New Zealand Children's Book Week: Reading Around Aotearoa
From 15-21 of August, Read NZ Te Pou Muramura is leading the first ever Aotearoa NZ Children's Book Week. The theme is Reading Around Aotearoa! is encouraging parents, teachers, caregivers and whānau to make reading a priority for the children in their lives. If you’re looking for a sign to go hard for reading: NZ Children's Book Week is it.
About Aotearoa New Zealand Children's Book Week
This is a new, sector-wide initiative bringing collective energy for children’s reading and books into one high-impact national moment.
Read NZ is encouraging parents, teachers, caregivers and whānau to make reading a priority for the children in their lives. To help, they are offering events and resources that celebrate reading and encouraging others to do the same.
Find out more about Aotearoa New Zealand Children's Book Week
What's on at the library
Reading Rave: WORD Christchurch Festival 2026
The Great Library Letter Hunt
To celebrate the inaugural NZ Children’s Book Week we are launching our “Great Library Letter Hunt”.
Customers can enjoy completing this scavenger hunt and make a sentence related to the Book Week kaupapa.
Pick up a scavenger hunt sheet and search the library for colourful clues to crack the code!
Featured
New Zealand Children's Book Week Wā Kōrero-Storytimes
New Zealand Children's Book Week Wā Kōrero-Whānau Storytimes
New Zealand Children's Book Week Wā Kōrero-Storytimes
NZ Children's Book Week Ngā Pakiwaitara Bilingual Storytimes
New Zealand Children's Book Week Wā Kōrero-Storytimes
New Zealand Children's Book Week Wā Kōrero-Storytimes
New Zealand Children's Book Week Wā Kōrero-Storytimes
What's on in Ōtautahi Christchurch
Books Alive
On 13 and 14 August, Ōtautahi will host an exciting line-up of shortlisted authors and illustrators in Books Alive events hosted by WORD Christchurch, and supported by Read NZ Te Pou Muramura. Find out more.
What's on in Aotearoa New Zealand
Books Come Alive! at Te Ara Ātea, Rolleston
Saturday 15 August 11am to 1pm
Join Giselle Clarkson, author of Omnibird: An Avian Investigator’s Handbook and Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan for a special storytime full of fun and colour as they share their books, A Guide to Rocks, Dazzlehands and The Bomb with us on the first day of Read NZ Te Pou Muramura's Aotearoa NZ Children's Book Week.
A WORD Christchurch event, with support from Selwyn Libraries and the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
National Read-Along: Dazzlehands / Ringakōreko by Sacha Cotter and Josh Morgan, published by Huia
Monday 17 August 11am
Help us make history by being part of Aotearoa's very first National Read-Along.
At 11.00am on Monday 17 August, children across the country will come together to share the same story at the same time. We're going to read Dazzlehands together!
Dazzlehands / Ringakōreko was chosen because it's bold, funny, cool and totally made for sharing out loud. A joyous celebration of imagination, diversity and being unapologetically you.
Registration is free, and everyone is welcome!
NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
Featured
New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults
The annual New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults award ceremony run by the Book Awards Trust is on Wednesday 19 August.
Writing competition
Author Sonya Wilson is running a writing competition: inviting young readers across Aotearoa to tell us a true story about a book that changed something in their life. Open to children 9-18, there are cash prizes up for grabs and winning stories will be published on The Sapling. Entries must be received by 10pm, Sunday 2nd August 2026. Find out more.
Recommended Reading
Reading Recommendations for Tamariki
Booklists
Booklists
New Zealand Stories
New For You - Children's - August 2026
Children's Funny Tales
🦇 Fright-tastic stories from the Children's collection 🦇
New Zealand Stories
New For You - Children's - August 2026
Children's Funny Tales
🦇 Fright-tastic stories from the Children's collection 🦇
More Reading for Tamariki
Featured
Wā Pēpi-Babytimes
LOTE4Kids
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