You are orators

I’ve received a number of emails from librarians over the years asking if I could make some books for girls. I’m so glad I got to make some books featuring inspirational Kiwi women such as Lisa Carrington, Stacey Fluhler (Waaka) and Kamelia Lino Zarka. Here’s another 3 books to this series of remarkable Wāhine Toa!…

I’ve spent the last two days in Napier and Hastings encouraging young people to believe in themselves and find out who they are  through reading. Finished at Hastings Boys’ High School whose motto is Ākina. This motto was given to them by local iwi and is a call to paddlers who may be losing energy…

I had an incredible week in Raro this week. The Cook Islands Ministry of Education invited me to come and share in their literacy week celebrations. I visited lots of schools on Raro, talking to young people, and being inspired by them. This photo comes form a writing workshop I did with children at Nukutere…

Today we had a cool celebration of 4 bilingual children’s books I worked on with young people of Māori, Samoan, Chinese and Hindi heritage. The kaupapa of the books is how to survive natural disasters. The theme of the series is: You Ready? You can get copies from Auckland Emergency Management.

I’m really proud of this book because it celebrates some of the greatest athletes from the islands of Oceania! You’ll be inspired by Valerie Adams, the unstoppable Tongan-Kiwi shot putter. You’ll cheer for Jerry Tuwai, the two-time Olympic gold medallist from Fiji. You’ll be amazed by Lisa Carrington, the first Māori woman to win an…

I’ve seen a few Book Week parades, where children dress as book characters, but I haven’t seen any do it the way Flat Bush Primary School does it. Dress as people you admire and are inspired by – they could be book characters, might be someone in your own whānau. Parade together as a whole…