Maria Gill always knew that she was going to write a book but didn’t expect to end up writing non-fiction for children. Over the years, she’s found a passion for real-life stories and has written on a range of topics from Rangitoto to native birds to homework.
Gill’s latest books, The Call of the Kokako and New ZealandHall of Fame- 50 Remarkable Kiwis are both carefully researched, beautifully designed, with full-colour features, and a focus on helping New Zealand children learn about important aspects of our country. Designed and illustrated by Heather Arnold, The Call of the Kokako not only gives fascinating factual information but also captivating images and detail about the kokako itself.
In The Call of the Kokako, Gill blends biological aspects with true stories, as well as giving the history of the preservation of the kokako. Gill collected her information from a wide range of sources including personal tales and historical accounts and her research saw her travelling all over the North Island to personally experience the recovery programme.
New Zealand Hall of Fame- 50 Remarkable Kiwis is a book that Gill had wanted to write for a long time. Like The Call of the Kokako, its illustrations (by Bruce Potter) and design are guaranteed to captivate young readers. The book is a series of ‘snapshots’ of famous New Zealanders and Gill notes that she wanted people with substantial achievements who had either been successful internationally or had influenced New Zealanders in some way. She particularly enjoyed the process of discovering lesser-known New Zealanders who’d made significant achievements such as Matahi Brightwater- master carver and seafarer.
The thing that first strikes you about each of Maria Gill’s books is the detail in the illustrations and design. Each book has a distinctive and unique feel and Gill takes a strong hand in ensuring that her books are as beautiful as they are informative. Each book has an original feel and Gill’s previous career as a teacher has meant that she is keenly attuned to the kind of books that appeal to children, “Whether it’s because it’s a really beautiful book, like the Kokako, or because it’s interactive, like Save Our Seas.
A passionate advocate of New Zealand non-fiction, Gill feels strongly about the need for teachers to use non-fiction in schools- not just for projects but also reading for enjoyment. She argues that creative non-fiction picture books are not about ‘dumbing down’ the information but about “… making it more accessible to a younger age group.” She’d love teachers to encourage students to dip in and out of non-fiction and not feel like they have to read it from beginning to end.
Gill also laments the dearth of non-fiction publishing in New Zealand at the moment. “What’s going to happen? There’s going to be no books about our wildlife, our environment, our people. We can’t let that happen. Schools and libraries need to buy more New Zealand books.”
So, while she didn’t expect this to be where her writing took her, Maria Gill is doing her best to keep non-fiction alive and published, for New Zealand children.
You can read more about Maria Gill and her books on her website.
