Little Axel's Axolotl by Juliette MacIver, illustrated by Christopher Nielsen (Walker Books) Is an axolotl a frog or a reptile of some type? The Mexicans call it the Mexican Walking Fish - but it's not a fish either. They're also called the Peter Pan of Salamanders because they don't metamorphosis out of their tadpole like state. They are a type of Salamander but unlike other amphibians they don't lose their gills as they grow. They cannot live on land and spend all their lives in the water. The axolotl is found in lakes and rivers in Mexico City and are critically endangered - there's only 10 ..read more

Brave Kāhu & The Pōrangi Magpie by Shelley Burne-Field (Allen & Unwin) Poto was her father's favorite offspring but he had been shot dead and now it was just a hawk family of four; their mother, Poto and Whetū, and little brother Ari. Poto is good at hunting and flying - in fact, she's good at most things. It annoys her sister Whetū who gets cross with her. She's just jealous. They happily fly the valley hunting when disaster strikes. First their mother is killed by a flock of magpies, their brother is injured, and a seer friend predicts there will be an earthquake that will unleash a ..read more

Ruru: Night Hunter by Katie Furze & Ned Barraud (Scholastic) Most New Zealanders only have to step outside at night-time and they'll hear the sweet 'morepork' call of the ruru. Thankfully, they are quite common and not considered threatened. They're one of the few success stories of our native birds and that's not due to anything we've done for them. They are clever birds that have learned to adapt to the ever-encroaching humans in their environment. Because they're not endangered, they've had little attention in books. Katie and Ned have corrected this oversight. 'Ruru: Night Hunter' is ..read more

Ten Nosey Weka by Kate Preece, illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Bateman Books) Using a well known rhyme, Kate Preece has penned a counting picture book story with native New Zealand animals. And this must be one of the first books to include Moriori, Māori, and English words. On the left-hand side of the page is a number in the three languages, then a four-line stanza, on white paper. On the other side, is one of Isobel's glorious illustrations showing the animal in its habitat. (The illustration does bleed onto the left-hand side.) In small print there is another word to learn in the ..read more

Island Toes: Tamatama'i Vae o Motu  by Christin Lozano, illustrated by Mariko Merritt, translated into Samoan by Suzie-Jo Rasmussen (Oratia) Feet have often had a bad rap. Called stinky, hairy, and stubby. But ever since I laid eyes on my two children's toes (now 25 and 28 years old) when they were babies, I fell in love with their tiny feet. This book is a celebration of toes in all their many guises. The reader is introduced to all kinds of toes. It's also a book of opposites. My toes, your toes.  Clean toes, stinky toes. Flipper toes, jandal toes. Swimming underwater toes. H ..read more

The Flying Teddy by June Dooney, illustrated by Jess Twohill (CopyPress Books) Tommy Teddy is bored sitting on the end of Penelope's bed all day. He wants to become a bird and fly. But he doesn't have wings and he can't fly. That doesn't stop him from changing his name to Tommy Twit and going on a flying adventure.  Outside he meets Trevor Thrush who encourages him to fly up to a branch. But Tommy can't fly. He doesn't give up, though. Instead, panting and puffing, he climbs up to where the thrushes are perched. When the birds fly off, he steps off the branch and flaps his stuffed a ..read more

 The Proud Pūteketeke by Peter Millett, illustrated by Fifi Colston (Penguin) Most people have probably never heard of the Pūteketeke until the American comedian John Oliver, from HBO's Last Week Tonight, propelled them to international stardom. He encouraged people all around the world to sabotage New Zealand's bird of the century voting. (Are we the only country in the world to do this?) He encouraged people around the world to vote for the unknown bird - the Pūteketeke. And he succeeded. The Pūteketeke with its unusual hairstyle/feather ruffle, and its tendency to ..read more

My Nature Stories (Scholastic) Three New Zealand wildlife stories in English and te reo Maori in a jute gift kete. What a fantastic gift this would make. The books include: 'After Dark: Nocturnal Forest Creatures of Aotearoa' by Julia Crouth 'Down in the Forest' by Yvonne Morrison & Jenny Cooper 'Out in the Moana' by Yvonne Morrison & Jenny Cooper These three colourful picture books cover the land, the air, and the sea. 'In after dark' we meet a range of animals, such as the pekapeka, Archey's frog, the giant weta, the brown kiwi and others. Julia describes the landscape, each animals ..read more

Moto Mike the Motorbike: Nee Naw & Friends by Deano Yipadee & Bruce Potter (Scholastic) This is the third character spin off in the Nee Naw & Friends series. There's been 'Ellie Copter' and 'Dusty the Digger'. This time singer song writer Deano Yipadee has created 'Moto Mike the Motorbike'. At the annual pumpkin parade there are bright coloured floats, granny with her new cow and goats, as well as Farmer Tom on his tractor and his enormous pumpkin. And we can't forget Nee Naw the fire engine. But alas the bridge cracks and the tractor' s wheels jolt off the broken ledge, toppling ..read more

Quest for the Rose Diamond, by Samuela Noel Dsouza, 2023 Aqua lives in a dangerous world, one where people like her, Mysticlinians, are hated and hunted by non-magic humans. She and her friend Elora eke out a living selling Forbidden Objects, under the watchful gaze of their mentor Haze.  One day everything changes and Aqua, Elora and Haze are on the run. Joined by Eel, one of the people called Deep Ones from the underwater lands, their journey reveals secrets and pushes Aqua to unravel the past she thought she understood. The journey becomes a quest for joining the Rose Diamond: a group ..read more