“I always end up reading Watch Out for the Weka at school visits – it’s a super fun story to read aloud and has some funny pictures – or Tuatara: A Living Treasure where it’s fun to make the ‘pop’ sound as the baby tuatara pops out of the egg,” he said.
He also enjoyed fielding questions and anecdotes from students, as he often drew on his own experiences as a father to shape his work and the content presented in schools.
“Raising three of my own kids gave me a very good idea of what kids love and what fascinates them.”
Often his books sprang from activities that enthralled his children, such as tramping, rock pooling, bird watching, insect hunts in the garden and river swims.
“Kids naturally want to connect with nature; this is what my books are all about.”
Barraud is visiting Whanganui as part of the Writers in Schools programme from Read NZ Te Pou Muramura (formerly the NZ Book Council), in which around 40,000 tamariki are visited by hundreds of authors each year.
He will visit Tawhero and Aranui schools on Tuesday, November 7, and Churton and Mosston schools on Wednesday before an after-school event at the Whanganui District Library at 3.30pm.
The wonderful thing about the tour was getting to see parts of the country he would not normally get to see.
“I’ve been to Whanganui a few times and have had a very special time canoeing on the river. It’s a place I love and I’m very happy to be reconnecting with it,” he said.
