Non-Fiction

NZ Writer & Designers

Maria Gill, cartoons by Malcolm Evans

Running The Country – A look inside New Zealand’s government

New Holland    2013   $24.99pb  48 pages

ISBN 978 1 8696 6396 4

Themes: Parliamentary procedures/ Prime Ministers – New Zealand

We have waited a long time for a book about New Zealand government written at a level for younger readers and this book will fill that big need. At first glance there seems to be almost too much on each page but once you understand the layout it is very easy to find your way around as the pages stick to a regular pattern. A timeline from 1250 to 2018 (!) sits along the bottom of each double spread and the ‘click here’ feature shows a variety of useful websites. For me one of the outstanding features of the book was the series of cartoon profiles by Malcolm Evans. Unlike many political cartoonists he has honed in on the more benevolent and vulnerable look of his subjects (except possibly for Richard Seddon) and I felt unexpected warmth toward even those who do not comply with my own political outlooks.

Year 6 up/ Age 10 up
(useful too for secondary students as a general overview)