Librarians' Choice for Children's Books 2009

News Release –Friday 29th May, 2009

From stories exploring the lives and ideals of family and communities to the reminiscence of roly-poly pudding the finalists of the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards are a true celebration of New Zealand writers and illustrators.

The LIANZA Children’s Book Award 2009 Finalists are:

LIANZA Esther Glen Award (Fiction)
Juno of Taris by Fleur Beale (Random House New Zealand)
Old Drumble by Jack Lasenby (HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Ltd)
The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner (Walker Books Australia)
The 10pm Question by Kate de Goldi (Longacre Press)
Violence 101 by Denis Wright (Penguin New Zealand)

LIANZA Russell Clark Award (Illustration)
Every Second Friday by Kiri Lightfoot, Illustrated by Ben Galbraith (Hachette New Zealand)
Herbert by Robyn Belton (Craig Potton Publishing)
My Favourite Places by Martin Bailey (Mallinson Rendel)
Oliver Goes Exploring by Margaret Beames, Illustrated by Sue Hitchcock (Scholastic)
Roadworks by Sally Sutton, Illustrated by Brian Lovelock (Walker Books Australia)

LIANZA Elsie Locke (Non Fiction)
Atoms, dinosaurs & DNA by Veronika Meduna & Rebecca Priestley (Random House New Zealand)
Back & Beyond: New Zealand Painting for the Young & Curious by Gregory O’Brien (Auckland University Press)
Juicy Writing by Brigid Lowry (Allen & Unwin)
Piano Rock by Gavin Bishop (Random House New Zealand)
High-tech Legs on Everest by Mark Inglis with Sarah Ell (Random House New Zealand)

Te Kura Pounamu (te reo Maori)
Mihiroa by Peti Nohotima (He Kupenga Hao i te Reo Ltd)
Nau te Rourou, Naku te Rourou by Rosalind and Waaka Vercoe (Huia Education)
Ko Maraea Me Nga Toroa by Patricia Grace, Illustrator Brian Gunson, Translator Waiariki Grace (Penguin NZ)
Toheroa by James Te Tuhi and Ross Gregory (Huia Education)
Hinemoa te Toa by Tim Tipene, Illustrator John Bennett, Translator Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira (Scholastic)

The Awards including New Zealand's longest-running book award, the LIANZA Esther Glen Award, are for excellence in literature, illustration, non-fiction and te reo Maori.

Prerequisite to selection as a LIANZA Judge is being a Librarian, along with passion to promote children’s experiences in the literary world; the Judges firmly believe reading and good books are the code to unlocking any child’s hidden potential.

The LIANZA Esther Glen, LIANZA Elsie Locke, and LIANZA Russell Clark Award judges are:

Belynda Smith (Panel Convenor), Takapuna Library Auckland; Pene Walsh, District Librarian Gisborne; and Colleen Shipley, Librarian Marlborough Girls College.

The Te Kura Pounamu Award judges are:

Alice Heather (Panel Convener); National Library Auckland, Kathleen Tamaki, Manukau Public Libraries and Haromi Williams, The Library and Information Advisory Commission and Tuhoe Education Authority.

The 2009 Award Ceremony will take place in Wellington on Monday August 10th at Caffe L’affare, College Street.

by Natterjack

Samoan Language Week - 24 – 31 May 2009

What are you doing to celebrate Samoan Language Week? Here's how library staff at Pomare School in Lower Hutt are learning Samoan, and welcoming Samoan preschoolers into the school community.

These cool posters are the artwork of Ken Ta’ase, Pasifika Education Coordinator, Ministry of Education.

Ken has been teaching the library staff at Pomare School some basic Samoan words and phrases to use when preschoolers from Fetu Ao O Pomare Aogo Amata visit the library each week.


The preschoolers, some of whom have older siblings at the school, also delight in helping the library staff to learn their language. At the end of a read-aloud session, the preschool teacher will translate the book into Samoan for them. The visits have become wonderful opportunities to enrich the language learning for all staff and children involved.

From Katrina Young-Drew

Wearing the Poppy: Why we do it and what it means by A.J. Toledo.

Yet another title capitalising on the surge of interest in all things ANZAC? Certainly not!

