The Children Act by Ian McEwan is a peep into the way the justice system works. It deals with England’s 1989 Children Act, which placed the welfare of…
The cover photo says it all, really. A gorgeous chocolate layer cake piled with berries, being given its finishing touches by a smiling Jo Seagar. In a brief…
Popular children’s author Michael Morpurgo brings an original take on the Pinocchio tale by telling it in the first person. It’s a chunky little book at 266 pages,…
Learn numbers – from one to one million! – with amazing art and objects from Te Papa, and fun rhyming text in this gorgeous board book. There are…
“The reason why death had such a hold on Tsukuru Tazaki was clear. One day his four closest friends, the friends he’d known for a long time, announced…
Susan Greenfield is a British neuroscientist who has presented to the House of Lords. In Mind Change, she discusses research and her concerns about what changes technology might…
Night Sky Watcher is a slim yet substantial 120 pages, this book comes inside a plastic case with an eye-catching silver zipped edge. It covers stars, planets, constellations,…
Sarah O’Neil (Sarah the Gardener) who wrote The Good Life, is back with her second title to motivate Kiwi gardeners – Play in the Garden. With 120 pages…
Winner of The Great British Bake Off in 2011, Jo Wheatley has released her second cook book: Home Baking. Jam-packed with both sweet and savoury recipes, Home Baking…
The Baby Bjorn Active is a fantastic baby carrier when your out and about or even trying to settle your little one at home. It has great back…
Want some original, stylish and inexpensive projects to make for your children’s rooms? Want to get creative (and a bit messy!) with your kids? Home Made Simple with…
Lego’s 2015 annual is a mix of a broad range of puzzles along with short comic stories. Each of the 59 pages is glossy, with high quality images…
Alistair Wise and Teena Kearney-Wise grew up and completed their pastry and bakery apprenticeship in Hobart before heading off for cooking adventures. They have a love of things…
My son had severe eczema spots at 6 months old that were constantly oozing and bleeding, we tried a lot of steroid creams and lotions – most of…
While the old saying says you shouldn’t judge a book by a cover, We Were Liars by E Lockart looked like it would be a fantastic book. And…
Angie Dennis is a New Zealand artist with a passion for native flora and fauna. In The Adventures of Walter Weta and Flutter the Fantail, Dennis explores new…
My little 16 month old has been managing to half escape from her car seat by getting her shoulders underneath the straps. She leans forward, very happy with…
Callum Hunt has been told all his life by his father that that magicians can’t be trusted. So when he is tested for magical ability he intends to…
The Lascal Mini BuggyBoard™ is a compact board for a toddler/preschooler to stand on at the back of a buggy. The Mini is particularly useful for umbrella strollers…
Mark loved punctuation. For starters, it looked funky, and its symbols are understood in all languages. There’s a sign for an exclamation and a question, a dollar, brackets,…
From the writer of Daddy is my Hero comes the new release, My Mummy is Magic. It weaves a tale of all the amazing things mummy can do.…
Teddy One-eye has a rough and tumble life. He is dragged around, chewed on, loses an eye and is often left outside at night. But his many patches…
What happens when a chameleon encounters a small wiggly creature and they engage in a conversation? In I Am Not A Worm! You will find out exactly what…
Fangks milk mixes are kids’ drinks that come in strawberry and chocolate. They’re full of vitamins and minerals and sweetened with Natvia.
Bert has been preparing for this for a long time. He is ready. Mentally and physically. But before he takes the plunge, he might need a bit of…
Wolf is an easy to read dark thriller, by popular international best seller Mo Hayder. This novel is the 7th in the Detective Jack Caffery series.
The Lascal Maxi BuggyBoard™ is a universal attachment to put behind strollers/buggies/pushchairs, for toddlers or preschoolers to stand on.
This book has been a popular title in France for some time, and has now been released in English. I can see why it’s a hit! 20 pages…
Beautifully Brilliant Books are a collection by Nicholas Rumble, who has long dreamed of writing and publishing books. The collection currently consists of 7 books, which are written…
Lots of people are looking for alternatives to sugar these days and Natvia Stevia and Norbu Sweetener are two great options.
