Dorothy Butler’s Birthday Rain, which will now delight a new generation of readers. Other writers represented include Michael King, Margaret Mahy, Tessa Duder and Joy Cowley. Every one of the 33 offerings has its own illustrations, nearly all in colour. This collection deserves its title and is also the best value of the year.

Naughtiness has always appealed to young readers, and I Love Lemonade, by husband and wife team Mark and Rowan Sommerset, sees the return of Little Baa Baa and Quirky Turkey, whose exploits in Baa Baa Smart Sheep won the 2011 Children’s Choice Award.  Determined on revenging himself, Quirky offers Baa Baa a glass of refreshing lemonade. “It looks a bit like pee,” says Baa Baa, and in a quickfire conversational exchange, the sharp-witted sheep confuses the turkey into having a drink. “Guzzle, guzzle, guzzle,” will be a catch-cry among the young readers who will find an extra (naughty) surprise at the conclusion of this improper tale.

Gecko Press has had such success in marketing English translations of award-winning foreign children’s books that a Ph.D. thesis is being written on their influence. A handsome example of Gecko’s non-fiction picture books is the French Small and Tall Tales of Extinct Animals, by Hélène Rajcak and Damien Laverdunt. This large format hardback uses a witty mixture of scientific text and comic book to record the extinction of some 27 species, from the Sicilian dwarf elephant to the Pig-footed bandicoot. The lively presentation includes maps, glossary, time-lines and some droll speech balloons: “Hello, I’m Charles Darwin. I don’t know it yet but I’m going to become a very famous scientist.”  This book is ideal for future famous scientists who don’t know their Dodo from their Moa.

Two of Sweden’s brightest talents combine in the endearing illustrated story The Best Singer in the World by Ulf Nilsson, with pictures by Eva Eriksson. The six year old narrator has the tiny part of Mole in his school play but is tormented by stage fright. On opening night, the play is saved by the thoughtfulness of his young brother, when the pair combine in an unscheduled, very amusing (and slightly naughty) performance, to the delight of audience and readers alike. This may be the best book about singing in the world. It’s certainly the funniest.

 Maori titles are the specialty of Huia Publishers, and their young people’s books for 2012 included Julian Arahanga’s lively war biography Born to Fly  the story of Flying Officer Porokoru ‘Johnny’ Pohe’s flying career. A bomber pilot in World War 2, Pohe was shot down and later took part in the ‘Great Escape’ of 1944, with tragic consequences.  Andrew Burdan has illustrated Born to Fly in the dramatic black-and-white style of the old Commando war-comics. Many key Maori aspects of Pohe’s life are subtly included in the well-researched text and pictures; when Pohe enrolls at Te Aute College, the spirits of Sir Peter Buck, Sir James Carroll and Sir Apirana Ngata are looking down at him. This is the ideal book for people who think they don’t like reading.

The best picture book of the year is Glyn Harper’s Le Quesnoy: the story of the town that New Zealand saved.  A First World War story, it unusually, has a civilian as its narrator. The unnamed French girl is six when the Germans occupy her home town of Le Quesnoy with its elaborate ancient fortifications. “It was a terrible time for us. The Germans took anything they wanted…Anyone who complained was thrown into jail.”  She describes the events of the final week of the war when, rather than shelling the city, New Zealand soldiers used scaling ladders to cross the city walls and force the Germans to surrender. Not one civilian died. Glyn Harper knows how to tell a story and he carries his deep military knowledge lightly as he sketches in the broad outlines of the tale. Christchurch artist Jenny Cooper’s colour illustrations capture the drama of the action, along with the picturesque nature of its setting. The human cost of the action is not glossed over; in the final picture the little girl is laying poppies on one of the 130 New Zealand graves. Le Quesnoy is a well-designed book with its text and illustrations perfectly matched. Handsome and moving, it is an exemplar of the New Zealand picture book.