This simple, personal book opens the way for those of middle primary years to gain an enhanced appreciation of the "ANZAC" concept.

Certainly Gallipoli features, how could it not, given the subject? We follow one family of soldiers from the Dardanelles through the trenches and, for some, home to New Zealand. Toledo doesn't slip into the oh-so-easy trap of providing excessive military detail. There is enough to engage while at the same time providing personal insight.

The use of quotes ranging from "And the band played Waltzing Matilda", and "In Flanders Field" to family letters, produce an accessible and personable narrative that focussed on the author's Uncle, Jock MacKenzie. It is clear that Toledo gets to know "Uncle Jock" through researching and writing the tale. And so do the readers.

The focus on "the poppy" as the remembrance symbol of ANZAC is very interesting. How many knew it was an imported tradition and that the poppy wasn't worn in New Zealand until 1922? Or that New Zealand is unusual in commemorating 25 April, ANZAC Day, not 11 November, Armistice or Remembrance Day, by donning the poppy?

The subtitle is accurate. WHY we do and WHAT it means are simply, yet brilliantly examined by Toledo in a title that is a must for all primary schools.

Recommended.

Reviewed by David

HarperCollins 2009

Darkness Slipped In by Ella Burfoot

We often judge a book by its cover.

Don't let this cover fool you. Ella Burfoot's title, Darkness Slipped In is skillfully written and illustrated.

Darkness is a cool, funky dude, slick and shiny black. As the story progresses you are soon aware Daisy is not afraid of the dark, instead, as Darkness slips in the window, Daisy happily invites Darkness to play a game, drink lemonade and play another game until bedtime. When they are sleepy Daisy turns off the light and Darkness snuggles in around Daisy.

This rhyming story trips merrily across the pages and the artwork is fab - u - lous. A reassuring book for children who may be fearful of the dark.

Reviewed by Coral

Published by Kingfisher

Leaving home by Jan Michael

A real gem this story. Set in Malawi, the main character is a teenage boy, Sam, whose mother dies of AIDS after his father has previously died the same way. The city boy is then sent to live in the country in a life style that he is not used to and with family that he does not know. He feels unloved, unwanted and put upon and he is as sad as it is possible to be. How does he cope? read it and find out. You will not be disappointed.

The strength of the story is, it is African, and things are explained and dealt with in an African way, which is quite different to a European way. You can smell the African dust and hear the monkeys on the roof.

Through the story you learn of the devastation that AIDS has made in Africa and the social and economic consequences of this horrible disease. Sam's life is not easy but he learns to accept others and to have hope for the future.

Suitable for Intermediate and junior high school students.

Reviewed by Bob

Published by Andersen Press

Take me back to the beginning

Dorling Kindersley, 2008

There is nothing subtle about the metallic gold cover of this book, but it is certainly eye catching.
In between the bold (if not downright brassy) front and back covers are 300 equally eye-boggling pages which are an equally bold attempt to capture the entire sweep of human history “from the stone age to the digital age”. The work of a large team of editors, designers and contributors, it employs just about every visual and literary gimmick applicable to the printed page. Whether or not it works as a history book is probably a matter for some debate. It is at least less Eurocentric than most general history books for young people. It is most certainly an entertaining page-turner! New Zealand gets two mentions: one in the double page spread on Captain Cook (done in the style of a blog), and the other in a spread on the British Empire showing Queen Victoria, feather duster in hand, gloating over her glass-domed collection of colonies. Fun for the whole class! Particularly recommended for intermediate and junior secondary level.

Reviewed by Pamela

“Seen this century: contemporary New Zealand artists. A collector’s guide”

“Seen this century…” was designed by the author, as the title suggests, as an introduction and guide for buyers looking to invest in the art market. Brown has chosen 100 artists who have come to prominence in art galleries, auction houses and in the media since 2000. These artists work in a range of different media and the styles represented are as broad as is possible. Despite his intention to produce a guide, Brown has also created a fabulous and fresh book for secondary level art students looking for inspiration.
The book is chock full of excellent colour reproductions but I feel would be more useful to the art student than the art historian due to the small amount of biographical text on each of the artists. Highly recommended for secondary art students and art teachers.

by Natterjack.

