Special Pre-School Storytime and Kids Press Conference!

All systems are go, down at Central Library on Monday the 14th of August as the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults kicks off with a day full of exciting events. These unique awards celebrate the wonderful writers and illustrators from Aotearoa who give us so many great books to read and help to shape our identity as a country. I’m sure many of you have already been reading some of the finalists along with getting clips on your HELL Pizza Wheels!

The day starts with 3 fantabulous Storytime sessions featuring finalists from the Book Awards so come along to hear the stories being read by their very own authors and illustrators.

Storytime sessions

9.30am: “My Grandpa is a Dinosaur” read by Richard Fairgray and “The Day the Costumes Stuck” read by Toby Morris. Both of these books are very funny and destined to become family favourites. What would you do if your Grandpa’s pants needed tail holes? Imagine if you couldn’t get your party costume off and your parents didn’t even notice!

 

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Come and Celebrate Matariki!

As the nights draw in and the days get shorter it’s time to snuggle up and share stories with friends and family. Step back in time and discover the myths and legends of long ago that helped shape Aotearoa. Listen to the legends of Matariki and how those stars came into being so that next time you look up at the night sky it will have a whole new meaning for you.

This is the time to celebrate the Māori New Year and we would love you to join us for a special Matariki story time. Come and write a wish on a star and hang it up for the New Year – wishes for your family, peace in the World or your best friend. What’s your wish going to be?

Star Wishes from the 19th – 30th of June at Wellington City Libraries

 

Matariki Story Times:

Tawa: 1st June 6pm

Brooklyn: 19th June at 6pm

Central: 21st June 6pm

Kilbirnie: 22nd June 6pm

Johnsonville 23rd June 6pm

Khandallah: 29th June 6pm

Keep looking at the blog for more about Matariki!

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori: Māori Language Week

arohatialogoKia ora tamariki! That means ‘hello kids’! This week in Aoteroa New Zealand we celebrate a very special event that doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world: Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week.

When English speakers began arriving in New Zealand over 200 years ago, Māori was the main language spoken, and many settlers had to learn te reo so that they could trade with the Māori people.

However, as more Pākehā (white skinned) came to our country and Māori people learned to speak in English, te reo was used less and less.

At school, Māori children were often encouraged to speak in English only, and some were even punished for speaking in their native tongue.

iStock_000008775653SmallBy the mid-late 1900s (about 50 years ago), very few New Zealanders were able to speak fluent te reo, and people became concerned that the Māori language was dying out.

As a result of this, te reo Māori was recognised as an official language of New Zealand in 1987, and Māori Language Week was started the same year to help promote the language and encourage the use of te reo Māori in everyday life.

Nowadays, te reo is a well known aspect of Māori culture and an important part of New Zealand’s history. It is taught in schools and kindergartens, and children can even go to special schools called Kura Kaupapa that only speak in te reo.

The use of Māori words in everyday life is also much more common, and you have probably seen signs in te reo around your local community, at the library and at school.

iStock_000018236895SmallBut even though we have made some really great improvements over the last 30 years, we still have a long way to go. You can do your bit by using te reo this week.

Here is a useful phrase to get you started:

Q. ‘Kei te pehea koe?’ (How are you?)

A. ‘Kei te pai!’ (I am good) ……….Or you might also be ‘harikoa’ (happy), ‘pouri’ (sad) or ‘hemokai’ (hungry).

Check out our Māori language books on the library catalogue!

 

Matariki: What is it all about?

iStock_000002751348SmallMatariki, the Māori New Year, means ‘tiny eyes’ or ‘eyes of god’ and is celebrated in June when a small group of stars called Pleiades rises above the horizon, bringing the old year to a close and starting a new year.

According to myth, when Ranginui, the sky father, and Papatūānuku, the earth mother, were separated by their children, the god of the winds, Tāwhirimātea, became so angry that he tore out his eyes and threw them into the heavens.

Various Māori tribes celebrated Matariki at different times. Some held festivities when Matariki was first seen in the dawn sky; others celebrated after the full moon rose or at the beginning of the next new moon. The full moon was celebrated in Wellington on June 6 this year, making the start of Matariki.

iStock_000008775653_SmallMatariki is celebrated for the rest of month, and different tribes and Iwi celebrate the New Year in a variety of different ways. Traditionally, Matariki was a time to finish storing food for the winter, weave new clothing and baskets, listen to the stories of our ancestors, and learn about the natural world.

Nowadays, New Zealanders are more likely to get together with family and friends, talk about Māori myths and culture, look at the stars through telescopes, and watch kapa haka performances.

If you want to learn more about Matariki, head on over to our catalogue, or check out the Kiwi Families website for heaps of cool ideas and craft activities.

You can find out about Matariki events in Wellington at the Matariki Wellington website.

