Fairy Tales

This is Cinderella as you have never seen it before. The story of Cinderella has been told over and over, but has never been touched by the magic found in this book. This book captures the essence of Cinderella perfectly. The story is beautifully told, with equally beautiful and eye catching illustrations.

Quiz whiz. 4, 1,000 super fun mind-bending totally awesome trivia questions.

Ready to absorb mind blowing facts and test your intellect? Then check out this amazing book jam-packed full of brain tickling multiple choice and true or false questions. This book also presents one thousand trivia questions and answers on various subjects, from biology and technology to mathematics, history, and popular culture, including innovative map, photographic, and game show quizzes.

Genius! The Most Astonishing Inventions of All Time.

Read this book and check out all you need to know about the great (and sometimes surprising) inventions that created our 21st-century world, and the brilliant, and often brave, inventors who dared to think the unthinkable and do the impossible. From Archimedes machine for carrying water up hill, to Edisons electric light bulb; from the Wright brothers first powered flight to the Saturn V space rocket; from Gutenbergs printing press to Tim Berners-Lees creation of the worldwide web each gripping story of invention, struggle and perseverance is told in fascinating detail. Great for kids around the age of 9+ with an interest in technology, science and history.

4 new children’s non fiction to curb those winter blues

Katie5 June, 2015

The Oxford Treasury of Fairy Tales.

Relive your favourite fairy tales time and time again by reading this amazing book. Escape into a world of knights and princesses, wicked witches and talking frogs. A must have book!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles: a visual history of modern transportation featuring 100 iconic designs.

Depicts one hundred iconic vehicles and innovative examples from transportation history presented in a timeline that can be read back to front, top to bottom, and right to left. Illustrated in stunning detail by the talented Mike Lemanski, this book beautifully captures the evolution of transportation design in a single shot. Overall this book is fantastic!

Motiti Blue and the oil spill.

This book tells the story of a little blue penguin named Motiti Blue, who was covered in oil as a result of the oil spill from the Rena shipwreck. Also goes into detail about his rescue, the treatment he had at the Te Maunga Oiled Wildlife Response Unit and his release back into the wild. Overall a very fantastic book jam packed with amazing photos, especially of cute little blue penguins.

Rachel Carson and her book that changed the world.

Retells the story of Rachel Carson, a pioneering environmentalist who wrote and published “Silent Spring,” the revolutionary book pointing out the dangerous effects of chemicals on the living world. A great book to read if you are interested in conservation, biology and marine life

6 new New Zealand and fairy tale non fiction just in time for winter.

Katie11 May, 2015

Operation Nest Egg Chick.

“Deep down in a dark burrow, a father kiwi snorts and snuffles in his sleep. Underneath him , a large creamy egg lies snug and safe from pilfering predators.” Read more in Operation Nest Egg Chick, a creative non-fiction story about a BNZ Operation Nest Egg chick. Each page features beautiful illustrations, photographs and text boxes about how kiwis are being saved. A must have read!

Snow White : 4 beloved tales.

Retells the classic German version of Snow White, together with three similar tales–Marigo of the Forty Dragons from Albania, The unnatural mother and the girl with a star on her forehead from Mozambique, and The magic needle from Turkey

Rapunzel : 3 beloved tales.

Retells the classic German tale of Rapunzel in the tower, along with the similar tales of Clotilde from the Philippines, and Petrosinella from Italy.

Little Red Riding Hood Stories Around the World: 3 Beloved Tales.

Retells the classic German version of the fairy tale of a girl and a wolf, along with similar tales from Italy and Taiwan.

Alice‘s food A-Z : edible adventures.

Written by Alice Zaslavsky – one-time Masterchef contestant and the host of TV quiz show Kitchen Whizz, this book contains information about all the things you ever wanted to know about food… and some things you probably didn’t. Packed to the brim with funny food facts, clever cooking tips and kidfriendly recipes, this is a book for the fact-hungry, food-obsessed or those who like to mess about in the kitchen. A great book to have on hand, especially with winter around the corner.

New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame : 25 Kiwi champions.

This book features information about 25 famous New Zealand sportspeople across a wide range of different sporting disciplines. Includes a caricature, an action photograph, a profile of the person, timeline, inspirational quote, description of the sport, training regime and trophy board. One book you must read!