New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults

We've argued and argued about who would win this year. But now the judges have put us all out of our misery!



And the winners are:

Picture Book category:

Roadworks by Sally Sutton, illustrations by Brian Lovelock

Junior Fiction category:

Old Drumble by Jack Lasenby

Non-fiction category

Back & Beyond: New Zealand Painting for the Young and Curious by Gregory O'Brien

Children's Choice award:

The Were Nana by Melinda Szymanik with illustrations by Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson

Honour Award for the best first book:

Violence 101 by Denis Wright

And the winner of the Senior Fiction category and New Zealand Post Book of the Year is:

Kate De Goldi's 10pm Question

Old Drumble by Jack Lasenby

Finalist in the New Zealand Post Book Awards
Junior Fiction category (and winner of this category)

We have reviewed all the other entries in the junior fiction category but have not managed to fit this one in yet.
But here goes - with a review from Olivia, who is in year 7.

"Old Drumble is a fantastic book by Jack Lasenby about a little boy named Jack Jackman, Andy the drover and Old Drumble, the smartest drover's dog there ever was. A drover, by the way, is a person who shifts cattle and sheep across roads and paths from field to field.

Old Drumble is written in a quirky and different way with funny chapter titles, descriptive wording and interesting questions thought up by Jack that really make you think - e.g. if his street is flat, then which side is the top and which is the bottom? They have equally interesting answers as well.

The book is about the stories that Andy the drover tells Jack about his best droving dog - Old Drumble. About once every week he'd let Jack help him drive the sheep and cattle down Ward Street, and not a step further! - as his mother always said.

That dog had many adventures - he held the whole river up with his bark, he won the Te Aroha races. He even made cattle walk across a tightrope blindfolded.

Old Drumble must be the best children's chapter book this year. I recommend it for children 8 years and up and I'd give it 81/2 out of 10 at least! I hope that you'll read this fantastic book for yourselves to find out more about this engaging story."

Thanks Olivia

Published by HarperCollins

Big Burly Blokes read to Tiny Tots

It was a high-adventure and literary morning at the City Care yard as three Big Burly Blokes, three finalist titles from the picture book category, lots of heavy machinery and students from Addington Primary School junior pupils got together to celebrate the New Zealand Post Book Awards with a special event at the City Care yard on Milton Street.

Driver Dean got the show on the road, roaring up in his baby (a huge 5 ton grader) and leaping from the cab with Piggity Wiggity Jiggity Jig in hand. The kids (and adults) loved it.

Conrad, asphalt cutter, brought in a heavy load of Duck's Stuck. Further delighting the students. They were concerned Conrad might get stuck too, so assisted by directing him in and all yelling STOP! When his truck got into position.

The morning drew to a close with road construction worker John reading Sally Sutton's Roadworks - taking the kids through all the stages of making a road:

" Shout hooray! The work is done. Ready now? Let's Zoom.

Drive along your brand- new road. Toot! Honk! VROOM!"

Could it get any more authentic, any more larger than life?

Thanks to the New Zealand Post Book awards Canterbury region organising committee, and City Care for organising this event - and well done to the guys!

See the coverage on TV One news last night

And look out for What Now! this coming Sunday (24 May) for more of the reading and the children.

There Was a Hand in the Darkness and It Held a Knife - Great First Sentences

What's your favourite first sentence in a novel?

The publisher of one recent teen book has focused its marketing on the book's first sentence, quoting Frank Cottrell-Boyce, author of Millions: “One of the best first sentences I’ve ever read and a book that lives up to it!”

Here is that first sentence: “The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don’t got nothing much to say. About anything.” The dog’s first sentence in the book is: “Need a poo, Todd.”

Want to know more? Read the book, The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness. I found the book, a deeply philosophical action-packed science fiction thriller, excellent, in a nail-biting sort of way, and think it would be a popular addition to secondary libraries.

This year's Newbery Award winning book existed for many years as a first sentence only. To quote the author:

I had a notebook with the words, “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.” That was definitely going to be the first line. I had begun and given up on the opening many times, and suddenly I thought, I can start in the middle. So I did.

To find out more, read the School Library Journal interview of Neil Gaiman, the author of The Graveyard Book. Or check out our Create Readers blog posts here and here.

