New Zealand Post Book Awards Finalists - Picture Book Category

Roadworks by Sally Sutton, illustrated by Brian Lovelock, published by Walker Books

Published overseas, Roadworks could find success well beyond New Zealand. It is a simple, onomatopoeic story that small and not-so-small children will love, with bold, bright illustrations and irresistible rhythms. For schools this would be a useful addition to a junior technology unit, as it ends with a page of Machine Facts. These illustrate, for example, the difference between a grader, a bulldozer, and a front-end loader in a totally straightforward way that the youngest child, or least technological adult, would have no difficulty understanding.



Every Second Friday by Kiri Lightfoot, illustrated by Ben Galbraith, published by Hodder Children's Books

Both this and Roadworks are in hardback format, and therefore look like the quality books they are. Ben Galbraith is the author/illustrator of the eco- fable The Three Fishing Brothers Gruff , published in 2006. His illustrations here match up well with Keri Lightfoot’s text in a humorous, reassuring story about family break-up, where Dad’s rather bizarre habits do not prevent his two children from realising how much he loves them

As always there is a varied selection of quality material in the picture book category, so much so that choosing a winner would seem to have the usual element of judging between apples and pears. However, previous years have seen greater variation— the 2009 finalists include neither Maori language or Sophisticated Picture Book titles, which perhaps will make things a little easier for the judges.

Reviewed by Cecily Fisher