The relatively new series of brightly-illustrated books on transport by Catherine Foreman is called ‘Machines and Me’. Trains is one title in this series, which also includes planes,…
Standing in line can be dull, but not when you mix tigers and frogs, sheep and skunks. But what could be worth waiting for…? From Japanese writer and…
Pom and Pim’s day is full of ups and downs, and luck both good and bad. Is eating a huge ice cream truly a good idea? Is it…
IMPROV for Kids The Improvisors Circa Theatre, Wellington 29 September – 11 October 11am (no Sunday performance) $10 per person It sounds like a recipe for disaster –…
Nice, wooden furniture for small people is a great investment, I think. And setting up a zone for little ones to be busy at, which is safe and…
Sand by Hugh Howey is a science fiction novel about a world buried under sand with survivors eking out their existence by diving through the sand to salvage…
Rufus is a bear who just wants to enjoy a cup of tea in the sun. But this is not as easy as you might think! Rufus and…
Bear Grylls – he’s a hero of sorts. He chose to live his life on the edge after being inspired by a number of other heroes, and this…
Tottie and Dot are two little girls who live side by side. Life is very peaceful until one day the girls begin competing with each other to create…
Best Mates is a story about three school friends who go to war together. One is killed and buried at Gallipoli, the other two survive and remain friends,…
From their website: Learn about and be inspired by the sculptures on Wellington’s waterfront. Experiment, learn and have fun with shapes, patterns, prints, colours, new materials and ideas…
Key Word Kids is an educational therapy app designed to help children with language development. While created specifically for children with language delays or English as a Second…
Anna and Roger Wilde are a Nelson couple with a passion for eating healthy, delicious food. All the meals in Real Fresh Gluten Free Food are gluten free…
In The Year my Life Broke, Josh and his family are forced to move to a small town because of a change in their financial situation. Josh goes…
Exposure is the fourth book in the popular ‘Virals’ series starring Tory Brennan, niece of Temperance Brennan (‘Bones’, to those who watch the popular TV series). It is…
How to Build a Girl is a vaguely autobiographical coming of age story. Johanna Morrigan completely embarrasses herself on national TV, so she decides to rebuild herself as…
Rusty goes to the department store with his mother and Henrietta and Toby. But his nose soon leads him astray and on a new adventure. Where is Rusty?
Hanspeter Nüesch has done an admirable job collecting a huge variety of information to present in this book, which is essentially about the love story between Ruth and…
Great for keeping kids’ feet warm, the Kids Oxford boots are cosy for small people. They are made from the quality sheepskin and a sturdy sole that keep them…
Tiger wants to bake a cake. A chocolate cake. But rabbit has a weakness for carrot cake. Monkey wants a banana cake. Dog is licking his chops thinking…
I’m sure those of you who eat a gluten free diet will agree that it’s hard to find an exciting gluten free cookbook. Well you’ll be thrilled with…
Poor little Rabbit doesn’t want to go to school…
Rollie is a vertical grill designed to cook eggs (and other things) in minutes. The egg pops out in a sausage shape and is super easy to chop…
You may be familiar with the original version of Gavin Bishop’s The House that Jack Built and this is a te reo Maori re-release of this popular book.…
New in Dave Gunson’s children’s wildlife pictures books is NZ Plants. With 24 pages of full colour images that explore our native and common flora, it is a…
One of my new favourites, Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas is a lovingly told tale about Elizabeth the elephant seal, who swims down Christchurch’s Avon River and refuses…
A collection of recipes from New Zealand’s favourite bakers, Sweet Treats to Share is a beauty of a book. Those who lend their pen to this collection include…
I’m not really a very technological person but I was interested to see how the ASUS T100 Tablet computer compared to the iPad that I’m used to. It’s…
Many kiwi kids have the privilege of growing up near the sea everyday. My two year old regularly loves a trip to look at the ‘crabbies’ on our…
This is a baking book with a romantic feel, offering sumptuous recipes with stunning images. With classics that have been honed to perfection amongst creative recipes and many…
Disney On Ice is a whistle-stop tour of some of your favourite Disney characters. With the added excitement of being an ice-skating show, this is good fun for…
The newest title in Diana Noonan’s Best-Loved Bear series is The Best-Behaved Bear. It is a gorgeous, original story illustrated by Elizabeth Fuller. Kiwi children have been reading…
Profoundly moving, eye-opening and heartrending, Another Mother’s Love is the story of Karen Scott and her family who take in a New Zealand foster child. Despite battling the…
Many readers will be aware of Beale’s earlier novel I am not Esther; this new book – I am Rebecca – is the recently released sequel. I am…
“It’s true – there are very few Maui’s dolphins left – and every one matters.” The Last of Maui’s Dolphins written by Maria Gill and illustrated by Bruce…
An Awfully Big Adventure explores the truth behind World War One. Through energetic songs and moments of both great humour and poignancy, this show commemorates the 100th anniversary…
We got sent the Magic and Makutu book by David Hair to review a while ago, but it’s the sixth in the Aotearoa Series so I felt that…
Who’s hiding? Who’s crying? Who’s backwards? Can you tell? Look again…18 fun-loving animals can be found on each question-posing page. This popular Gecko Press book was originally passed…
For the first time Lynley Dodd’s famous Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy is available in Maori. Translated by broadcaster, actor and writer, Waihoroi Shortland.