New Non Fiction for the new year.

Katie21 January, 2015

Animalium.

Welcome to Animalium. The book or museum as they call it is open all hours. This book is amazing because it houses an astonishing collection of more than 160 animals for visitors of all ages. The sky’s the limit when it comes to information about animals. You will also learn how animals have evolved, see inside the dissection laboratory, and discover the amazing variety of habitats on Earth. One book you definitely must read!

Creature Features.

Ever wondered why animals look the way they do? This book explains why. Packed with many cool facts and visuals on where certain animals live and what they eat, this book captures twenty five humorous and very true explanations of why animals look the way they do in order to exist in this world. Another awesome read!

Children‘s book of magic.

Looking to unleash your inner magician? This book will help you in achieving that goal. Children‘s book of magic will help you learn the secret of magic and put on your own astounding magic show with these 20 step-by-step magic tricks to try at home. In addition, you will also learn about the history of magic from ancient Egypt to the present day exploring the secrets behind some of the greatest magicians from Harry Houdini to Albertus Magnus. From coin tricks to sleight of hand The Children’s Book of Magic explains the best magic tricks for kids through engaging step-by-step sequences helping you master the perfect trick.

Little Red Riding Hood.

Hopefully many of you know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the story where you to learn valuable lessons about trusting sweet-talk and talking to strangers in her treak across the woods. However I don’t think you have had the privilege and the pleasure of checking out this new edition, translated by Anthea Bell and illustrated by Sybille Schenker. This book is in a word, beautiful! Complete with intricate die cuts, patterned prints, bold lines and basic colors to create a haunting journey through the familiar Grimms tale, the combination of Schenker’s illustrations/design and Bell’s graceful translation simply takes my breath away.

Encounters with the past.

Check this amazing series that will take you into the past and learn anything and everything you have always wanted to know about the Ancient Romans, Ancient Greeks and Medieval Folk. Ideal books to use for history projects and great for ages 8 years and over.

New Non Fiction: Just in time for Easter and School Holidays.

Katie14 April, 2014

With summer now over, Winter is slowly entering the Capital with the cold and nasty periods of gale winds, rain and the odd storm. Also with the school holidays and Easter around the corner, why not pop down to Wellington City Libraries and check out a new range of non fiction in the Children’s collection for your enjoyment and pleasure, especially as we now have some new handicraft books to give you ideas on potential gifts you can give to your family and friends over Easter, or the odd birthday party here and there.

Check them out here!

The Book of Complete Nonsense.

Are you in the mood for nonsense poems? I am! All your favorite authors including Julia Donaldson, Spike Milligan, Roald Dahl, Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll and a whole lot more are featured in this fantastic book of rhymes and riddles that are bound to fry your brain. As an added bonus author, Michael Rosen provides tips on how you can write your own nonsense poems. Fantastic to use if you have a creative writing homework assignment.

Africa : everything you ever wanted to know.

In the mood for another ‘not for parents’ read? Check out this new book on everything you ever wanted to know about Africa. This book opens up a world of amazing facts and stories (probably facts and stories your parents don’t even know) about the people, places, History and culture of Africa. Another brand new read from the Country Series Book from Lonely Planets that is not a guidebook and it is definitely not for parents. Great for ages 8 to 11 years.

Also check out last month’s new ‘not for parents’ release: How to be a dinosaur hunter : your globe-trotting, time-travelling guide.

Philip Pullman’s Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp.

The author of The Dark Materials Trilogy brings to life one of the greatest and classic Arab-Persian stories, (although the story is set in China) ever told. Be prepared to go on a magic carpet ride when reading this vivid retelling of Aladdin, a poor tailor’s son who becomes a wealthy prince with the help of a magic lamp he finds in an enchanted cave. This is a story that has everything – comedy, drama, fantasy, magic, fear, excitement and a terrific plot.

Brilliant Badges to make yourself.

With School Holidays and Easter just around the corner, this is the perfect book to keep you entertained and give you gift ideas on what to give your family and friends over Easter and even the odd birthday here and there. There are fantastic ideas on how to make your own badges, including how to creat a dotty dinosaur badge, a paper-mache cat badge, a funky bow tie badge, a lollipop badge, a birthday badge and a feathery chicken badge (A great badge idea for Easter!) Great for kids aged 8 to 12 years.