So what do you think makes a great first sentence in a book? Maybe you could hold a competition with students and teachers putting forward their favourites. Perhaps your students could devise their own great first sentences. As always, we would be very excited to hear about your ideas in the comments below.

Payback by Michelle Kelly

Finalist in the New Zealand Post Book Awards
Junior Fiction category

Riley is short in stature - but when taunted about this, his response is “Yeah? Well, you’re ugly …. and I’ll grow”. Riley’s height challenge is the central plot in this story, but it is also about meeting life head on and being comfortable with yourself.

Riley has a couple of good mates and sport is a theme running through the story. He gets on well with his mother and father, although another of Riley’s life’s difficulties is their separation.

I wonder if Michelle Kelly has got the 14 year old Riley exactly right, but it is a witty book, and I can imagine it being enjoyed by readers from Year 7 and up.

Reviewed by Beth

Published by Scholastic

Enemy at the Gate by Philippa Werry

Finalist in the New Zealand Post Book Awards
Junior Fiction category


This book was a pleasant surprise since I didn’t think the cover was attractive or inviting. However the story and the writing is wonderful. It seems to plonk you fair and square in 1930’s New Zealand and one gets a real sense of what life was like back then for ordinary New Zealanders.

Tom and his family in Lyall Bay are not poor. But they are not wealthy either. Tom’s father would love a car, but it seems a long way off. Tom and his mate Charlie can wander down to the beach any time for play, or for Tom to run – he wants to be the next Jack Lovelock, and this is just one of the ways that Philippa Werry places the story firmly in this era.

The “enemy” in the title is “the infantile” the colloquial expression for Poliomyelitis. An epidemic is affecting children around the country and the schools are closed for some time.

There is a lot of history in the context of this story – school lessons in newspapers because of the epidemic, the abdication of Edward VIII, the huge celebration marking the coronation of George VI, the newly built Wellington Railway Station, even the movies that were popular at the time and movie stars like Shirley Temple. There are a few pages at the back of the book explaining the story behind real characters who appear in the story.

A brilliant book - and it would make a good read aloud for year 5-8.

Reviewed by Beth

Published by Scholastic

Piano Rock

Finalist in the NZ Post Book Awards, Non Fiction category.

By Gavin Bishop. Published by Random House, 2008

This delightful autobiography of Gavin Bishop’s early life in the railway town of Kingston, is also strongly reminiscent of everyday events in New Zealand during the 1950s. It tells of his boyhood friendships, of being outside building huts, eating griddle scones, of the arrival of his new baby brother, and the Queens visit, not to mention Guy Fawkes, catching eels and eating marmite and lettuce sandwiches. The short chapters make it an easy read for children over 8 years, but it is the artwork, from the cover and endpapers to the colour, sepia, and black and white drawings throughout that really bring the story to life.
The addition of a glossary is a great feature for those with a limited knowledge of 1950s New Zealand, who may want to know what a box brownie,a tilly lamp and brylcreem are.

Reviewed by Joy

'The Book Thief ' by Marcus Zusak

This book will enchant you with its powerful language, its intelligent portrayal of the feisty character of Liesel Meminger and her deeply profound story set against the Holocaust.

The war had already begun for the people on Himmel Street in Molching when nine-year-old Liesel is sent to live with the Hubermans. Hans Huberman, her foster father helps her overcome her fear of reading and a trauma her young mind has yet to contend with. Rosa, her foster mother loves her in spite of her outbursts of verbal profanity. Liesel even finds her soul mate in Rudy Steiner, the lemon haired boy who aspires to be the next Jesse Owens.

The author has interwoven a vast of array of characters, each distinctive and clearly defined with an integral part to play in this amazing narrative. For example, Death the narrator of the story although a nonconcrete entity, is very believable a character. Death provides brief snatches of information that act as a precursor of events to come. It is Death who gives Liesel the moniker of 'The Book Thief' because of her penchant for stealing books.

My favourite part of the book is the story 'The Standover Man' written by Max Vandenberg. Max is a Jew in hiding and the storybook is a gift to Liesel that he writes on scraps of painted over paper that he tears from Hitler's Mein Kampf.

This is a book you will want to read again or read aloud to enjoy its many nuances. It is sophisticated, as it is refined.