 

Trevor Agnew, 20 November 2012

 

[First published in Your Weekend Magazine, The Press, Christchurch, New Zealand]

 

FULL PUBLISHING  DETAILS:

The Best NZ Picture Book of 2012:

Le Quesnoy: the story of the town that New Zealand saved, Glyn Harper, ill Jenny Cooper, Scholastic, $20
 

The Rest:

Mr Whistler, Margaret Mahy, ill Gavin Bishop, Gecko, hb, $34.99

Read Me Another One, Please! selected by Belynda Smith and Dorothy Dudek Vinicombe, Whitcoulls, hb, $29.99

The Best Singer in the World, Ulf Nilsson, ill Eva Eriksson, Gecko, hb, $34.99; pb, $19.99

I Love Lemonade, Mark and Rowan Sommerset, Dreamboat Press, hb, $29.99

Footsteps Through the Fog, Margaret Mahy, ill Gavin Bishop, Puffin, pb, $20

Small and Tall Tales of Extinct Animals, Hélène Rajcak and Damien Laverdunt, Gecko, hb, $37

Born to Fly, Julian Arahanga, ill Andrew Burdan, Huia, pb, $25

Two Grand Picture Books

Two Grand Picture Books

The House that Jack Built Gavin Bishop, Gecko Press, 40 pages,
Hb $34.99
Pb $19.99
Maori Language edition:
Koinei te Whare nā Haki i Hanga
Pb $19.99 ISBN

Two Little Bugs, Mark & Rowan Sommerset, Dreamboat Press, Waiheke Island,
40 pages, hb, $29.99.



Gecko Press have brought Gavin Bishop’s 1999 classic The House that Jack Built back into print in time for Waitangi Day 2012. Not only does the talented Christchurch artist bring the old nursery rhyme back to life but he also uses his illustrations to provide a remarkable insight into Maori-Pakeha relations in the early years of contact. In 1798, Jack Bull leaves London (shown as Hogarth’s Gin Lane) to make his fortune, sailing to New Zealand with a load of trade goods and a red door for his house. On the simplest level, the pictures show the familiar rhyme in action: Jack’s cat, dog and “cow with the crumpled horn” all make their appearance. A Maori milk-maiden “all forlorn” is married to Jack by a “priest all shaven and shorn,” who bears a passing resemblance to Samuel Marsden. Readers can follow Jack’s progress from hut to handsome two-storeyed public house, by following his familiar red door.

Jack’s prosperity and the growth of Pakeha settlement, shown in small border illustrations, is matched by a decline in the mana of the Maori. Bishop uses traditional Maori symbols to suggest how new spiritual beliefs and attitudes to the land are forcing out the old. The all-seeing eyes of the ancestors dominate the land and sky in the early pictures, but gradually fade away. On page 24, the magnificent picture of the rooster crowing also shows native birds like the kiwi and tui fleeing before the invading settlers, symbolised by sparrows.

Although young readers will enjoy the simple story told in rhyme, older readers will find food for thought in the concluding pages where colonial conflict becomes open warfare, and Jack’s house burns. “This is the soldier all weary and worn.” While Bishop’s settlement of Jackstown is fictional, the issues raised apply to all New Zealanders and the concluding illustrations, dawn from Maori folk art, blend Pakeha and Maori forms, symbolising the author’s quest “for understanding and harmony.”

This new edition reproduces Bishop’s water-colour and ink drawings at 100% scale, so that the superb detail can really be appreciated. A bonus with the hardback edition is Bishop’s original sketch outline for the book, reproduced inside the cover. Piripi Walker has provided the translation for a Maori language edition, Koinei te Whare na Haka i Hanga. The House that Jack Built was the Book of the Year in 2000, and it certainly deserves the same award again.


Writer Mark Sommerset and illustrator Rowan Sommerset, the same husband and wife team who run Dreamboat Books from Waiheke Island have also produced a cleverly-designed book about two tiny insects living in completely different worlds. Two Little Bugs contains carefully engineered leaves. Cheerful Little Bug Red stands on the sunny upper surface of the leaf, but when the reader turns the leaf over, glum Little Bug Blue lives in a gloomy world of despair. “Poor little me. It’s dark down here in the shade of this tree.” As the story progresses, Bug Red eats a hole in the leaf so the pair can communicate. “Come on up, Little Bug Blue, There’s plenty of sun for me and you.” As the hole becomes larger (in the Hungry Caterpillar style) the leaf becomes smaller. Finally pessimistic Bug Blue is left sitting on the stalk enjoying the sunshine but feeling lonely. The reader, however, will have spotted the cocoon dangling below. All is ready for the delightful surprise ending.
“My oh my, what a beautiful day
And two little bugs flew away.”

