Helping Hounds is a beautifully illustrated picture book by Anna Kenna that introduces young readers (0-11 years) to the many ways dogs help people in their everyday lives.
Told in gentle rhyme and supported by engaging, realistic artwork, the story explores the different roles dogs play — from beloved family pets to hardworking farm dogs, skilled police trackers, and clever airport detector dogs.
Each spread focuses on a different “helping hound”, showing how their unique talents, sharp senses, and strong bonds with humans make a real difference in the world around us.
The Essential Fairy tells the story of six-year-old Ruth who loses her front tooth in the midst of the COVID lockdown and is dismayed when the Tooth Fairy doesn’t show up to collect it. Her dad shrugs off her concerns but Ruth is certain there must be some mistake.
Ruth frowned at her dad. It just couldn’t be right.
Fairies are clean and work only at night.
With the right PPE, such as gloves and a mask,
they’d be super-hygienic when performing their task.
When Ruth can’t get the grown-ups in her life to take the matter seriously, she writes to the Prime Minister.
I’m not blaming the fairy or trying to cause trouble.
I have just one question from here in my bubble.
Why is the Tooth Fairy not on the list,
of essential core workers? Has she been missed?
The book, illustrated by Nelson artist, Tim Hunt, features Val, a jandal-wearing tooth fairy with wild hair and tattoos.
WatchKiwi icon Suzy Cato read Anna Kenna’s book The Essential Fairy in an episode of Suzy’s Book Corner.
Troubled Water follows Caitlin, aka ‘Viola Vincent’, as she investigates a polluted swimming hole in the beach settlement where she is holidaying with her granddad.
Along the way she meets Anahera, a young woman, who believes local farms are responsible and says her iwi is fed up trying to get the council to do something about it. Caitlin sees the opportunity for a story but her attempt to expose the issue backfires, stirring up feelings in the community that run as deep as the river itself
The second story in the Viola Vincent Reporting series.
A chance meeting with Theo and his dog Mac alerts Caitlin to a puppy farm operating in her community. Through her alter ego Viola Vincent, and with the help of reporter friend Megan, Caitlin embarks on a mission to expose the cruel trade and rescue Sissy, a breeding bitch chained to a life of misery. A story for young people who care about fairness, truth, and justice.
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This is a story about the power of one and having the courage to chase the truth, whatever the consequences.
Caitlin's life is shattered when her mother is seriously injured in a freak accident. She struggles to find her bearings in a world that has totally changed. Her mother, once her rock, has tuned out. Her grandfather is angry and doesn't want to know when Caitlin tries to tell him Mum's bike was dodgy. In the end, it's the ghost of her famous great-aunt, a pioneering journalist, who eventually steers Caitlin’s destiny and gives her the courage to take a stand.
It was the Animal Orcas, a once-a-year chance
for movie-star creatures to party and dance,
to win lots of prizes, to strut their own stuff!
BUT someone turned up in the mood for a thrill,
a treacherous python dressed up to kill!
There’s no show on earth like the Animal Orcas,
especially when an unexpected and unstoppable
party-crasher causes havoc during the awards show.
He was known as Bojangles, the ‘King of the Track’,
the toast of the punters, the cream of the pack!
Bo is a greyhound, one of the fastest on the track.
But, when Bo’s racing life is cut short,
he must adjust to a quieter life.
Not only does he have to get used to not racing,
his new owners have to get used to him as well.
What happens when a greyhound, whose life is racing, can no longer race?
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