This book has a lot to offer to senior secondary students in terms of its characterisation, its very effective use of language and its dealings with subjects of conflict, survival, and identity.

By Janice Rodrigues

Boys into Books 5-11 - Part 2

Last week I blogged about the Riveting Reads Plus: Boys into Books 5-11 list, from the British School Library Association. Have you had a chance to read this publication's excellent and full introduction? You haven't? Check it out, its chock full of great ideas about getting boys reading. Or, for you very busy people, here's the Create Readers Digest version...

The introduction, as well as the booklist, is by Chris Brown, editor of the review section of The School Librarian (a British journal).

Boys like to read:

• fiction that is very direct (lots of action, humour and larger than life characters)
• fiction linked with high profile TV series or movies
• books related to favourite topics, activities or sports
• bright, user-friendly, well-illustrated non-fiction
• print in many forms - magazines, web sources, collectors cards, etc
• comic-strip style and manga
• poetry with pace, rhythm, rhyme, and often humour
• series fiction
• variety:

  Boy readers need jokes, anecdotes, comics, awfully corny juvenile funnies, all-action thrills and more demanding novels alongside each other and intertwined to enrich the whole of their reading experiences.

Chris Brown also discusses the important role that libraries play in encouraging boys to read.

Juicy writing Inspiration and techniques for young writers.

Finalist in the NZ Post Book Awards, Non Fiction category.

By Brigid Lowry Published by Allen & Unwin, 2008


This useful book is crammed full of practical ideas to get the teenager’s creative juices flowing. What do you need to begin? Where can you find ideas? How can you make your writing better? What can you do if you get stuck? Brigid Lowry’s inspiring style of writing, encourages the young reader to open their minds, choose one of the many ideas, starters or exercises and get writing. In the contents section she has some quirky titles like 'Sunflower and seeds' (writing is a bit like gardening), 'Real juicy' (tell it like it is), and 'Getting juicy on the net' about surfing the Internet for research, blogging, writers' websites etc. to capture the imagination. For teenagers (or any age) who think they may like to start writing this is definitely an ideal book to dip into for both inspiration and techniques.

Reviewed by Joy

New Zealand Post Book Awards - more Picture Book Category finalists

Duck’s Stuck by Kyle Mewburn with illustrations by Ali Teo and John O’Reilly

Kyle Mewburn’s Kiss Kiss Yuck Yuck was the winner that really mattered in the 2007 NZ Post Awards, taking out both the Picture Book and the Children’s Choice titles. It must be very satisfying for the judges when their opinion coincides with that of the country’s young readers, and it doesn’t happen as often as it perhaps should.

Mewburn’s 2009 finalist, Duck’s Stuck, could well be another winner for this Central Otago writer. It is funny, bright and attractively illustrated. The rhyme flows well, it would make a great read-aloud, and it is a clever fractured fairytale combination of The enormous turnip and greedy Winnie-the-Pooh’s close encounter with a rabbit hole. It even provides a junior level introduction to a few basic principles of physics.

However, unlike the very well-presented Kiss Kiss Yuck Yuck, this book has come out only in paperback format. Presumably cost is a feature here, and it would certainly be a shame if production costs were to restrict the amount of quality New Zealand material available at this level. But a good book deserves to look good, and the proliferation of thin, paperback New Zealand titles around makes it difficult for libraries to display them as well as they deserve. Three of the five finalists for this year’s awards are in this format only, and I think it is a pity.

The Were-Nana : NOT a bedtime story by Melinda Szymanik with illustrations by Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson.

While this also has fractured fairytale elements, they are those of a much more sinister tale. Anderson’s lovely-but-scary illustrations capture perfectly the shadowy elements in this (not entirely reassuring) story of how a bullying brother is taught a lesson by the mysterious Nana Lupin. This might be a little too dark for younger children--although it is the kind of darkness that has always been a large part of traditional folklore.

Piggity-wiggity Jiggity Jig by Diana Neild with illustrations by Philip Webb.

This is a sunnier tale altogether. It has, in fact, already had its moment in the sun as last year’s chosen read-aloud for Children’s Book Week, and it proved to be an excellent choice. A sequel to the story about a young pig embarrassed by his name is already in the bookshops, and has the same qualities. Piggity-Wiggity is a great read-aloud, full of rhyme, rhythm, repetition, and rollicking family love, suitable for a wide age range.