Trevor Agnew

FULL PUBLISHING DETAILS:

The House that Jack Built Gavin Bishop, Gecko Press, 40 pages,
Hb $34.99 ISBN 978-1-877467-60-8
Pb $19.99 ISBN 978-1-877467-61-5

Maori Language edition:
Koinei te Whare nā Haki i Hanga
Pb $19.99 ISBN 978-1-877467-79-0



Two Little Bugs Mark Sommerset, ill. Rowan Sommerset, Dreamboat Books, PO Box 700, Onerua, Waiheke Island, 40 pp, hb, $29.99
ISBN 978-0 -9864668-3-0

Christmas Picture Books

Christmas Picture Books for Young Readers:

A Kiwi Jingle Bells Yvonne Morrison, ill. Deborah Hinde, Scholastic, 30pp, board book, NZ$13.50

My Alfie Collection Shirley Hughes, Bodley Head/Random House, boxed set of four hbs, NZ$19.99

Marmaduke Duck and Bernadette Bear Juliette McIver & Sarah Davis, Scholastic, 32 pp, pb, $NZ19.50

Baa Baa Smart Sheep Mark Sommerset, ill. Rowan Sommerset, Dreamboat Books, , 24 pp, hb, $29.99

All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth by Don Gardner, ill. Katz Cowley, CD by Craig Smith, 24 pages, pb, NZ $26 [inc. CD]

Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig and the Christmas Baby by Diana Neild, ill. Philip Webb, Scholastic, 32pp, pb, NZ$19.50

Kiwi Corkers: The Elves and the Cloakmaker by Chris Gurney, ill. John Bennett, Scholastic, 24 pp, hb, NZ$18.50



I have always argued that books make the best Christmas present because they are easy to wrap. (A cynic would say it’s because they are easy to exchange.) The best books for Christmas giving are ones that will be read and treasured; kept and enjoyed down the generations.

Each of this month’s volumes is a treasure, ideal for Christmas purchase by parents or grandparents, who will then have the added pleasure of sharing in their gift’s enjoyment. Reading aloud is not only desirable; at this season it is compulsory.

A Kiwi Jingle Bells has been re-issued as a board book, to give babies something to get their teeth into over Christmas. Yvonne Morrison has converted James Pierpont’s much-loved song into a celebration of the Kiwi Christmas holiday while Deborah Hinde provides pictures of camping holidays, family picnics and beach barbecues. Baby won’t be able to read the words, which will give the whole family an excuse to sing:
“Christmas in New Zealand on a sunny summer’s day, ay.”

Shirley Hughes not only paints pictures of children who look like real children – wispy hair, rumpled clothes and a tendency towards chaos – but she also writes stories about children who behave like real children. Her four Alfie picture books – now brought together in a boxed set as My Alfie Collection – follow the adventures of a very recognisable three-year old. Alfie is the one who puts his new boots on the wrong feet, takes his security blanket to a friend’s birthday party and knows why his baby sister is crying. Best of all – in the classic Alfie Gets in First – it is irrepressible Alfie who gets locked on the wrong side of the front door, with everyone else locked out. These four warm, funny books may be 30 years old but Alfie’s exploits, and the emotions they generate, are as up-to-date as a new child. This is a set to treasure.

The most dramatic scene in Marmaduke Duck and Bernadette Bear shows an enraged bull rampaging in a honey shop. In the Marmaduke Duck picture book series, Sarah Davis has shown that she can paint any animal but she has never done better than her illustrations of the heart-broken Bernadette Bear looking at her smashed honey jars. (A Christchurch artist, Davis has dedicated this book to the memory of Johnson Brothers’ grocery shop in Colombo St – a quake victim.) Fortunately Marmaduke Duck is not only skilled at making marmalade but also at repairing friendships and restoring business confidence. Juliette MacIver’s cheerful rhymes and bouncy rhythms keep the sticky story light-hearted, making this a perfect book to read aloud.

Everyone should own an improper book, and Baa Baa Smart Sheep is a gleefully improper fable that won the Children’s Choice at the NZ Post Children’s Book Awards. Mark Sommerset’s picture book about a shrewd sheep and a gullible turkey has a cover warning: ‘Contains Mischief.’

