Feelings. We've all got 'em. And they sure can be complicated! Sometimes they're light and shiny. Sometimes they're all twisty- turvy. Other times they're heavy and burdensome like rocks. And sometimes they're absolutely everything all at once!
In preparation for our event at @featherstonbooktown this weekend, we decided to 'collage out our feelings' together. At first we talked about the different emotions we were collaging (or colouring). We tried to help our kids articulate feelings they might not know the name for. Then after awhile, we just went with what felt right at the time and got into a meditative flow. We've always found collage to be quite therapeutic (as well as immensely satisfying😊).
Maybe this is an activity you could try out with the special tamariki in your life?❤️
#aguidetorocks #picturebook #huiapublishers #aotearoa #allthefeels
Happy Easter Sunday! 🥚🥚🥚
What do you think of our Dazzlehands eggs?! It's no yolk – Dazzlehands is open, and touring to theatres across Aotearoa until the 19th of April.
Based on the fabulous book by Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan, Dazzlehands is the story of a Pig who just can't help but sparkle!!! ✨✨✨
Get your tickets now!
Now, THIS was a very nice surprise: seeing Dazzlehands still movin & groovin it — #3 on the kids bestsellers chart for all of 2025 at the incredible @unitybookswgtn (thanks so much to the wonderful Unity team… you’re so cool and we love your mahi!!)
Also that time our two pukapuka babies were hanging out together on the bestseller chart earlier this year… so cute 🥰 Thanks so much everyone for all the support for our books this year. Sach and I really appreciate it. Arohanui xo
We’re over the moon to have A GUIDE TO ROCKS selected for a 2025 STORYLINES NOTABLE BOOK AWARD!!!!
Ngā mihi nui @storylinesnz - this is so, so cool!!!
And big, BIG congrats to all the other Notable Book Award winners from this gorgeous list of books. Be sure to check out all the brilliant pukapuka and support their awesome mahi!!
The full list of books is on Storylines' social media accounts and website: .nz/.../storylines-notable.../
Ōtepoti Dunedin!! We're heading your way this week for the Dunedin Writers & Readers festival and we are SO HYPED ABOUT IT!!!!😍
We're excited to be joining a bunch of very cool folks for the Kaituna Kids Day THIS SATURDAY at the brand sparkling new community library in south Dunedin: Te Whata o Kaituna❤️ (We can't wait to check it out - it sounds aaaamaaazing!!!)
We'll be part of a full day of fun for tamariki with free events from 10am to 2pm. We'd love it if you could join us!
Mā te wā!
Mighty Manawatū here we come!!! ⚡️🌈⭐️🩷 We will be performing at three libraries these school holidays, Friday and Saturday next week - 2 x Dazzlehands Liberation happenings for ages 2 - 7 and 1 x A Guide to Rocks rockin event ages 6 - 13. There will be original songs, questionable dance moves from us, lots of props, costumes, enchanting irl performances, and a discussion about the rocks book (cause it’s OK to talk about rocks e hoa mā) Hope to see you there!! Thanks so much to the wonderful libraries hosting us!
LIBERATE YOUR DAZZLEHANDS
Friday 26 September:
*10:30am Ashurst Community Library
*2pm Awapuni Community Library
ROCK ON
Saturday 27 September:
*10:30am Palmerston North Central Library, Children’s Zone, First Floor
We spent this morning in Paekākāriki in total awe of the masterful storyteller & artist, the incredible Apirana Taylor. What an honour to share a @bookmarkapiti event with him & to have the chance to see him work his magic sharing pūrākau, poetry & music. Our souls feel nourished having spent such a beautiful time in the presence of Apirana, the AMAZING tamariki (who had the best dance moves!!), audience, @kleharivel , staff & helpers at the St Peter's Village Hall. We had such a great time! Kia ora rawa atu to you all❤️
A great new New Zealand book about emotions 🇳🇿
‘Lately, things have been getting Charlie down. It’s like he’s got a big rock that just won’t go away.
He talks to Dad about it, and Dad brings out a dusty old book with a lot of tough rules. The first rule is you don’t talk about rocks (feelings). But the rules make things worse - Charlie’s ‘rock’ gets bigger, and everything feels dark and scary. They need some new rules - fast.’
‘A Guide to Rocks and the Māori edition He Taonga Te Toka take you on a journey of emotions and what can happen if you don’t deal with them. It's another fabulous collaboration from the talented duo of Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan.
It is told with compassion and care, and the trademark Cotter and Morgan humour. It's emotional but perfectly pitched to the younger reader with the story told with empathy and understanding. Adults will love reading this book too, with a message many of us need to hear as well as plenty of opportunity to have fun with it during read aloud sessions…
It is, sadly, refreshing to see two male main characters dealing with their feelings and emotions in the story. It's also lovely to see intergenerational trauma discussed in a children's book.
But this story has such an important message for everyone, no matter their gender or age. It is another shining star from the talented duo and a book that should be on every bookshelf and in every educational setting.’ - Rebekah Lyell
Huia Publishers: https://www.nzbooklovers.co.nz/post/a-guide-to-rocks-by-sacha-cotter
Buy online or order for click and collect here: https://marsdenbooks.co.nz/p/a-guide-to-rocks
And get the He Taonga te Toka version here: https://marsdenbooks.co.nz/p/he-taonga-te-toka-a-guide-to-rocks #aguidetorocks
We're brushing off THE MARBLE MAKER performance as part of our event at Paekākāriki on 9 August (at 9.30 am) for the @bookmarkapiti festival. We'll also be performing DAZZLEHANDS & singing some songs too.
Here's a snippet of us looking very fresh-faced during a rehearsal in 2020. Yeah.... we've aged a bit since then (😅)... but we still TOTALLY BRING THE ENERGY!!
Hope to see you in Paekākāriki! More info & tickets to be found at www.bookmarkapiti.nz or @bookmarkapiti #bookmarkapiti
