Showing posts with label Conservation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conservation. Show all posts

Saturday, 3 August 2013

NON FICTION


NZ Writer and Illustrator
Dave Gunson
The New Zealand Wildlife Activity Book
New Holland    2013   $24.99pb    64pages
ISBN 978 1 8696 6389 6

Themes: Mask making/ New Zealand wild life/ Out of door activities

There must have been so many hours of work in putting this book together with its hundred of ideas for activities in the out of doors aimed at creating a deeper understanding of our diverse wildlife and with a big emphasis on having fun and enjoying it all. Although the book looks as though it is aimed at individual children there is ample scope for teachers and leaders to photocopy pages and use them as the basis for many outdoors project. This just arrived in my box yesterday and I can’t wait to have an opportunity to try it out with a group of ‘conservation’ kids!

Preschool up / Age 4 up



A Little Throwaway News

I had a great time in the Rangitikei at the beginning of the week including a visit to the small but charming Bulls Public Library where every centimetre of space has been well utilised. I also visited National Library in Palmerston North and it was good to catch up with librarian friends there.  I didn't get to do white water surfing but did walk along beside the river.
I was sad though that having initially ‘run away’ from shaky quaky Wellington to get a couple of good night’s sleep, my motel was night beside the arterial road and I was awake all night (s) to the noise of long haul trucks, lorries and what sounded like unoiled tractors.
Entrance to National Library Palmerston North

Sunday, 14 April 2013

Mature Readers - Age 13 up

NZ Writer
David Hair
Ghosts Of Parihaka 
HarperCollins 2013   $24.99pb   303 pages
ISBN 978 1 8695 0932 3
Themes: Conservation/ Fantasy/ Maori people of New Zealand/ India/ Parihaka -  New Zealand 
Book Five in the Aotearoa series 



Matiu Douglas is with his classmates on a trip to Parihaka – an unassuming small place that was the scene of much historical, cultural and political importance during the 40 years between 1860 and 1900. When his friend Riki is snatched into the Ghost World of Aotearoa during the trip,  Matiu is forced into some decisions that may have deadly consequences. This is the fifth title in the series where past and present mix, seemingly seamlessly. For readers who have been following the series the author says this in an epilogue: …You’ll know how the Aotearoa series works: The Ghost World is an afterlife that collects the souls of those tied closely to its history, and who feel passionately about the land (for good or ill). This means of course that some of the characters are real people… 
 Book Six, the final in the series, is in preparation. 
Year 9 up/ Age 13 up