We hope you enjoy this month's selection of children and young adult books that our librarian has chosen to align with some significant days this month.
New Zealand Children's Day on 5 March
Presents the basic structure of a mihi (introduction in Te reo Māori). This beautiful board book for every New Zealand baby introduces ideas of me and my whanau within the form of a simple mihi or pepeha. A simple book to look at and share with babies, it can also be used as an introduction to a child's pepeha. Moves from waka, mountain, iwi, mama and papa to the reading baby. Ko toku ao tenei, this is my world.
Shelf location: Children's Board Book
International Women's Day on 8 March
Kate Sheppard : leading the way for women
When Kate Sheppard was a young lady jauntily exploring the streets of her new home in Christchurch, the world was a different place. Women did not ride bicycles or participate in outdoor activities like sports. And they certainly were not allowed to vote. But Kate wanted to do more, and she knew that women deserved the same opportunities as their male counterparts. Her campaign would become the battle of a lifetime. Includes an end section of facts about women’s rights around the world.
Shelf location: Children's Picture Book
Go girl : a storybook of epic NZ women
A collection of true stories about New Zealand women who have done extraordinary things. They strove for their goals. They weren't afraid to step up or speak out. They blazed a trail for others to follow. The 48 chosen women are presented in alphabetical order of their Christian names. Each entrant has a header page with a quote, the year they were born and died (if relevant), and where they lived. Then two pages of text covering their life history and a full page illustration.
Shelf location: Children's Non-Fiction
The fangirl's guide to the galaxy : a handbook for geek girls
Fanfic, cosplay, cons, books, memes, podcasts, vlogs, OTPs and RPGs and MMOs and more - it's never been a better time to be a girl geek. The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy is the ultimate handbook for ladies living the nerdy life, a fun and feminist take on the often male-dominated world of geekdom. With delightful illustrations and an unabashed love for all the in(ternet)s and outs of geek culture, this book is packed with tips, playthroughs, and cheat codes, including how to make nerdy friends, rock awesome cosplay, write fanfic with feels, defeat Internet trolls, and attend your first con. Plus, insightful interviews with fangirl faves, like Jane Espenson, Erin Morgenstern, Kate Beaton, Ashley Eckstein, Laura Vandervoort, Beth Revis, Kate Leth, and many others.
Shelf location: Young Adult Non-Fiction
Sea Week from 4 March to 12 March
Claire sees lava, sandy beaches, and undersea coral reefs on her island of Hawai'i. Yet she dreams of snow falling from the sky, snowflakes melting on her tongue, and most of all, building a snowman. See how Claire's dreams become 'real' as she learns to appreciate the island she call home.
Shelf location: Children's Picture Book
Tangaroa's gift - Te koha ā Tangaroa
The story of how Pāua came to have his colours. Pāua is sad and lonely. The other sea creatures mock his slowness and unattractiveness. Tangaroa, god of the sea, takes pity on him and gives him a dazzling shell of many colours. But the jealousy of the other sea creatures results in Pāua still being miserable, so Tangaroa decides to hide his beauty within his shell, where only he can see it.
Shelf location: Children's Picture Book
World Poetry Day on 21 March
Ray has no time for romance. She's queen of the roller rink, she writes found poetry, and she's got her eyes set on her own independent future. Besides, she's seen what loving someone too much – and losing them – can do to a person. Orion, on the other hand, would like to be smooth with the girls. Just once. He looks like the jock his father wants him to be, but really he's a hopeless romantic. When he spots Ray at the rink, it feels like the stars have aligned. But now it seems like something in their families' past will stand in their way, and cross their stars forever.
Shelf location: Young Adult Fiction
Wonder : the Natural History Museum poetry book
Wonder: The Natural History Museum Poetry Anthology is a beautiful gift hardback collection of nature poetry with a twist reflecting the contents of The Natural History Museum. The museum has a collection of over eighty million objects and behind the scenes of its 28 galleries crowd kilometres of preserved specimens, libraries of rare books and artworks, wonders gathered on some of the most famous voyages in history, rooms packed with pressed plants, warehouses teeming with stuffed animals and freezers full of DNA. As well as a museum, it is a state-of-the-art centre for discovery with over three hundred resident scientists and over ten thousand visiting researchers each year, investigating everything from dinosaurs to life on other planets. Wonder includes poems about space, planet earth, oceans and rivers, birds dinosaurs, fossils, wildlife, flowers, fungi, insects, explorers and their journeys and palaeontologists. Each section includes a general introduction and footnotes giving detail about the featured species. The collection is made up of brand new and classic poems and is illustrated with botanical drawings and engravings from the museum's collections. This incredible collection speaks of the wonder of nature and fills the reader with joy and awe.
Shelf location: Children's Non-Fiction
World Meteorological Day on 23 March
Sometimes bees get too big to be up in the branches, sometimes they fall and break their bones. This week both happened and Foreman said, 'Tomorrow we'll find two new bees.' Peony lives with her sister and grandfather on a fruit farm outside the city. In a world where real bees are extinct, the quickest, bravest kids climb the fruit trees and pollinate the flowers by hand. All Peony really wants is to be a bee. Life on the farm is a scrabble, but there is enough to eat and a place to sleep, and there is love. Then Peony's mother arrives to take her away from everything she has ever known and all Peony's grit and quick thinking might not be enough to keep her safe. How To Bee is a beautiful and fierce novel for younger readers, and the voice of Peony will stay with you long after you read the last page.
Shelf location: Children's Fiction
This book will save the planet : a climate-justice primer for activists and changemakers
This Book Will Save the Planet is a vital and timely illustrated study of the climate crisis that tells us exactly what we can do to help save the world we live in.
Shelf location: Young Adult Non-Fiction