A glorious array of picture books — NZCYA 2021

First in a series of reviews

This blog post is the first in a series reviewing books on the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults (NZCYA) shortlist in the run-up to the announcement of the award winners on 11 August.

The shortlists

Hare and Ruru: A Quiet Moment

Hare and Ruru: A Quiet Moment by Laura Shallcrass takes the reader to find a place of peace with Hare, who's distressed by life and seeks quietness. The intricate, detailed illustrations are of the natural world, a speciality for Shallcrass, a designer by day and a fine artist. Nature is loud for poor Hare, who searches high and low for silence until Ruru arrives with the stars and a mantra that leads at last to rest.

The illustrations are first hand-sketched then digitally redrawn and coloured. With a limited colour palette and fine linework, Shallcrass captures the essence of the creatures and the earth itself — often seen in cutaway, above and below ground together on the page. This approach could be rewarding for students to try, along with meditation or poetry looking at the natural world. The brief but beautiful text also provides a lovely model for writing.

Kōwhai and the Giants

Also firmly set in nature is Kōwhai and the Giants by Kate Parker. It reads like a fairytale, an imagined story of New Zealand’s past and the destruction of native forests. This lyrical eco-story provides an opportunity to look at the history of our local environment and respond to Parker’s plea that we follow Kōwhai’s example and save then plant seeds.

The story had a long genesis, with original artwork created during an Auckland Council artist residency in 2016. The paper sculptures — hand-cut paper on lightboxes — became the layered, gold-and-sepia-toned illustrations used in Parker's book. This technique begs to be replicated by young and old readers.

Te Uruuru Whenua o Ngātoroirangi

Another illustration finalist that reaches into Aotearoa’s past is Te Uruuru Whenua o Ngātoroirangi, with artwork by Laya Mutton-Rogers. Written in te reo Māori by Chris Winitana (and a finalist in that category too), there’s a lot of text — perfect for an advanced te reo reader.

The exciting, action-packed story follows legendary character Ngātoroirangi’s journey to Tongariro, and the formation of the geothermal features of the region. But it’s the detailed visuals we’re excited about here. They play a major role in the storytelling. Mutton-Rogers is an expert in visualisation of the action and mood of the story.

This a sophisticated picture book that'll keep the reader turning pages. The details within make it well worth lingering over.

Moon and Sun

Melinda Szymanik's book Moon and Sun is a finalist in the illustration category. Its moody artwork is by Danish-born fine artist Malene Laugesen. Her painterly watercolours capture the warmth of smiling Sun and coolness of shy, sad, self-conscious Moon. A limited palette of warm, golden tones and cool blues conveys both nature and emotion using curvaceous lines and layers.

Moon envies Sun, who everyone adores. Sun reminds her sister that she's loved and desired too, and invites her to sometimes share the sky, for Sun is also lonely.

Ideas of self-worth, encouragement, and recognition of our different natures and the depiction of these will be worth further investigation.

I Am the Universe

Still in the heavens, take a wider view in Vasanti Unka's book I Am the Universe. Zoom in from the furthest reaches of the universe. Pass through galaxies, the solar system, and layers of the atmosphere. Earth brings a view of the city where we see people of diverse ethnicity, occupation, age, and ability. Readers will see people they recognise and familiar city landmarks.

The final view is a single child looking out of the window to the night sky, out to the universe beyond. Vibrant illustrations use every colour of the rainbow. Rich with pattern and texture, and velvety darkness too, with the bonus of textured starry pink endpapers. Small pieces of information appear in many spreads, along with the brief poetic text.

There's a whole universe to explore beyond the pages of this book, and every child can try the classic extended address — New Zealand, Southern Hemisphere, Earth…

This Is Where I Stand

Zoom in on our history and the monument of a WW1 soldier in This Is Where I Stand by Philippa Werry, with illustrations by Kieran Rynhart. A muted palette and subtle ink-and-pencil textures reflect the wearying years that have passed. The soldier remembers his wartime experiences and things that happen over the years in the town he overlooks. There are people who visit and those who pass by, unseeing.

The poetic text tells the hard stories — ‘bandaged eyes and missing limbs’ — as well as the everyday happenings of village life. The flash of poppy-red endpapers and glint of monumental lettering of the title on the cover enhances the timelessness of this book.

It's sure to have a long life in the Anzac collections of school and home libraries. It also encourages readers to take a closer look at their own local monuments and stories.

The Hug Blanket

Family love and loss are at the heart of The Hug Blanket, written by Chris Gurney and illustrated by Lael Chisholm. Two children love their nana who bakes, plays games, and makes cosy blankets. When Nana dies, they attend the funeral and go through sad times. The family find ways to remember her, symbolised by the blankets that provide the title's hug. But the emphasis isn't on death. Rather, it's about the shared experiences that provide the comforting memories later.

Illustrator Lael Chisholm has a distinctive style. The warm, multicoloured palette and distinctive style harks back to Chisholm's Granny McFlitter illustrations, also featuring a lot of wool! Simplicity and softness, colour and detail make it easier for the reader to deal with the emotions entailed in the story.

Gurney conveys this tricky subject matter with sensitivity and honesty. The rich vocabulary provides readers with ways to describe their own feelings in similar circumstances. There are plenty of opportunities for young and old to discuss experiences of grief and loss. This will be an especially useful book for families.

Hound the Detective

Hound the Detective is in a less serious vein, with puzzles to make you think. Kimberly Andrews follows the style and format of her 2019 NZCYA Russell Clark Award winner Puffin the Architect. The clever, cumulative rhyming text and intriguing and informative vocabulary help us follow Hound as he deciphers puzzles, interacts with his friends, and solves his way to a surprise party.

Created digitally, the pages are packed with detail that rewards close examination (the shelves in the General Store!) as Hound moves from one village location to the next, building a picture of the community as we go. Readers won’t be able to resist creating their own treasure hunt to follow. Don’t miss Hound’s own underground residence, linked by tunnels as shown in the endpapers.

Share these books

Round up these beautiful books and share them with your schools and whānau. Each one has a meaningful and rewarding story to share and the illustrations take those stories into another dimension.

Take time, read aloud, read many times, and search for detail and layers of meaning.

NZCYA award(s) for which the books are finalists

Picture Book Award

• Hare and Ruru: A Quiet Moment by Laura Shallcrass (Beatnik Publishing)

• Hound the Detective by Kimberly Andrews (Penguin Random House NZ)

• Kōwhai and the Giants by Kate Parker (Mary Egan Publishing)

• The Hug Blanket by Chris Gurney, illustrated by Lael Chisholm (Scholastic New Zealand)

• This Is Where I Stand by Philippa Werry, illustrated by Kieran Rynhart (Scholastic New Zealand)

The Russell Clark Award for Illustration

• Hare and Ruru: A Quiet Moment by Laura Shallcrass (Beatnik Publishing)

• Kōwhai and the Giants by Kate Parker (Mary Egan Publishing)

• I Am the Universe by Vasanti Unka (Penguin Random House NZ)

• Moon and Sun by Malene Laugesen, written by Melinda Szymanik (Upstart Press)

• Te Uruuru Whenua o Ngātoroirangi by Laya Mutton-Rogers, written by Chris Winitana (Huia Publishers)

Read more

More about picture books — and how to use them to engage students with reading.

Lending service — borrow these NZCYA finalists and other great books from us.