Darkly comic, surreal and full of perceptiveness about human vulnerability and eccentricity, Frankie McMillan’s small fictions often duck and dive away from the reader’s expectations. With a poet’s sense of how single words or phrases ripple out with alternate meanings, and a dramatist’s feeling for how apparently small gestures reveal character, and how sudden, cataclysmic change can wrench us out of comfort, routine and unthinking assumptions, the author leaves us ransacking the language for finer genre definitions. This collection teems with both the animal world and a vivid circus of quirky human individuals. The pieces globe-trot all over the planet: from Russia to America to New Zealand; and yet often their piquant wisdom comes from how they bear down into ‘micro-geography’ of intimate relationships: the troughs, peaks, cliff-sides, the warm, still pools of recognition. Frankie McMillan is like a quietly outrageous Zen master, showing us human folly and idiocy, steering us carefully over the dark river of vulnerability that swells under it all. "The Father of Octopus Wrestling, and other small fictions" is an artisan production, designed and printed by Ilam Press, Ilam School of Fine Arts and is published with the support of Creative New Zealand.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 146

Dimensions: 165 x 230 mm

Publication Date: 23-08-2019

From the award-winning author and illustrator of the Kuwi the Kiwi™ series, Kat Quin. Board book version of the #1 bestselling ‘Kuwi’s Very Shiny Bum’. With the faint jingle of bells, a mysterious gift falls from the sky. It is a shimmering red ball. Kuwi knows exactly what it is. A very shiny bum. She decides to make gifts, so her friends can feel as blessed as she does. A hula hoop for Herb the hippy hōiho. Tasteful trimmings for Tash the tuft-less tūī. A moustache for Morris the meek morepork... but wait, no ‘thank yous’? A humorous and light hearted story to guide children from a young age to look for small ways to be generous and caring of others, in a time of year that can often be all about the ‘presents’. A book to instill an attitude of generosity and giving, appreciation and thankfulness.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 36

Dimensions: 160 x 160 x 19 mm

Publication Date: 01-10-2021

Te reo translation of the bestselling title "Kiwicorn" Who is whimsical, witty and wonderfully weird? Kiwicorn! A ridiculously cute and funny story about being unique. Gorgeous illustrations and writing, help children to understand their emotions and to open a light-hearted dialogue about diversity. The Kiwicorn story can help parents and teachers to convey the important message that we're all different from each other, and being different is awesome!

Bind: paperback

Pages: 28

Dimensions: 210 x 210 mm

Publication Date: 01-09-2019

Te reo Maori translation of the bestselling title, "Kuwi's Rowdy Crowd" Kuwi the Kiwi attempts to find a moment of peace and quiet in the chaos of parenthood, but everywhere she turns the volume just gets louder. Tap-dancing tomtits, Karate-kicking kokako and other noisy native friends join in the rowdy fun, until Kuwi can't take any more... The quirky and quintessentially Kiwi illustrations will have both adults and children laughing out loud, with a humorous storyline familiar to parents everywhere. Young readers will be delighted by the fun noises they can make to match each illustration, and as they guess which creature will pop up next. The story also holds a heartwarming and subtle message about being happy with what you have.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 36

Dimensions: 240 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 01-09-2019

James Wilson was a farmer for 40 years before he became a vegan, a change that he believes saved his life. He'd spent a lifetime farming, growing, harvesting and eating meat and milk products, but eight years ago a health scare persuaded him to make the dramatic decision to change his lifestyle. James and his wife Barbie immediately adopted a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) diet and lifestyle - a vegan approach. And they've never looked back. Veganism, he insists, ensures a longer and healthier life. It also severely reduces our individual environmental footprint and avoids the often-appalling cruelty that livestock farming causes to animals. "Of course, there is a fourth reason" says James Wilson, "not quite so scientifically upheld, but one that works for me. And that is simply that there is joy in being vegan". Plant Paradigm forcibly puts the case for veganism, including some practical suggestions for how to cook vegan at home.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 121

