EARLY READING > 4- 6 Years

Annie's grandfather carves the Little Drummer Boy from the leg of an old oak table as a Christmas gift for his small granddaughter. And throughout her life Annie's favourite decoration travels the world with her and always hangs on the Christmas tree at her house, close to the top. Seasons and fashions come and go and Annie has children and grandchildren of her own but the pair remain together, although as they age they both start to fade. But they put that down to being well loved.

An animal ABC with a difference. Join alpacas, bears, camels and a host of other animals as they conga, can-can and hip-hop the night away. Find out why the jaguar blushed and what happened to the elephants when the music stopped. Look for the musical instruments hidden on all the alphabet pages, and discover who is responsible for their disappearance. A sumptuous, playful picture book with a dash of mystery and a lot of monkey business.

Molly is not quite sure what her dad is like. He lives a whole plane ride away. But when he comes to visit, Molly begins to find out. He calls her ‘my little Mollymaloola!’, sings silly songs and tells funny stories. He even eats stinky cheese! At first Molly thinks he is rather strange, but soon discovers that she and her dad are like peas in a pod. Molly and Her Dad is a story of modern families, of the unfamiliar becoming familiar, fathers and the overarching theme of a child wanting to belong. Jan Ormerod employs fun, humour a... read more

In a strangely heartwarming story, a duck strikes up an unlikely friendship with Death. 

An adventure in relationship, Cork and the Bottle is the second tale in the Cork Voyages trilogy.
Having met on a sandy beach at the end of Cork on the Ocean, the cork and the bottle head back out to sea together into a world of dancing jellyfish, surly sea lions, beautiful swallows and a mystical two-headed sea serpent. Told in rhythmic rhyme, with the same lovely colours and illustrative style as Cork on the Ocean, Cork and the Bottle is a whole new ocean-bound adventure that explores love, loss, friendship, loyalty and th... read more

Pukeko has always wanted a rainbow, so she chases one into her swamp. When the kea who own the rainbow find out who has stolen their precious treasure, they set out to get it back. Pukeko finds herself in a waterlogged battle of wits with the Rainmakers. Another beautifully told and illustrated picture book from author Ben Brown and illustrator Helen Taylor.

This story is about the kapahaka group - the boys and girls who take part, and the way that the whole whanau is involved in the preparation and performance of the kapahaka. Children will absorb a lot of information about Maori culture and language from this fun and attractive story. For further information, a glossary of Maori words is included at the back of the book.The rhythm of the text is based on the traditional children's tale "The House that Jack Built". For example, "These are the piu piu, that swished and swirled, that sw... read more

Grandma McGarvey (always ready to try something new) decides to give 'Surfing for Seniors' a try, and is shocked to find that it doesn't involve the sea at all! And that words like Net, Google, Blackberry and mouse have developed new meanings, totally foreign to her. However, in her own inimitable manner, she triumphs in the end when someone discovers her on a webpage of her own!

Every morning, Mum has to give her seven sons a hurry-up, but dear little Shirley is always up and ready to go... "Good girl, Shirl!" The boys decide to teach Shirl a lesson that involves changing the time on the alarm clock...

It's night time and Phoebe needs to go to the toilet. As she ventures down the hall she thinks she is being followed by monsters. But is she?

Willbee the Bumblebee is so embarassed when he realises his stripy jumper has caught on a rose thorn and completely unravelled...
The story of Willbee the Bumblebee is one that Craig Smith's mother, Maureen Thomson, used to tell him as a child. Later on, Craig put the story to music, and this is the result. A catchy song with endearing illustrations that will have you buzzing! The book comes with a CD of the Willbee song. And as Willbee flew away, he did not stop, His jersey unravelled from the bottom to the top, And wh... read more

Winner of the Children's Choice Award, New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards 2010. Craig Smith's song, The Wonky Donkey, won an APRA Silver Scroll Award in 2008 for Best Children's Song of the Year. This is a paperback book and CD set of the award-winning song The Wonky Donkey with hilarious illustrations that will have you laughing out loud! In the very funny, cumulative song, each page tells us something new about the donkey until we end up with a "spunky, hanky-panky cranky stinky dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey".... read more

Our kind-hearted hero leaps to the rescue, but always lands in trouble. Until one day, he discovers his true mission is to save the planet. A children's story in rhyme.

The delightful family that charmed us all in Shut the Gate returns. This time there is a rogue rabbit loose, and young Sam, Mum and Sara are on its trail! Plenty of animal noises for littlies to join in with!

With stunning illustrations by internationally-acclaimed artist Gavin Bishop, this award-winning story by Jean Prior gives Noah's Ark a Kiwi twist. First published 2005. SHORTLISTED NEW ZEALAND POST BOOK AWARDS 2006

Reprint, originally published 1990. Junior picture book in both Maori and English about the story of the creatures of the sea.

A picture storybook about Wilfrid, who tries to find memories for his friend Miss Nancy, whose memory is erratic.

Isn't Daisy good? She's tipping some sprinkles onto Mum's ice cream. But wait! Now the cheeky monkey's popping her peas behind the sofa! This fantastically funny split page book will have children in stitches! Watch them decide whether Daisy will accidentally on purpose plonk knickers in Mum's tea or a worm on her ice-cream! With innumerable - naughty and nice - scenarios and bold illustrations, this book will provide hours of fun! The innovative spiral binding means that it can be used again and again.

"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...I don't want to butt in But I'm wide awake And in Santa's book That's a naughty mistake" This little boy tells us what's really happening in the house before Father Christmas arrives. He's too excited to sleep and worries that he'll get in trouble for staying awake on the big night. His curiosity pays off, however, when he is rewarded with his very own ride on Santa's sleigh...

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