Adults of a certain age will flinch at the memory of sentimental recordings of All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth but fear not. Craig ‘Wonky Donkey’ Smith has recorded an unsentimental version of Don Gardner’s lyrics that children can sing along to. There is also a monkey version, with ‘ook-ook’ sounds replacing the lyrics. This CD ties in nicely to the accompanying picture book, in which Katz Cowley has created the world’s cutest monkey - minus, of course, its two front incisors. Young readers will enjoy joining the Tooth Police in their search for the missing choppers and sharing in the happy ending of the final picture. Craig’s CD also includes a lively performance of Craig’s own dental-care ballad, Toothless, with its unforgettable lyrics: ‘It’s good to brush your teeth; it’s bad to shave your cat.’ Percussion by Craig’s teeth.

Picture books have two ways of approaching Christmas; one is to treat it as a secular festival, the other is to acknowledge its Christian significance (like Piggitty below). Lindy Kelly’s Christmas in the Bush follows the former template. Like so many children, Josh has parents who have separated. Spending Christmas with Dad on his back-country farm worries Josh; there is no sign of presents or Santa, and Dad keeps handing out tasks. Then, while he’s picking peaches, Josh spots a note, ‘If of surprises you are fond, you will find one in the pond.’ A series of notes take Josh into the bush, gathering little gifts – barley sugar, pocket knife, compass – until finally he discovers that his father has arranged the perfect Christmas present. This is a delightful story where Josh’s tensions are built up then quietly released as he realises just how much his father loves him. Lyn Kriegler’s illustrations of the bush setting have never been more brilliantly coloured.

Diana Nield’s bouncy verse tales of the Jig pig family from Karori have become an annual event; her sense of rhythm makes them a delight to read aloud. The fifth instalment, Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig and the Christmas Baby, has the family staging a Christmas nativity play. Bossy sister Emma is the director and young Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity is naïve enough to believe her promise of acting glory:
‘“Piggity, you have the leadity-role!”
She announced in a manner exuding control.’
Dreaming of being a prince or a pirate, Piggity is appalled to find that as baby Jesus, he will be wrapped in swaddling clothes and stuffed into his old baby cot (with holes drilled in the footboard for his hocks). Theatrical disasters, familiar to directors of nativity plays, ensue but – since this is Christmas – there’s a happy ending, captured in Philip Webb’s splendid water colour illustrations.
‘Then accolades poured with a standing ovation
For nine special pigs, and their fine adaptation.’

There are now 12 titles in the Kiwi Corker series of re-told classics, with their popular motto of ‘Hardbacks at paperback prices.’ Chris Gurney has re-cast the Brothers Grimm tale of the poor cobbler as The Elves and the Cloakmaker, as a New Zealand tale told in verse tale. A pair of over-worked Maori cloak-weavers is visited late at night by a helpful band of patupaiarehe – the fairy folk of Maori legend – who finish some incomplete cloaks, ‘weaving in feathers of red, green and blue.’ John Bennett’s colourful illustrations match the fun and help give a modern twist to the old tale. Finally the happy (and now prosperous) couple reciprocate with gifts of tiny clothes.
‘Gifts were given, good deeds done.

Merry Christmas, everyone!’

- Trevor Agnew, Nov 2011


[This review was first published in The Press, Christchurch for Christmas 2011.]

FULL PUBLISHING DETAILS:

A Kiwi Jingle Bells Yvonne Morrison, ill. Deborah Hinde, Scholastic, 30pp, board book, NZ$13.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-045-2

My Alfie Collection Shirley Hughes, Bodley Head/Random House, boxed set of four hbs, NZ$19.99
ISBN 978-0-370-33209-3

Marmaduke Duck and Bernadette Bear Juliette McIver & Sarah Davis, Scholastic, 32 pp, pb, $NZ19.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-033-9

Baa Baa Smart Sheep Mark Sommerset, ill. Rowan Sommerset, Dreamboat Books, PO Box 700, Onerua, Waiheke Island, 24 pp, hb, $29.99
ISBN 978-9864668-1-6

All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth, by Don Gardner, ill. Katz Cowley, CD by Craig Smith, 24 pages, pb, NZ $26 [inc. CD]
ISBN 978-1-77543-058-2

Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig and the Christmas Baby, by Diana Neild, ill. Philip Webb, Scholastic, 32pp, pb, NZ$19.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-038-4

Kiwi Corkers: The Elves and the Cloakmaker, by Chris Gurney, ill. John Bennett, Scholastic, 24 pp, hb, NZ$18.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-004-9