Books and Beats

Books Books, books, wonderful books! CRISSI BLAIR picks out the best pages for all ages.

TOP PICK

North & South: A Tale of Two Hemispheres

By Sandra Morris Walker Books $30

A beautiful non-fiction picture book that moves through the months and seasons, contrasting creatures from the northern and southern hemispheres and different habitats. Both familiar and unusual animals make this a fascinating read. You'll want to share all the facts you didn’t know about these extraordinary animals – their food, behaviour, breeding, and environmental status, with maps, glossary, and beautiful watercolour illustrations and stellar design. Suitable for ages 7+

Kupu Tauaro – Opposites

By Kitty Brown & Kirsten Parkinson Allen & Unwin $18

One of a series of beautiful bilingual board books full of kupu/words in te reo Māori and English, with gentle coloured-pencil illustrations to depict the concepts. From the enormous friendly eye of the nui/big whale, contrasted with the iti/small shrimp on the cover, to the bird roto/inside the egg, then waho/outside. A handy tool for learning reo, and rich with potential for talking, building closeness and vocabulary. Suitable for ages 0-5

Where is the Dragon?

By Leo Timmers Gecko Press $20

The king is scared of a nightmare dragon and sends three oddball knights out into the night on a slapstick mission to save the realm. None of them has seen a dragon before but have heard about their sharp teeth, spikes and ‘flaming frying boiling scalding sizzling smelly breath'. The reader is a step ahead of the dim-witted trio and will love knowing what is really going on. Suitable for ages 3-8

Tiger Heart

By Penny Chrimes Hachette $20

Fly lives a tough life as a chimney sweep, and when she has the chance to escape, she takes it. She finds herself in a cage with a massive tiger and discovers that they can understand each other – and he thinks she is royalty. With a loyal troupe of tumblers as friends and a special talent for making people see what she wants, Fly embarks on an adventure to find her destiny and save the tiger. Suitable for ages 9-12

The Pōrangi Boy

By Shilo Kino Huia $25

People call Niko (12) and his koro/grandfather ‘pōrangi’ – crazy. Niko is bullied at school by students and a racist teacher. His whānau fight over a prison to be built on their iwi’s land, while his grandfather insists they must protect the local taniwha, Taukere. Niko steps up to continue the job after his koro dies, supported by his friend Wai, and faces serious challenges. With realistic dialogue, including te reo, and unflinching honesty, this isn’t an easy read, but a very worthwhile one. Suitable for ages 11+

Mophead Tu: The Queen’s Poem

By Selina Tusitala Marsh Auckland University Press $25

Stylish, entertaining and informative. Selina Tusitala Marsh, aka Mophead, was invited to be the Commonwealth Poet, writing and performing a poem for the Queen at Westminster Abbey in London. Read ‘Unity’ in the front of the book and learn about the writing process, the Commonwealth, colonialism and Selina’s experiences along the way. Awesome drawings with royal purple highlights and rich, dynamic text. Suitable for ages 8+

Win! We have ONE copy each of Where is the Dragon?, Mophead Tu: The Queen’s Poem and North & South: A Tale of Two Hemispheres to give away. Follow us for your chance to win @familytimesnewzealand

Music for little ears

By Kiwi Kids Music

Can You Make Music?

Music with Michal Album

musicwithmichal.com

Music with Michal’s debut album is the perfect blend of silly, meaningful, fun and heartful. It’s music the whole family will love!

Follow your heart

Kath Bee, featuring Sian Kerr Single

smarturl.it/fyhsian

Kath Bee’s songs cross a boundary. They’re for children, but adults love them too! Kath’s beautiful daughter, Siân, sings this one.

Waste Free Wanda

Album

wastefreewanda.com

Aotearoa’s newest superhero, Waste Free Wanda, shares a collection of 80s inspired tracks from her environmental rock opera.

Sing through the year - A little wild childhood

Claudia Robin Gunn Album

littlewildmusic.com

Claudia Robin Gunn shares 25 songs of the seasons, weather and the rhythms of nature for year-round musical fun.

Clear Water

Levity Beet Album

levitybeet.com

Levity Beet’s new EP release features five new humorous and heartfelt songs performed using five new musical inventions created from recycled, repurposed and reimagined materials.