Tag: kids

Stellar Books for the Look UP! Explore our Universe reading challenge

// Books

We’re journeying through space in our latest reading challenge: Look UP! Explore our Universe. Celebrating International Space Week 2022 with NASA @ My Library, we’re encouraging tamariki children to explore and read about the universe at their own pace or with a friend or family member. Here’s some great book choices, curated by librarian Kay.

Non-Fiction


Behind the scenes at the Space Station: experience life in space by Giles Sparrow

Defy gravity with an access-all-areas pass to the spectacular International Space Station with this behind-the-scenes guide to life in space.

Find it in the library.


Encyclopedia of starfighters and other vehicles by Landry Walker

Learn about more than 200 of your favourite Star Wars vehicles, from the A-wing to the Y-wing. From the swamps of Kashyyyk to the deserts of Jakku, from inner-city Coruscant to the vastness of hyperspace, Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles will show you the right craft for the job.

Find it in the library.


How to survive on Mars by Jasmina Lazendic-Galloway

Get ready for lift-off on a Martian adventure! Have you ever imagined living on another planet? What about Mars? With not enough air to breathe, sunlight to keep us warm, or any available food and water, life on Mars would be a challenge… but it just might be possible!

Find it in the library.


My book of stars and planets by Parshati Patel

Discover mysterious planets and distant galaxies on an amazing journey across the Universe. Find out about the history and future of space exploration.

Find it in the Library.

Planetarium, illustrated by Christopher Wormell

Inside the pages of this beautiful book you’ll discover galleries of galactic matter, expertly curated to bring you the experience of a fascinating museum exhibition from the comfort of your own home. Planetarium features all aspects of space, from the Sun and our Solar System, to the lives of stars, the Milky Way and the Universe beyond.

Find it in the Library.


Space, by Richard Spilsbury

Find out all about the wonders of space, from Earth and the Moon, to the solar system, Milky Way and beyond! Discover how rockets overcome gravity to blast into space, how space suits protect astronauts on space walks and how rovers and probes explore planets that are many light years from Earth.

Find it in the Library.


Space: a book of extraordinary facts by Carole Stott

Explore the stars, meteorites, and planets, take a tour on a space station, and examine a space rocket in detail. Learn surprising facts in this lively and fascinating picture book all about space.

Find it in the Library.


Space number crunch : figures, facts, and out of this world stats you need to know by Kevin Pettman

This book about space gives kids all the facts, figures, and amazing information they want to know. It’s bursting with colorful infographics and high-impact artwork. Includes Space Record Breakers, Astronauts, Galaxies, Telescopes, Space Technology, the Sun, and a Number Crunch quiz.

Find it in the Library.


Space : the facts about our Solar system edited by Lauren Smith

Zoom into space with this guide to the universe. You’ll learn everything there is to know about our Solar System, discover what it takes to become an astronaut and imagine what the future of space exploration might look like. Get your spacesuit on and prepare for lift off!

Find it in the Library.

Star Wars: complete vehicles by Kerrie Dougherty

Explore the epic Star Wars saga through incredible cross-sections. More than 100 magnificent artworks bring the vehicles of Star Wars to life. New cross-sections, amazing detail, and comprehensive text make this the ultimate reference to the craft of a galaxy far, far away.

Find it in the Library.


Super space by Clive Gifford

Bursting with fascinating facts and the latest breathtaking images, this space book brings the wonders of the Solar System to life.

Find it in the Library.

Graphic Novels & Fiction

Sardine in outer space. Vol. 5 by Emmanuel Guibert

More adventures of the mischievous girl pirate named Sardine, as she and the crew of the spaceship “Huckleberry” foil the plans of evildoers Supermuscleman and Doc Krok.

Find it in the Library.

A wrinkle in time by Madeleine L’Engle

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers during a search for Meg’s father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Find it in the Library.


Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Min, a thirteen-year-old girl with fox-magic, stows away on a battle cruiser and impersonates a cadet in order to solve the mystery of what happened to her older brother in the Thousand World Space Forces.

Find it in the Library.

Sam Wu is NOT afraid of space by Katie Tsang

I’m Sam Wu and I am not afraid of anything! And definely not space, with all its black holes, meteors and imploding stars . . So when I went to Space Camp with my friends this summer, I knew we had to: 1) be seen as the bravest space explorers and 2) win the Space Camp Challenge trophy! Easy as landing on the moon, right?

Find it in the Library.


Star Wars : 5-minute stories strike back

Collects twelve short stories from the cinematic world of Star Wars, including two tales from “Star Wars: the Last Jedi”.

Stories include: Short negotiations by Calliope Class Adventure in the arena, by S.T. Bende. The duel for peace, by Rebecca Schmidt. A journey begins, by Rebecca Schmidt. Trapped in the Death Star by Meredith Rusu and more.

Find it in the Library.

Picture books

A trip to the Moon

Blast off to the moon with Peppa and her friends! Prepare for take-off! George and his friend Edmond love pretending to be astronauts. But what will happen when they go on a trip to the moon?

Find it in the Library.


I am the universe by Vasanti Unka

It’s a starlit journey through space, from glittering galaxies to busy city streets, taking you on a tour around the universe.

Find it in the Library.

When Dad showed me the universe by Ulf Stark

A father takes his son on an evening walk to show him the entire universe. Translated from the Swedish.

