Christmas 2020 - Comes with complimentary Christmas decorations (Available November 2020) Beginners Maori Language Picture Dictionary, for the Whole Family. From the #1 bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator of the Kuwi the Kiwi series, Kat Merewether, comes a large scale, stunningly illustrated visual dictionary. Full of over 1000 basic words in te reo Maori and English, perfect for every New Zealander.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 64

Dimensions: 260 x 340 mm

Publication Date: 20-01-2020

From the original writings of The Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andersen, Perrault and other master storytellers, this re­envisioned collection of 18 of our favourite fairy tales challenges outdated gender stereotypes and creates diverse new tales for every girl and boy - regardless of gender, skin colour or sexual orientation. In Diamonds and Toads, a brave princess fights her way through a forest of thorns to place a kiss on the sleeping Briar Rose. The Frog Prince's curse is ultimately undone by another prince who learns not to judge by outward appearances. And a young woman proves she is more than capable of using her wits to save her betrothed as the gender roles are reversed in Jorinda and Joringel. Richly illustrated by some of New Zealand's best loved illustrators and artists, this treasury is sure to become a favourite for a new generation of readers.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 204

Dimensions: 185 x 250 mm

Publication Date: 01-10-2019

A light-hearted, fully-illustrated retro-style picture book with 50+ words and phrases you can use to practise your Maori with your best furry friend. Suitable as a first introduction to Maori for learners of all ages, for tourists who would like a fun way to pick up a few basic words when visiting New Zealand, and as a revision book for adults who haven't used their Maori for a while. Many of the words and phrases can also be used in non dog-related situations!

Bind: paperback

Pages: 112

Publication Date: 05-10-2019

Passages is a personal, yet universal story of a life in harmony with nature. When Linda, her husband David, and their two small boys, Sam and William, bought a yacht called Hornpipe and set sail for tropical waters, they cast off from all security. So began a nomadic adventure when they had to depend on their own resources, navigating by the sun and stars. This beautifully illustrated book presents a thrillingly honest, yet poetic reflection on the challenges of fulfilling a dream, as seen from a mother's perspective. Those ocean passages were a non stop roller coaster ride: "There were times when they plunged into the deepest trough of the wave and there were times when they rode, in exhilaration, the highest crest". Linda's literal and metaphorical passages braid together both past and present to reveal how her family's extraordinary voyages inspired their future accomplishments. "This story is for all explorers. The passages we weave through our lives find their truth in those we touch along the way: - Linda Trubridge

Bind: paperback

Pages: 441

Dimensions: 155 x 230 mm

Publication Date: 02-11-2019

Michael Willis was ten years old, already keeping rabbits, guinea pigs, frogs, possums and birds in his parents’ garden and dreaming of running a zoo of his own. Then came a life-changing present: a copy of naturalist Gerald Durrell’s The Bafut Beagles. Suddenly the idea of working with animals became more than just a fantasy. A lot of hard work and ingenuity later, the dream came true in 1974, when Michael opened Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, on the outskirts of Christchurch. An immensely popular and prize-winning tourist attraction, Willowbank is home to a rich collection of exotic and native animals, from kiwi and kea to otters, camels and monkeys. But that has been only part of the story. Over the years Michael has been increasingly driven to save and conserve rare livestock breeds, many of them far more endangered than some of their familiar native counterparts. He has travelled New Zealand, and the world, in his quest to save these often forgotten animals from extinction. Whether it is rediscovering the tasselled and beguiling kune kune pig, saving the goats of remote Arapawa Island, capturing wild pigs on the forbidding Auckland Islands, bringing back to life the lost wild cattle of Enderby Island or travelling to the Galápagos in search of threatened wild donkeys, his has been a life full of adventure, and full of the animals he loves. And the search continues. Just as he did in his delightful, best-selling first book, Some of My Best Friends are Animals, Michael Willis recounts his sometimes perilous and always riveting experiences with warmth, passion and infectiously laconic humour. Rescue will make you laugh and gasp, and think. For, as he reminds us, in an uncertain world, the saving of these animals could be the saving of us all.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 304

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 31-10-2019

Suicide and mental illness are uncomfortable topics, yet, Michael carefully guides the reader through these difficult subjects in a remarkable way that leaves the reader feeling empowered and hopeful. Michael effortlessly merges scientific research with real-world examples. This book takes complex scientific information and presents it in a way so that anyone can understand it. Michael shows that suicide is caused by a wide range of reasons, from depression, anxiety, brain injuries, psychosis, lack of sleep, loneliness, failure and many more. More importantly, he shows that no matter how bad the situation is there is always hope and always options for things to get better. He shows that there are alos many options available for people who have been told "there is nothing we can do for you". The book is helpful for all parents, teachers, counsellors, social workers, sports coaches, employers, doctors, nurses and many more.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 291