Dimensions: 125 x 204 x 8 mm

Publication Date: 31-05-2019

FEATURED ARTISTS Sharon Singer, Ngahuia Harrison, Peter Trevelyan AWARDS & COMPETITIONS Results and winning essays from the 2019 Charles Brasch Young Writers’ Essay Competition, and judge’s report by Emma Neale. WRITERS John Adams, Peter Bland, Laura Borrowdale, Bill Bradford, Iain Britton, Medb Charleton, Stephen Coates, Carolyn DeCarlo, John Dennison, Lynley Edmeades, David Eggleton, Joan Fleming, Jasmine Gallagher, John Gallas, Brett Gartrell, John Geraets, Tim Grgec, Michael Hall, Rebecca Hawkes, Joy Holley, Aaron Horrell, Gail Ingram, Claudia Jardine, Sam Keenan, Erik Kennedy, Arihia Latham, Jessica Le Bas, Wes Lee, Tina Makereti, Ria Masae, Cilla McQueen, Zoë Meager, Robynanne Milford, Sean Monaghan, Art Nahill, Kavita Nandan, Rachel O’Neill, Maris O’Rourke, Claire Orchard, Joanna Preston, essa may ranapiri, Anna Rankin, Jeremy Roberts, Leanne Radojkovich, Carrie Rudzinski, Kerrin P. Sharpe, Sarah Shirley, Rachel Smith, Elizabeth Smither, Catherine Trundle, Kirsteen Ure, Tam Vosper, Tom Weston, Anna Woods, Kirby Wright REVIEWS Landfall Review Online: books recently reviewed John Dennison on Collected Poems by Allen Curnow, eds Elizabeth Caffin and Terry Sturm Michael Hulse on Allen Curnow by Terry Sturm, ed. Linda Cassells Tracey Slaughter on Caroline’s Bikini by Kirsty Gunn Philip Temple on Charles Brasch Journals 1958–1973, ed. Peter Simpson Lynley Edmeades on louder, by Kerrin P. Sharpe; Enclosures 4 by Bill Direen; and Luxembourg by Stephen Oliver Airhia Latham on Tāngata Ngāi Tahu /People of Ngāi Tahu (Vol. 1), eds Helen Brown and Takerai Norton

Bind: paperback

Pages: 208

Dimensions: 165 x 215 mm

Revised and Updated 2019 Edition Dunedin city and its environs are home to an amazing range of habitats and landscapes, of plants, animals, birds, insects and geological features. From the ocean, with its albatrosses and penguins, to the high alpine zone of inland ranges, this book introduces a magnificent natural environment. This revised edition of Wild Dunedin includes new and updated information and stunning new images, including a look at the jewel in Dunedin’s natural history crown, Orokonui Ecosanctuary. An essential guide to the natural beauty of this stunning southern city.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 156

Dimensions: 189 x 246 mm

Publication Date: 12-07-2019

This book introduces children and young adults to the political career of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Engaging infographics, thought-provoking discussion questions, and eye-catching photos give the reader an invaluable look into New Zealand and the office of its current leader. The World Leaders series introduces readers to some of today’s most powerful political figures. From the leaders’ roles on the global stage to the history of the nations and communities they lead, these informative narratives connect readers with current events by covering everything they need to know about the leaders impacting their world.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 48

Dimensions: 178 x 230 x 5 mm

Publication Date: 01-04-2019

Kuwi is a young and confused kiwi who has found herself alone with her newly laid egg. She has never had an egg before... A funny and heart-warming story for the early learner. Kuwi is an endangered brown kiwi. She lays her first egg. She has no idea what she is supposed to do with the egg, or what the ‘purpose’ of the egg is. Follow her * Amazing, detailed illustrations overflowing with native gems. * The Kuwi the Kiwiâ„¢ series is a proud supporter of Kiwis for Kiwi Trust, donating 20 cents from each book sale to support kiwi conservation projects in New Zealand. The series has donated in excess of $50,00 to date.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 32

Dimensions: 160 x 160 x 19 mm

Publication Date: 01-10-2021

As A.W. Renall’s 1902 obituary noted: “For a quarter of a century he was the most notable personage in Masterton; and on the public platform swayed people as no other man could move them”. Alfred Renall, an early settler in the Hutt Valley and then in the Wairarapa, was a successful miller, father of 16 children and at various times a Provincial Council member, elected to the first Parliament, he was also a Masterton borough councillor and twice the mayor as well as a leading figure in the Small Farms Association and subsequent Masterton Trust Lands Trust. As his friend Alexander Hogg M.P. said: “An energetic and industrious settler, a public man, fearless and outspoken for over a half century he made his influence felt in the wider Wellington province”. Fearless and Outspoken is the story of Alfred W. Renall from his birth in Heybridge, Essex, England in 1813 to his and his family’s voyage to Port Nicholson aboard the Martha Ridgway late in 1840, followed by his rich, varied and sometimes controversial life during the next six decades. It provides a fascinating portrait of one pioneer and how he and his family succeeded in a very different land at the bottom of the world.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 146

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 03-06-2019