Tauranga authors Debbie McCauley and Susan Brocker have been named as finalists in the LIANZA Children's Book Awards.
Two bilingual children's books by Ms McCauley, who is also a librarian, were announced as 2015 Elsie Locke Non-fiction Award Finalists. The award was established in 1986 and recognises a distinguished contribution to nonfiction for young people.
Her book 'Motiti Blue and the Oil Spill: A Story from the Rena Disaster' has been shortlisted. It tells the story a little blue penguin caught up in Rena's oil spill and has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. A review of the book by John McIntyre featured on National Radio's Nine To Noon program. Central TV News also interviewed Ms McCauley about the book.
Her second book in the awards is 'Taratoa and the Code of Conduct: A Story from the Battle of Gate Pa' which was produced for the battle's sesquicentennial in April 2014.
"It was created under an enormous amount of time pressure" said Ms McCauley, who was also helping to organise the Tauranga commemoration. Her fifteen-year-old daughter Sophie illustrated the book.