Crafty Creatures.

Forget buying soft toys when you can make your own, (or maybe get your mum or your nana to help). This book is a treasure trove of animal toys/projects to sew, knit and cross-stitch. It includes over 30 projects ranging from practical phone pouches and coin purses to delightful felt cats and teeny tiny animals ideal for necklaces and key fobs. My personal craft idea favorites from this book are the sock monkeys, ducklings and bunny girls (another gift idea for Easter), giraffes and my little pony, (No, not the Hasbro toys.) Another handicraft book to keep kids entertained over Easter and school holidays. If I could knit or sew, then I would be devouring this book like there was no tomorrow.

Get Stuck into Some Fab New Fiction!

admin1 July, 2013

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Leisl Shurtliff

Relates the tale of Rumpelstiltskin’s childhood and youth, explaining why his name is so important, how he is able to spin straw into gold, and why a first-born child is his reward for helping the miller’s daughter-turned-queen

Hold Fast by Ble Balliett

On a cold winter day in Chicago, Early’s father disappeared, and now she, her mother and her brother have been forced to flee their apartment and join the ranks of the homeless–and it is up to Early to hold her family together and solve the mystery surrounding her father.

Finding Fortune by Pippa Goodhart

Ida’s mother has died, and now Grandmama has plans for Ida that don’t include her beloved Fa. But Ida is not going to let Fa travel to the Klondike in search of gold on his own. She must find a way to go with him, whatever it takes…The long, tough journey will push the two of them to the limit, but it also helps them to decide what kind of life they really want back home.

Super Sister and the Birthday Party by Gwyneth Rees

“Emma and Saffie are off to Granny’s house for the summer to practise their superpowers. Soon the gnomes are doing the gardening, the dolls are coming to life and the washing-up is doing itself! It’s Grandpa’s birthday soon, and Saffie decides to use her powers to throw him the best party ever – whether he likes it or not. What could possibly go wrong?”–Back cover.

The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint

Twelve-year-old Lillian, an orphan who loves roaming the woods looking for fairies when her chores are done, is bitten by a deadly snake and saved through the magical forest creatures in this expansion on the author’s and illustrator’s previous work, A circle of cats.

New Non Fiction that will leave you spellbound!

Katie30 April, 2013

The Ultimate Moshlings Collector’s Guide.

Move over Pokemon, there are very cute, cool and collectible creatures to catch! Check out this new and amazing guide book on the Moshlings! Monstro City’s top Moshling collector, Buster Bumblechops, shares his tips on collecting all the little Moshlings roaming wild in the world of Moshi Monsters! Buster is the ultimate collector and this awesome book is packed full of his stories from years of Moshlings tracking. Find out how to plant the right seeds to attract Moshlings, and how to keep them entertained once you have adopted them! As well as Buster Bumblechop’s collector’s notes the guide contains extracts from his diary plus an exclusive extra Moshling (available only with this guide). Great for anyone a fan of Pokemon and Digimon.

Spellbound: Tales of Enchantment from Ancient Ireland.

If you are bored with Fairy tales and Greek mythology, why not try out Irish Folk Tales? This book is a wonderful treasure that holds a collection of seven stories from Ancient Ireland linked by themes of magic and enchantment that are that will make you spellbound! Great for kids aged 6 to 9 years, who love adventure, romance and the occasional nasty shock.

Horrible Histories: The Beastly Best Bits – The executioner’s cut.

Well, Terry Deary has done it again! More horrible histories for your viewing and reading pleasure… with all the nasty bits left in. Read all about the awful Egyptians, the Rotten Romans, the vile Victorians and the woeful Second War World. The beastly Best Bits is a wicked history of the world collected by Terry Derry from twenty years of Horrible Histories Books.

The Fairy-Tale Princess : Seven Classic Stories from the Enchanted Forrest.

This beautiful collection of seven classic fairytales is organized around the theme of the fairytale princess. Su Blackwell’s paper sculptures evoke a magical world of beauty and mischief are accompanied by Wendy Jones’ lyrical retellings of the stories. I really liked how each fairy tale emerged from the pages through a series of intricate paper sculptures cut from the pages of each of the fairytales. A great book for girls and anyone a fan of fairy tales.