Dimensions: 148 x 208 mm

Publication Date: 19-08-2019

Stella’s world is unravelling in this remarkable work of speculative fiction – reminiscent of Netflix satire Black Mirror and The Handmaid’s Tale – a new novel from writer and literary agent Chris Else. Climate change is ever-present in chilling, dystopian novel Waterline. Here, in a remote South Pacific nation, coastal settlements are being inundated and families uprooted; Artificial Intelligence controls most human endeavour; social media has run amok, and many have fled from reality to live online. Losing their uninsurable beachfront home to storm and high seas, wealthy nuclear family the Handsons have little choice but to move to Byte, a bleak, southern city run by computerised bureaucracy BORIS and a gang of religious vigilantes. Separated in the move, Brian ends up on the wrong side of the law and is incarcerated, leaving wife Stella and their two teenage children, Mandy and Luke, to fend for themselves. An offer of help from a group of outsiders, living off the land, promises redemption and hope, but at what cost? Waterline explores the choices our own and future generations might have to face in our increasingly complex society. It is a dramatic and portentous tale about the decisions we make now and how they might challenge all our values. Darkly humorous, laced with violence and corruption, it also examines the human capacity for change, responsibility, self-determination, and the search for meaning and love.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 320

Dimensions: 153 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 31-10-2019

How can a community face up to the ultimate betrayal? He wonders how big God’s hand is. If he has an eye that can see the whole world in a glance, his hand must be big enough to reach out of the sky and pluck him up with his giant fingers. It is 1974 and seven-year-old Jack leads a carefree life, playing in his Auckland street. But when a new priest selects him to train as an altar boy, Jack’s world is imperilled and he shrinks away from his community, his friends and his mother. Chosen Boys explores what happens to a community when they are betrayed by those meant to care for their spiritual wellbeing. Set in a working-class Catholic community against the backdrop of the dawn raids, Molloy’s moving debut novel asks the question: who will act when a predator declares himself ‘another Christ on Earth’?

Bind: paperback

Pages: 340

Dimensions: 130 x 198 mm

Publication Date: 07-10-2019

‘Forgotten Philanthropist’ — these two words summarise this book. Robert McDougall was one of Christchurch’s most generous benefactors. His gift to Christchurch in autumn 1928 of the art gallery that bears his name is, in today’s monetary terms, the largest gift ever given to the city, yet today he and that gift are virtually forgotten. Robert McDougall built up his biscuit and confectionery company, Aulsebrooks, to become possibly the largest employer of staff in Christchurch in the early 1900s. It was this success and Robert’s ongoing business acumen that allowed him to exercise his philanthropy to the extent that he did. He was also heavily involved in all aspects of manufacturing and industry in Christchurch and New Zealand, participating in and helping organise trade fairs and exhibitions throughout the country. Although by nature a reserved man, Robert was a man before his time. He cared about his employees’ welfare, building sports facilities for them and helping them when in need, and he was responsible for many other acts of generosity in both Christchurch and beyond. He was also a family man, who spent far more time than a father usually did with his children in those days. This biography provides not only a welcome insight into Robert’s life and the times in which he lived—a time when Christchurch was rapidly developing—but also a return to prominence of one of New Zealand’s most accomplished businessmen and unassuming philanthropists.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 400

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 18-10-2019

Dame Ngaio Marsh (1895–1982), a distinguished University of Canterbury alumna, was one of the greatest crime writers of the twentieth century. Marsh was also a gifted Shakespearean director, establishing her reputation in 1943 with the Canterbury University Drama Society modern-dress production of ‘Hamlet’. Fast-paced, with a deftly-cut script, and featuring especially commissioned incidental music by Douglas Lilburn, Ngaio Marsh’s production of ‘Hamlet’ was a hit with wartime audiences. Marsh’s 1943 ‘Hamlet’ production typescript is reproduced here for the first time, together with Lilburn’s previously unpublished music and a selection of archival photographs. An introductory essay by Polly Hoskins examines the staging of the production and the wartime context in which the play was performed, offering broader reflection on Marsh’s compositional approach, and a note from Robert Hoskins introduces Lilburn’s music. This edition makes the perfect starting point for enriching our understanding of Ngaio Marsh as a Shakespearean director and producer, and presents a fresh perspective on New Zealand’s theatre history.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 134

Dimensions: 148 x 210 mm

Publication Date: 01-09-2019