Reviewed by Cecily

Published by Scholastic

High-tech legs on Everest

A finalist in the New Zealand Post Book Awards: Non Fiction category.

By Mark Inglis with Sarah Ell. Published by Random House 2008

Written in diary form, this book is an honest and frank description of Mark Inglis ascent of Everest. It starts with his ascent of Cho Oyu where he tests himself prior to his attempt on Everest, and then goes on to describe in gripping detail the Everest ascent and return, post climb surgery and his recovery to full strength again. Based on his first book, Legs on Everest, this version is written especially for the younger reader, however, visual descriptions and photographs of the damage to his stumps and fingers is graphic, and may be disturbing to some readers, but is a necessary part of this story.
It is very readable, gives biographical detail, and the photographs and information boxes through out provide plenty of background information. This book tells the remarkable story of this incredible man and tells it in such a way as to leave the reader filled with admiration for him, but also inspired by what can be achieved with a ‘can do’ attitude.

Reviewed by Joy

Chicken feathers by Joy Cowley, illustrated by David Elliot

A finalist in the New Zealand Post Book Awards
Junior Fiction category.

Semolina the chicken is Josh’s pet, and she talks to him – not that Josh’s mother and father, or anyone else, believe him. But Semolina’s power of speech is ultimately a good thing for the chicken farm where they live. The family are going through a rough patch with Josh’s mum in hospital and Grandma (who is not the easiest person to like) coming to look after Josh and his Dad.

This is a sweet and funny story. It has a very old fashioned innocent feel to it and would make a great read aloud to middle primary children.

Reviewed by Beth

Published by Puffin Books

Here’s Joy Cowley’s letter discussing Chicken Feathers and also mentioning Snake and Lizard.

"Juno of Taris" by Fleur Beale.

New Zealand Post Book Award finalist: Senior fiction.

Juno of Taris is a science fiction story set on an island in the
Southern Ocean. The plot is fast moving with a good sense of tension. It
Revolves around the strong female character Juno who, as a teenager, is
questioning the validity of the rules and power structures established
to preserve her community during a period of extreme crisis.

Juno¹s quest is for truth. Does the need to survive still justify the
Rules and rituals, that for 200 years, have dominated Taris?
Does Juno have the strength to overcome the mind games, and physical
hardship necessary to find the answer to this questions?

Fleur Beale has created an accessible futuristic plot that encourages
thought, because of its links with today¹s scientific realities.
Students at a secondary level will relate to Juno as a person and will
Find the story an interesting catalyst for discussion around the topics of
genetic engineering and authoritarian structures.

Barbara Smaill.

Boys into Books 5-11

Remember last week's blog, here, about boys and non-fiction? This week, I'm going to talk about some great examples of books that many boys love to read. They are also books that lots of girls love to read.

Back in August 2007, when Create Readers was just getting going, I blogged (here) about the "Riveting Reads Plus: Boys into Books 11-14" list on the British School Library website. This is a list of over 160 books to attract and enthuse boys of 11-14 about reading for pleasure.

Since then, this post has continued to be one of our most frequently linked to pages, showing that the topic of boys and books is continuing to be of keen interest to our readers.

Last year, Britain's School Library Association wrote another publication, chock full of wonderful books for boys aged 5-11. It is available in full for free download as a PDF document.

If you haven't yet seen it, you can download Riveting Reads Plus: Boys into Books 5-11, here.

This list focuses mainly (but not only) on books by British writers. It includes mostly recent books, published within the last 3 years, with some older favourites. The list is divided into sections on Youngest; Middle Years; and Older Readers. The latter section is a good one to look at if you have good readers at your Primary/Intermediate school who want meaty stories without the teenage content that is not right for them. Each section includes areas of interest, for example dinosaurs galore for the youngest; middle year funnies; and fantasy for the older readers.

As we discussed last week, boys often love non-fiction, and this list does not disappoint, with separate sections on Folk Tales, Myths and Legends; a substantial list of General Information Books; and Poetry.

Watch out next week for more information about getting boys reading.

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