Welcome to our Children's Librarian Picks, where our passionate children's librarians handpick the most delightful, heartwarming, and engaging books for young readers. Happy reading, little bookworms!
Children's Picture Books
The Odd Fish by Naomi Cartwright Jones
A new, oddly shaped fish has arrived in the ocean, and no one is quite sure what to make of it. Little Fish and crew decide to help reunite it with its family, learning about the environmental impacts of plastic along the way.
Theme: Recycling Week
Peppa's Magical Halloween by Lauren Holowaty
Peppa and all her friends at playgroup are very excited about Halloween! There are costumes to wear and games to play, and lots of Halloween ‘magic’ to share.
Theme: Halloween
Three baby owls are waiting their mother to return from her night hunt and are getting just a little bit worried. Luckily, Mum isn’t too far away!
Theme: Halloween
Whakarongo ki ō tūpuna = Listen to your ancestors
As a wise teacher grows older, she encourages her students to learn from the example of famous ancestors. She gives the next generation simple messages of days gone by: getting into nature, letting go of anger, anxiety and stress, and standing strong and tall.
Theme: World Teachers Day
Children's Fiction
Available in audio and print formats, Matilda is well-loved classic about a precocious child with neglectful parents who discovers that she has supernatural powers. Matilda applies these powers to rid the school of the evil, child-hating headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, and restore her kind teacher, Miss Honey, to financial security.
Theme: World Teachers Day
Children's Non Fiction
Junk Modelling : Upcycling craft projects for toilet rolls, cereal boxes, egg cartons and more
Encouraging reuse and recycling with stuff you already have around the house, these fun crafts are sure to keep kids happy and engaged with hours of imaginative play.
Theme: Recycling Week
Working with Tools by Zoë Armstrong
From our closest relatives, the apes, to the clever birds who build bowers and crack nuts, this beautifully illustrated non-fiction picture book tells stories of amazing animals that have learned to use tools.
Theme: World Animal Day
Wildlife of Aotearoa by Gavin Bishop
Long before waka touched Aotearoa's shores, the land of the long white cloud was home to an array of creatures uniquely adapted to its environments and protected by its isolation. Encounter New Zealand's incredible wildlife in this spectacular visual exploration.
Theme: World Animal Day
Young Adult Fiction
Life on the Refrigerator Door: a Novel in Notes by Alice Kuipers
Told exclusively through notes exchanged by Claire and her mother, Elizabeth, over a life-altering year. Their story builds to an emotional crescendo when Elizabeth is diagnosed with breast cancer. Stunningly sad but ultimately uplifting.
Theme: Breast Cancer Pink Ribbon Day
Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald
Seventeen-year-old Jenna, an ardent vegetarian and environmentalist, is thrilled to be spending the summer communing with nature in rural Canada, until she discovers that not all of the rugged residents there share her beliefs.
Theme: World Vegetarian Day