Follow, Follow: A book of reverso poems.

Imagine fairy tales upended. / Upended fairy tales? Imagine!

In the mood for some reverso poems? This book is a collection of short poems called reversos. First you read the poems from top to bottom, then when you reverse the lines and read from the bottom to top, they provide new perspectives on the fairy tale characters they feature. A fantastic book that plays with language and fairy tales to create a celebration of sight, sound and story.

Just Joking 2 : 300 hilarious jokes about everything, including tongue twisters, riddles, and more.

This book is the book you must read if you wish to master all the silly jokes known to kids, which includes knock-knocks, tongue twisters, riddles, traditional question and answer jokes and much more! Just Joking 2 comes complete with colorful photos of laughing animals, including amazing facts about each animal featured, funny people, and other colorful photos are paired with each joke, which is gurenteed to add an extra laugh on each page.

Gruesome Fiction

wcl staff11 April, 2013

Monster Mountains by Marcus Sedgwick

Eep! Those mountains are scary! Saving the world is not going very well for Elf Girl and Raven Boy. It’s not the strange wailing noises they hear in the dark, or the gigantic yeti who wants to eat them for breakfast that they find alarming, so much as the crazy wizard, who wants to add them, and Rat, to his collection of all too life-like stone statues.

Perfect for you if you like scary, creepy stories!!

Age 8+

The great Weta Robbery by Peter Friend and Alicia Ponder

When your after-school job is looking after weta the size of cats, it’d be understandable if you thought that your life couldn’t get any more exciting or dangerous. But there is a darker secret lurking in the laboratories of Krell Research and it’s down to one boy to get to the bottom of it.

Do you love big creepy-crawlies ? If so you’ll enjoy this book!

Age 6 +

In a glass Grimmly, by Adam Gidwitz

If you dare, join Jack and Jill on a harrowing quest through a new set of tales from the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and others. This book will lead you into creepy forests, gruesome deeds, terrible monsters, and – far worse- the dark places of the human heart…

A fantastic eerie, subversive, and hair-raising companion novel to A Tale Dark and Grimm

Age 10+

When fairies go bad, by Ursula Vernon

Danny’s mother has disappeared into a fairy ring growing in her backyard vegetable garden, and Danny and his friends, Wendell and Christiana, must go to Faerie to try to save her.

And if you like this story, don’t miss the other books in the smoking hot Dragonbreath series !

Age 8+

New Non Fiction rated G …for Girls!

Katie25 February, 2013

Check the latest and newest non fiction for girls! Escape into a world of fairy tales (and fairies), ballet, inspiring women, cheer-leading and…where dreams come true.

Becoming a Ballerina: A Nutcracker Story staring the Dancers of Boston Ballet.

Ever wanted to be a ballerina? This book is a beautiful and inspiring portrait of a real life girl pursuing her dream to becoming a ballerina and scoring the lead role in The Nutcracker. Complete with dozens of full color photographs that bring to life the hard work and artistry that go into creating the magical world of the ballet.

Gymnastics.

Are you interested in becoming a gymnast? Performing back flips, leaps and somersaults sounds exciting, but its not that easy to do. This book will help you master those techniques, along with with step by step photographs and also tell what you need to do in order to condition your body, diet, clothing and kit.

Ready, Set, Cheer! by Lisa Mullarkey.

If you ever wanted to become a cheerleader? Don’t be fooled by the stereotype, cheerleading is hard work. Luckily Ready, Set, Cheer! is a new series that tells you everything you have ever wanted to know about cheerleading. Cheerleading Basics explains how to get started in cheerleading and introduces some basic motions, chants and cheers. Cheerleading Spirit will tell great ways to spread spirit around at games, pep rallies and community events. Cheerleading Stunts and Tumbling introduces a number of gymnastics moves with hints on how to be successful. Cheerleading Tryouts and Competitions shares tips on how to become the best cheerleader you can be and how to help you squad become a winner.

The Oxford Treasury of Fairy Tales.

