1. The Grimmelings by Rachael King (A&U Children’s)
The first book for young people in more than a decade from Christchurch writer Rachael King jumps straight into the top spot. From the Listener’s very favourable review: “A lonely teenager. Parents missing in action. A boy who appears from nowhere. An enormous black stallion. So far, so classic. Yet nothing is what it seems …
While each of these elements is present in many of the best books for children, King knits them together with more than a touch of magic to create a dynamic new adventure that will reverberate in the reader’s memory.
In her earlier children’s book, Red Rocks, it was selkies, the seal-like creatures of Scottish legend, around which the story was spun. This time it’s kelpies, those beguiling water-horse shape-shifters, taking centre stage in a story that starts in Scotland but ends somewhere in Central Otago.
At the heart of the story is Ella, isolated geographically and socially with her fatherless family – fragile younger sister Fiona, mother Morag and ailing granny Griselda, known as Grizzly – on a farm somewhere in the south of New Zealand.”
2. Bird Child and Other Stories by Patricia Grace (Penguin)
Patricia Grace’s new collection of short stories, published nearly two decades after her last. As Paula Morris’s Listener review notes: “Patricia Grace’s first book, Waiariki, published in 1975, was a collection of short stories, the first published by a Māori woman writer. Almost 50 years later she is still writing stories. If the pieces in Bird Child are her valediction, they express what Grace holds most dear as a writer: stories of her childhood and youth in a loving Māori and Pākehā family, and the Māori stories, ancient and modern, encompassing forest and freezing works, the pātaka and the Food Court, factory floors and hypocritical ministries with their endless reports and ignored recommendations.”
The collection can be divided into three sections: stories based around myths and legends; episodic, atmospheric stories about a girl named Mereana, clearly informed by Grace’s own youth; and stories largely written since Grace’s last collection, Small Holes in the Silence. “The deft and moving Matariki All-Stars is a stand-out example of Grace’s gift, evoking the complexity of family relationships and social issues in compressed short-story time. Her body of work is one of political activism as well as polished sentences, profound empathy and character-rich communities.”
3. 101 Ways to Find Calm by Rebekah Ballagh (A&U)
The Kiwi counsellor and wellness specialist presents exercises and methods, including mindfulness, breath work and yoga, on “how to safely feel and process your emotions, how to rewire your brain and nervous system, and how to deeply connect with yourself”. Read an extract here.
4. Patu: The New Zealand Wars by Gavin Bishop (Picture Puffin)
A beautifully illustrated, large-format account of the New Zealand Wars, aimed at younger readers but which clearly holds plenty of interest for adults, by the award-winning Bishop. The book, reviewed here, explores key characters, movements, battle sites and defining moments in the early years of colonial settlement, honouring all those who played a part, including Bishop’s Scottish grandfather, born in 1847. The clues that enabled him to trace his whakapapa? His mother’s middle names: Irihapeti Hinepau.
5. Aroha by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin)
The wisdom of 52 Māori proverbs explained by psychiatrist Hinemoa Elder in this bestselling book first released in 2020. An extract:
“Ko te mauri, he mea huna ki te moana – The life force is hidden in the sea.
“Powerful aspects of life are hidden in plain sight.
“This whakataukī stems from one of our famous ancestors from the north, Nukutawhiti. He cast his kura, his feathered cloak, into the Hokianga Harbour to calm the waters for safe passage. And this treasure remains there, out of sight, yet signifies the ancient presence of those that have gone before.
“This saying has given me strength so many times. I have always found it comforting because it speaks to the hidden magic of life.
“It reminds me of those things we feel intuitively but often ignore – we can choose to tune in to our gut instinct, for example, or wait until the messages become clearer and more obvious.
And it reminds me that we all have hidden powers inside us that we can too easily forget.”
6. Whakawhetai: Gratitude by Hira Nathan (A&U)
Hira Nathan’s inspirational bilingual gratitude journal, based on the Māori holistic approach to health, was released last May and is never far from the charts. The publisher’s blurb in part: “Kia ū ki te pai, kia whai hua ai. (Hold on to what is good and good things will follow.) Discover the four dimensions of hauora: taha tinana (physical), taha hinengaro (mental), taha wairua (spiritual) and taha whānau (family). No matter how difficult life can seem, there is always something to feel grateful for. Taking note regularly of the positives – no matter how small – in each of these areas of your life can have a huge impact on your health and happiness.”
7. Pee Wee the Lonely Kiwi Finds a New Friend by Blair Cooper & Cheryl Smith (Flying Books)
Children’s book about a kiwi looking for a friend, searching high and low, from sea to mountaintop. It was a top seller when it was first published in 2019 and now it’s popped back into the charts, for some reason. Will Pee Wee find a friend? You wouldn’t bet against it, though this one has something of a surprise ending.
8. The New Zealand Easter Activity Book by Sarina Dickson & Sarah Greig (Hachette)
Is it Easter already? In this book, kids are invited to join a group of forest fairies to “get creative with loads of mazes, dot-to-dots, games and activities to complete and colour in!” Features two pages of full-colour, Easter-themed stickers that you’ll later find all over the house.
9. The Girl from London by Olivia Spooner (Moa Press)
Another that’s been popular since its release last November is this historical novel, a “captivating, heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit”. Part of it is set in wartime London, when young teacher Ruth volunteers to accompany children to Australia and NZ. During the perilous journey, Ruth becomes friends with 9-year-old Fergus. Ruth’s attention is also diverted by Bobby, another volunteer. Then, in 2005, Hazel boards a plane to London, holding a book from her grandfather, Fergus, which will lead her to the truth. Find out more here.
10. Kai and Kindness by Jane Rangiwahia & Paul Rangiwahia (Huia)
This book, conceived during the first Covid-19 lockdown by a brother and sister duo, Jane Rangiwahia, a cook, and Paul Rangiwahia, an artist, is intended “to nourish the body and mind”.
“Their aim is to help start conversations about health and emotional wellbeing and promote positive action – whether it is in the kitchen or in the mind. The book is richly illustrated with the recipes and Paul’s artworks, and Paul’s inspiring ‘A Mental WOF’ frames short discussions about aspects of emotional and mental health. Jane’s delicious recipes are no-fuss and focus on making food to share with friends and family. Jane and Paul say, ‘The body goes where the mind goes, and they go well when they are both nourished.’”
(Source: Nielsen Bookscan NZ – week ending February 24.)
