Remembering our ANZACs

Coming up on April 25 is ANZAC Day, a special day for remembering the New Zealand and Australian soldiers who fought and died for us in the first and second World Wars.ANZAC day You might remember the big celebrations last year, which marked the 100th anniversary of ANZAC Day with the opening of The Great War Exhibition.

Gallipoli landingThe date April 25 is the anniversary of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (the ANZACs) landing in Gallipoli, Turkey, during World War I. Thousands of soldiers lost their lives in the 8-month long battle, including 2779 New Zealanders. We have nearly 500 memorials in New Zealand to honour these soldiers.

To celebrate ANZAC Day we wear20110425_WN_S1015650_0015.jpg red poppies and bake ANZAC cookies. The day starts with the Dawn Parade and is followed by the Dawn Service, which is a bit like a funeral, where important people give speeches and we have a minute of silence to remember.

If you would like to learn more about Gallipoli, the World Wars or ANZAC Day, we have heaps of great books on our catalogue. Reserve yours today!

 

 

7 new non-fiction holiday boredom busters

It’s the school holidays and it’s raining! Get your hands on these new books to keep the boredom blues away. There’s plenty here – superheroes, computer coding, star wars, cool things to do, and a bit of history.

Marvel Avengers : the ultimate character guide.

With the movie coming out, why not brush up your knowledge on the Avengers by reading this revised edition of the authorised, fully illustrated guide to the characters of Earth’s mightiest Super Hero team. Jam packed full of information about over 60 new heroes and villains in the Marvel universe. Overall, I think it’s a great read and will be enjoyed by all Marvel fans.

 

 

 

Doctor Who: The Visual Dictionary.

For all you Doctor Who fans, check out this awesome new book bursting with action-packed images and little-known facts about Doctor Who. Holds information about the latest facts and details, including the Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi and Doctor Who season 8 storylines. Also covering every single details about previous Doctors and each of his companions plus unforgettable villains, you’ll have all the tricks and secrets of Doctor Who at your fingertips. So what are you waiting for? Step into the Tardis, battle Cybermen and Daleks, and discover all the Doctor’s secrets in this visually stunning guide to the Doctor Who universe.

 

 

 

Coding for Kids for Dummies.

Check it out, Dummies and Kids rolled into one. Coding For Kids For Dummies is easy-to-grasp introduction to coding concepts for kids, which is broken down into a series of small projects, each designed to teach elementary-to-middle-school-aged students a core concept to build a game, application, or other tool which makes coding for kids look as easy as 1, 2, 3.

 

 

 

More Boredom Busters: Over 50 Awesome Activities for Children aged 7 years +.

Prepare to banish the boredom busters away these school holidays. Check out this amazing book filled with over 50 fun and easy activities that you will love to do all year round, like building a homemade bird feeder, a gym bag sock buddy, potato stamps and so much more. Every activity has easy instructions and uses simple materials found around the home or classroom, so you can get started straight away!

 

 

 

WWE ultimate superstar guide.

For all you WWE Superstars fans, here is the chance to see them like you’ve never seen them before. This book holds information about all the biggest Superstars to ever grace the WWE ring. The Ultimate Superstars Guide is filled with more than 200 illustrations of your favourite WWE Superstars including Hulk Hogan, Triple H and more. You can learn everything you need to know about these amazing athletes with facts, stats, and more.

 

 

 

Lego Star Wars in 100 scenes.

Move over , Lego Movie. Check out this book that retells the complete Star Wars saga…in Lego bricks! Yep, you read right!

This fun Lego Star Wars book retells the six Star Wars films in 100 iconic scenes using LEGO Star Wars sets and minifigures. You Star Wars (and Lego) fans will have the chance to relive the amazing Star Wars adventure in miniature form with this humorous retelling of the LEGO Star Wars complete saga. As an added bonus, you will also learn fascinating LEGO Star Wars facts and behind-the-scenes information about the Star Wars films and rediscover your favourite LEGO Star Wars minifigures, such as the LEGO Darth Vader and LEGO Luke Skywalker, and LEGO Star Wars sets as part of the epic Star Wars story. LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and the Knob configurations and the Minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group.

Overall a fantastic read! You can’t go wrong with Lego and Star Wars.

 

 

 

My Gallipoli.

Get your hands on this beautiful picture book and read all about the place where thousands of men from sixteen nations fought, suffered, endured or died during the eight months of occupation in 1915. For each of them, their families and their nurses, Gallipoli meant something different. Their voices emerge from the landscape and across the decades with stories of courage, valour, despair and loss. A must have read just in time for ANZAC day!

New Non Fiction: Made up of heroes, phonies, mammals and the dead.

image courtesy of syndetics

Marvel super hero character encyclopedia.

This is a book for all your Marvel fans. Check out this amazing A to Z guide to the Super Heroes of the Marvel Universe – from Ant-Man to Wolverine, and everyone in between! The guide gives detailed descriptions of everyone’s favourite characters including their origins, powers and secret identities. Full of trivia and fun facts on more than 100 heroes, this exciting book is sure to delight Marvel fans, young and old!

 

image courtesy of syndetics

Born in the Wild: Baby Mammals and their parents.

Brace yourself for cuteness! This book is filled with information about every baby mammal, from a tiny harvest mouse ‘pinky’ to a fierce lion cub, needs food, shelter, love, and a family. Also filled with illustrations of some of the most adorable babies in the kingdom and goes into full detail of the traits that all baby mammals share and proves that, even though they’re born in the wild, they’re not so very different from us, after all” Overall a very enjoyable read.

 

image courtesy of syndetics

Famous phonies : legends, fakes, and frauds who changed history.

“Famous Phonies: Legends, Fakes, and Frauds Who Changed History is the first in a new nonfiction middle grade series that will explore the underbelly of history, making you question everything you thought you knew about history’s finest. It’s perfect for the history buff, the reluctant reader, or that kid who loves the strange and unusual.”

I never thought I would see this day where they finally publish a book on all the famous legends, fakes and frauds who changed history. If you are in the mood for a little controversy, then check out this amazing book which allows you to see a different side of the famous historical figures you know and admire and all the gory details of their dirty secrets and scandals that shape their phoniness.

A must read book!

 

The day of the dead = El dia de los muertos.image courtesy of syndetics

This book tells the story of two children as they celebrate their ancestors on the vibrant holiday: The day of the dead. With sugar skulls, sweet-smelling marigold petals and joyful songs, Hispanic families welcome back ancestors on this holiday. Complete with lush college and lyrical text in both English and Spanish, this wonderful picture book creates the perfect introduction to this festival (and perhaps also to the Spanish language)

Another must read book!

 

image courtesy of syndeticsThe beach they called Gallipoli.

Many books have been written about the battles of Gallipoli; the men who went to war and what they faced, the letters, and the tears of those left behind. But this is a book about Gallipoli, the place, and what happened on Gallipoli Beach from April – December 1915. Created by the award winning duo, Australian Children’s Laureate, Jackie French, and renowned artist and illustrator, Bruce Whatley, this powerful and moving book highlights an almost forgotten aspect of Gallipoli: the land itself. This is more than a book about ANZACS; this is a book about and for all of the nationalities who fought at that cove, not matter what side they were on. This is one book to get your hands on and read just in time for ANZAC day.