The perfect book that allows you to escape into a world of brave knights, sleeping princesses, wicked witches and talking frogs. Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Cinderella and Snow White. Oxford University Press has taken all the fairy tales that you love and know so well and published them into this beautiful, bound collection of stories with colorful illustrations.

Maya and the Turtle.

This Korean folk tale tells the story of Maya. She and her father are poor, but live a comfortable life. Her mother is dead, but foresaw Maya’s destiny of becoming a princess. One day Maya finds a little turtle. She takes him home, raising, caring for him and never knowing that he will play a part in her destiny. Beautifully illustrated and filled with fascinating nuggets of information about Korean culture, this book offers a poignant tale of the rewards of kindness, patience, courage, a loving heart and a lesson in how true glory, even if foretold must be earned.

Disney Fairies: The ultimate guide to the magical world.

With a sprinkle of pixie dust (and this exciting new read), take a journey to Neverland and meet all your favorite Disney fairies including Tinkerbell, Rosetta, Silvermist and Vidia. This book is crammed with fun information about your favorite fairies, finding your fairy talent and even what fairies like to eat. With eye catching pictures of the fairies, stills from the movies and fairy themes of magic, friendship, fairy fashion and nature, this is one book no fairies fan should be without.

If you this tickles you fancy, you might want to check out the DVDs Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell and the great fairy rescue and Tinker Bell and the secret of the wings.

Helen’s big world : the life of Helen Keller

Read about the inspiring life of Helen Keller in this picture book biography. Born deaf and blind, she was determined to expereince every part of life and with the help of an unrivaled teacher, Annie Sullivan, Helen found that knowledge would soon lead to freedom. This book is an excellent and unforgettable portrait of one of the world’s most influential women whose vision for progress changed America and the world forever.

The stories of the Mona Lisa : an imaginary museum tale about the history of modern art.

In this book, a father tells his daughter a story of the fascinating history of modern painting through what many consider the most famous work in the history of art: the Mona Lisa by Leonardo De Vinci. This book takes you on a through an imaginary museum where you learn about famous art movements, for example impressionism, cubism, expressionism, minimalism and surrealism. You also learn about artists like Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Picasso and Pollock. All of the most famous painters of the modern and contemporary art movements are explained with their own Mona Lisa portraits, in their signature styles. The Stories of the Mona Lisa is the perfect book for anyone who loves art, history, and a good story.

Girls (and boys) will also like:

I have a dream / Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of it’s creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, 28th August 1963.

Do you have a dream? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr did. He was an American clergyman, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He had a dream for freedom and equality of all people, no matter the colour of their skin. On August 28th 1963, he stood before the nation and agave one of the most powerful and memorable speeches in our history. In the only picture book version of Dr King’s speech, with magnificent illustrations his iconic words and dream comes alive again and again for many generations to come. This book also includes a CD of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s original speech. A fantastic book to use if you are doing a project on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and African-American Civil Rights Movement.

Have you ever had a dream? Now is the time to make it come true.

Movie Review: Brave

Katie30 January, 2013

Brave took home the award for Best Animated Film at last week’s Golden Globes and is one of the nominees for Best Animated Film in this year’s Academy Awards.

Pixar Animation Studios, the creator of Toy Story 3, whisks you away on an astonishing adventure in the Scottish Highlands full of mystery, magic and tradition. Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida, a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor defies an age-old custom, where she competes against (and defeats) each of her suitors in an archery contest during the Highland Games by which she states she is “shooting for her own hand”, much to the outrage of the lords of the land and causes a rift between mother and daughter. Merida then acquires a magic spell from a witch the witch agrees to give Merida a spell to “change” her mother (into a bear) in the form of a cake. When chaos is unleashed in the kingdom as a result of Merida’s actions, she must harness all of her skills and resources to break the beastly curse before it’s too late, mend bonds “torn by pride” and discover the meaning of true bravery.

From the kilt-wearing lords to the bagpipe music and traditional Highland games and Merida’s triplet brothers’ pranks and endless attempts to steel sweets, This is a very entertaining mother/daughter movie and a celebration of Scottish culture.

Rated: 8/10.

Best for age groups 5 years and over.

3 new non fiction: Inventions, quiz whizzes and a fairy tale as you have never seen it before