Find it in the Library.

We hope this selection has you excited and ready to ocket into space! If you haven’t joind yet, it’s not too late! You can find out more and sign up here.

Check out the winners!

// Books

The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults champion and honour New Zealand’s literature for tamariki and rangatahi. The winners were announced on Wednesday August 10, and now’s your chance to check them out.

The awards are a celebration of New Zealand’s children’s authors and illustrators, and the contribution they make to building our national identity and heritage. So without further ado, here’s the winners of 2022! We’re including a link to the book in our collection, so you can see if it’s available. If it’s not, place a reservation

Margaret Mahy Book of the Year, Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction and Russell Clark Award For Illustration

Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes, written and illustrated by Gavin Bishop

 “Before the beginning there was nothing. No sound, no air, no colour: nothing. TE KORE, NOTHING. No one knows how long this nothing lasted because there was no time. However, in this great nothing there was a sense of waiting. Something was about to happen.

Find it in the library.

Picture Book Category Winner

Lion guards the cake, written and illustrated by Ruth Paul

“Lion is full of pride when it comes to guarding his home and when the birthday cake has been made for the next day’s celebrations, he goes where he is needed most … to guard the cake. But in the morning, the household awakes to a chaotic scene. What happened when Lion was guarding the cake?”

Find it in the Library.

Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Award for Junior Fiction

The Memory Thief, written by Leonie Agnew

Seth has been trapped behind the iron bars of the public gardens for as long as he can remember. By day he’s frozen as a statue of a shepherd boy, but as soon as the sun sets he roams the park, ravenously hungry. He is a troll, and the food he seeks is human memories. Then he meets Stella.

Find it in the library.

Young Adult Fiction Award

Learning to Love Blue, written by Saradha Koirala

With Vox Pop and high school behind her, 18-year-old Paige arrives in Melbourne with her suitcase and bass guitar; a copy of Bob Dylan’s Chronicles and Joni Mitchell’s Blue – a gift from her estranged mother that she’s still learning to love. Following in the footsteps of her musical heroes, all of whom left home to make it in 1960s New York, Paige knows Melbourne’s the new rock and roll capital of the world: if she can’t make it here, she can’t make it anywhere.

Find it in the Library.

Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award for Te Reo Māori

I Waho, i te Moana, written by Yvonne Morrison, illustrated by Jenny Cooper and translated by Pānia Papa

Out in the moana, underneath the sparkling sun, lived a mother sea lion and her little pup one. A playful retelling of the much-loved traditional story, Over in the Meadow.

Find it in the library.

NZSA Best First Book Award

Spark Hunter, written by Sonya Wilson

Over a million hectares of wild bush-clad land and one young hunter… Nissa Marshall knows that something is hiding deep in the forests of Fiordland National Park – she’s seen their lights in the trees. But what are they, and why does no one else seem to notice them?

Find it in the library.

Congratulations to the winners! You can see the full shortlist at the New Zealand Book Awards Trust website – it’s a great starting point for some of the newest and best stories for tamariki (children) and rangatahi (youth).

Summer Reading registrations open today *** NOW CLOSED ***

// Library News

What is it?

The Summer Reading Programme is our popular summer challenge, which promotes the enjoyment of reading for children aged 4 – 10 years. Readers of all abilities can participate.

This year, our programme is online due to Covid-19. Readers will still be supported by library staff over summer with the app Beanstack. Readers log their reading on the app to complete ‘activity badges’ which help to earn incentives.

We provide assistance to parents and families in what services the library has to offer as well.

So READ – LOG – DO – EARN and if you earn 4 (or 5) incentive activity badges you’ll have successfully completed the programme and can take home a finale grab-and-go pack to celebrate!

iRead – Intermediate Reading Programme

This programme is for children aged 11 – 13 years and requires them to write and submit short online book reviews.

For every three reviews completed, readers can select one new book as a reward. It is possible to earn up to five new books during the programme. Some of these book rewards are the latest titles.

There are also some additional online activity badges that can be earned too.

Te Reo Māori Programme

We are pleased to offer a Te Reo Māori programme, which we run through local schools in Term 4.

Please contact Christina Winitana by email for more information.

Multilingual Options

The Summer Reading Programme supports speakers of other languages by offering our ‘Global Legends’ online activity badges. Translated hardcopy materials are required to complete these reading activities.

These activities have been created and supported by multicultural groups within our community and facilitate connections for children who are speakers or readers in another language.

How do I participate?

There are more than 600 places available, however our reading programmes are very popular so we might have more people who wish to register than we have space for.

To secure your place, register on our website from 9am Monday 22 November. Registrations remain open while places are available.

*** Registrations are now closed ***

When does it run from?

The Summer Reading and iRead Programmes 2021/22 both start on Monday 6 December, and finish on Thursday 27 January.

Where?

The Summer Reading Programme is available online and through all Palmerston North City Library sites: Central, Ashhurst, Awapuni, Roslyn and Te Pātikitiki for incentive collections.

iRead is also run online, and through the Library at Central, Ashhurst, Awapuni, and Roslyn for incentive collections.

Want to know more?

Contact Rhonda Chenery, Children’s Programme Coordinator

Email: rhonda.chenery@pncc.govt.nz

Phone: 351 4100, ext: 7057