Heaps of fun is to be had in reading kiwi team Juliette MacIver and Jenny Cooper’s The Moose and the Goose. Rhyming text carries you on a journey…
Mrs Mo’s Monster is about a monster eating all kinds of stuff. Mrs Mo asks the monster if he wants to try a new thing and the monster…
Once again Capital E has created a fantastic holiday program. My 5 ½ year old granddaughter and I were thrilled to see the lastest show ‘Grandad’s Lucky Storm.’…
Food Tube is Jamie Oliver’s YouTube community of food lovers – the series showcases the most popular talent on the channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JamieOliver One of the first three books…
I kicked off the school holidays by taking my four year old boy and six year old girl to the Wiggles Concert – The Apples and Bananas tour…
The ASUS T100 is a compact laptop tablet, which runs on the Windows platform. It’s a well-priced device that is great for families.
Chosen with 6 and 7 year olds in mind, these are energetic collections of wonderful children’s stories. They are written by some of New Zealand’s leading writers for…
Food Tube is Jamie Oliver’s YouTube community of food lovers – the series showcases the most popular talent on the channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JamieOliver One of the first three books…
123 ELEVATOR, exclusively for iPad, is a unique introduction to numbers, counting and basic cognitive skills for children aged 1–4. The present release includes the first in-app pack…
Dani’s been trying her best to stay happy ever since her best friend Ella moved away. But when some girls in Dani’s class start being cruel to her,…
The ASUS Transformer Book T100 is an affordable tablet laptop which, quite simply, performs. It’s snappy and user-friendly and has amazingly fast processing power.
Food Tube is Jamie Oliver’s YouTube community of food lovers – the series showcases the most popular talent on the channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JamieOliver One of the first three books…
The premise of The Calorie Myth is that the traditional way of thinking about calories in vs calories out is flawed science. Instead, much research would appear to…
One Step Too Far follows the life of Emily as she leaves her family (inexplicably) and becomes Catherine in her new life. It isn’t about the people she…
How do you solve a mystery when you can’t remember the clues? Elizabeth is Missing is a “Guaranteed Great Read” from Penguin, so if you don’t like it,…
The Brother ScanNCut is a brilliant machine for crafters. It’s an amazing way to make cutting designs that have a professional quality. The ScanNCut Fabric and Paper Cutting…
Hollywood’s golden couple have been kidnapped. A gang calling themselves No Prisoners is holding the city to ransom. Enter international PI firm, Private. Two individual stories are woven…
Each day, Grasshopper asks Tree what day it is and Tree gives him an unexpected answer. Written by Tania Norfolk and illustrated by Chris Norfolk, this brother and…
When novelist and columnist Sarah-Kate Lynch turned 50 she declared ‘A Year of Me’ and set off in search of the key to happiness…
It was Joe and Ellie’s bedtime. But Joe and Ellie were not in bed. The New Babysitter tries all kinds of tactics, but to no avail. However the…
The Asus T100 is a tablet computer running Windows 8.1. It comes with a keyboard cover that acts as a docking station turning it into a small computer…
Cook With Me is a collection of recipes from MasterChef NZ winner Aaron Brunet – it is a sophisticated but accessible cookbook that is well worth picking up. Having…
I confess, I’ve a little bit of a fascination with larger families and how they ‘make it work’. Four children is probably considered a large family nowadays (though…
I am just an average basic cook. I opened this book and thought, well – please! I do know how to boil, poach, fry and scramble eggs. I…
Veganissimo is a comprehensive new vegan cookery book by Sydney-based vegan advocate Leigh Drew.
Award-winning children’s author, Pamela Allen’s stories are brought to life for New Zealand audiences in Mr McGee and the Biting Flea. Emerging from dozens of suitcases and crates,…
Cross My Heart is a great read by a great author. There are two unrelated stories woven together that are both edgy and keep you wondering how they…
Lighthouse Family by Wellington author Phillipa Werry is one of the young adult NZ story series. This story offers a snap shot into the life of a fourteen…
From the author who wrote The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, Stay Where You Are and Then Leave is the story of five year old Alfie Summerfield and how the…
A lightweight, compact folding travel stroller that provides dual functionality of car seat compatibility to easily transform into a fuss free urban travel stroller – perfect for today’s…
Wolf and Dog are cousins. Wolf is wild and Dog is tame. Wolf lives in a forest on top of a hill. Dog doesn’t. Dog has a basket.…