 

2015 NZ children’s book award finalists announced

Pirates, orcas and penguins leap from the pages of the 22 books picked as finalists in the 2015 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

2015 is the 25th year of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, and the judges have just announced a great line up of finalists. These are the best books written by New Zealanders in the last year, so best you go and grab them off the library shelves.

Do you want to help choose the winners in the NZ Children’s Book Awards? Be part of the Children’s Choice voting and have your chance to vote for the NZ books you think are the best.

Picture Books:

Construction by Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock

I Am Not a Worm by Scott Tulloch

Jim’s Letters by Glyn Harper and Jenny Cooper

Keys by Sacha Cotter and Joshua Morgan

Little Red Riding Hood . . . Not Quite by Yvonne Morrison and Donovan Bixley

 

Non-Fiction:

Ghoulish Get-Ups: How to Create Your Own Freaky Costumes by Fifi Colston

Māori Art for Kids by Julie Noanoa and Norm Heke

Mōtītī Blue and the Oil Spill by Debbie McCauley

The Book of Hat by Harriet Rowland

Under the Ocean: explore & discover New Zealand’s sea life by Gillian Candler and Ned Barraud

 

Junior Fiction:

Conrad Cooper’s Last Stand by Leonie Agnew

Dragon Knight: Fire! by Kyle Mewburn and Donovan Bixley

Monkey Boy by Donovan Bixley

The Island of Lost Horses by Stacy Gregg

The Pirates and the Nightmaker by James Norcliffe

 

Young Adult Fiction:

I Am Rebecca by Fleur Beale

Night Vision by Ella West

Recon Team Angel: Vengeance by Brian Falkner

Singing Home the Whale by  Mandy Hager

While We Run by Karen Healey

 

Māori Language Award:

Hoiho Paku by Stephanie Thatcher

Ngā Ki by Sacha Cotter and Joshua Morgan (Translated by Kawata Teepa)

 

 

Did you know that Prince George will receive a copy of each of the winning books? He’s going to have an amazing collection of great NZ books!

The winners will be announced on the evening of Thursday, 13 August at Government House in Wellington.

 

Celebrate Waitangi Day with these free events in your libraries

Apirana Taylor: Saturday 3st January, 11am – 12pm, Wellington Central Library.

Bring the kids along to a special story session with renowned author, actor and storyteller, Apirana Taylor. Known for his charismatic and engaging style, Apirana will tell traditional tales accented by taonga pūoru and whai (string games).

 

Kōhunga Kōrero: Tuesday 3rd February, 10.30am, Newtown Library

Join us at Newtown Library for a Waitangi day themed session of our regular storytimes in te Reo Maori. 30mins of stories, rhymes, waiata and fun! Suitable for 3-6 year olds and their whanau.

 

Kōhunga Kōrero: Saturday 7th February, 10.30am, Wellington Central Library

Join us in the Children’s section for a special te Reo Storytime with a Waitangi Day theme. 30mins of stories, rhymes, waiata and fun! Suitable for 3-7 year olds and their whanau.

 

 

These events are free and open to everyone. Bookings not required. More Information.

Have a go at Te Reo

Kōhunga Kōrero – monthly storytimes in te reo Māori are starting next week! Head along to the library for 30mins of stories, waiata, rhymes and fun, and it’s all in te reo.

It’s all free, lots of fun, and perfect for 2-6 year olds and their whanau.

The first session is at Miramar Library, 2pm, on Tuesday 27th January.

You can find the schedule at our children’s event’s page, also check out the library’s event calendar for specific dates.

 

Find your local Kōhunga Kōrero session:

1st Tuesday of each month at 10.30am
Omāroro (Newtown) Library
13 Constable Street, Newtown

2nd Monday of each month at 10.30am
Korimako ki Ngāio (Cummings Park) Library
1a Ottawa Road, Ngaio

3rd Tuesday of each month at 2pm
Waitohi (Johnsonville) Library
5 Broderick Road, Johnsonville

4th Tuesday of each month at 2pm
Motukairangi (Miramar) Library
68 Miramar Avenue, Miramar

 

 

Whakanuia te Wiki o Te Reo Māori!

A5 Flyer MAORI frontCelebrate Māori Langauge Week!

Haere mai ki te Whare Hapori o Paparangi mō ngā pūrākau, ngā waiata, ngā rotarota hoki i te reo Māori

He pai rawa mō ngā tamariki nohinohi me ō rātou whānau, nau mai, haere mai ki a koutou katoa

 

Kei Whea: Newlands Community Centre, 9 Batchelor St, Newlands

Āhea: Te Rāpare 24 Hōngongoi, 2.00 – 2.30 i te ahiahi

 

 

 

Come to Newlands Community Centre for stories and songs in the Māori language

Great for preschoolers and their families, everyone welcome

 

Where: Newlands Community Centre, 9 Batchelor St, Newlands

When: Thursday 24 July, 2.00-2.30 pm