​It was such an honour to be a finalist in this year's Book Awards.
The day started with BooksAlive in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington, where I was thrilled to meet some of the other finalists as well as thousands of book-loving tamariki and rangatahi. Ned Barraud and I read our book Tuatara, A Living Treasure to a packed auditorium at the National Library, followed by a joint workshop: Writing and Illustrating Nature. It was the first time we'd presented together (and also the first time we'd met in real life) so it was a pretty special occasion all round!
After BooksAlive, Scholastic NZ and the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) put on drinks and nibbles at the Backbencher. I really appreciated this opportunity to meet and chat with more finalists, publishers, and others involved in the industry in a relaxed setting before the big event ... the awards ceremony at Pipitea Marae. Da dum, da dum, da dum.
As a first timer at the awards, I felt a little starstruck being in a room filled with so many of my kidlit heroes. What ensued was a warm and wonderful evening, full of joy and laughter, and a few tears – a fitting celebration of children's literature in Aotearoa. It was a fabulous event to be part of and I was so grateful to be included. It was evident that many people had put in months of hard work behind the scenes – the judges, organisers, sponsors, the NZCYA Trust, and others – what a special community we have! 
Photo by Vijay Paul (via NZ Book Awards Trust)

RURU has swooped into bookstores all over Aotearoa!

Absolutely thrilled that TUATARA has been selected as a finalist in the The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults! There's a stellar line-up in all categories and it is such an honour to be included! Check out all the wonderful pukapuka here: New Zealand Book Awards ​

Storyline Tour team left to right: Des Hunt (Author), Alan Dingley (Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador), me, Kieran Rynhart (illustrator)

How did you feel when you were invited to take part in the Storylines Invercargill/Southland Story Tour?
This was my first Story Tour and I was very nervous, but there was no need to be – it was a fantastic experience! In five days, I visited fourteen schools and spoke to more than nine hundred tamariki. I learned a lot and arrived home feeling energised and much more confident about school visits. 

For those who haven’t experienced a Storylines Story Tour, can you share what a typical day on tour looks like?
Generally, each tour member has three presentations per day: two in the morning, one after lunch. Some are solo, others involve two presenters, some three or more presenters. Storylines prepare a detailed schedule which means all you need to do is concentrate on your presentation. Most schools will introduce you and make sure you have everything you need. Afterwards, we usually had an hour or two to ourselves, before finishing off the day with dinner at a local restaurant.

How did you prepare for the Tour? 
And is there anything you’d do differently next time?
Storylines provide ‘Guidelines for Presenters’ which are super helpful. Using these I planned a presentation that I could simplify for littlies and extend for seniors. I tried to make it as interactive as possible. I thought about which parts to use for shorter talks, and what to do when there is no large screen, or if the kids are nodding off after lunch. I also reviewed notes from past workshops and talked to writer friends who’d been on tour.
Next time I won’t have to do as much prep, because now I have a presentation that I’ve tried out fourteen times!​

How did the sessions run (What did you do in your sessions)?
My presentation consisted of talking with kids about tuatara and ruru using props like soft toys, reading my books, and asking and answering questions – luckily it turns out kids are fascinated by tuatara and ruru – they had heaps of questions! I tweaked my presentation as I went along based on audience reactions.

What did you learn from the Tour experience?
A lot! Before the tour started, I was a little worried my presentation wasn’t ‘whiz-bang’ enough and that kids might be bored. However, it went well, the kids were super-engaged and had way more questions than I expected. I got better at reading the audience and adapting my content and delivery to suit. Also, teachers sometimes ask you to talk about specific topics relating to the curriculum. So, I guess the most important thing I learned was to be myself, relax and to be flexible. ​

What tips would you have for others if they are invited to go on a future Story Tour?
- Bring props and visuals.
- Interact with tamariki as much as possible. 
- Kids of all ages love being read aloud to.  
- Break your presentation up into segments so you can easily add or subtract bits for different age groups and different lengths of time. (Thanks to Fifi Colston for this great tip). 
- Make sure you have some chill-out time every day to do whatever you like to do to relax.

Just LOOK at the eye-catching cover of RURU, NIGHT HUNTER - our picture book about Aotearoa New Zealand’s only surviving species of native owl!
I'm so grateful to illustrator Ned Barraud, designer Vida Kelly and the team at Scholastic NZ for bringing RURU to life. Also thank you to my agent, Frances Plumpton.
RURU will be swooping into bookstores in July!

This is the Aotearoa New Zealand stand at Bologna - doesn't it look inviting?! A peaceful alcove in amongst all the craziness. So excited to see TUATARA on display at this incredible event, alongside so many beautiful Kiwi books!

Most excitingly TUATARA, A LIVING TREASURE has been selected by Storylines (The Children's Literature Foundation of New Zealand) for a 2023 Notable Book Award!!!
This is such an honour - I am so grateful that our book has been chosen as a winner in the non-fiction category. 
Read about all the wonderful notable books here: Storylines Notable Book Lists 2023 - Storylines Children's Literature Charitable Trust

On Sunday (30th July) the Dorothy Butler Bookshop kindly hosted us for the launch of Tuatara, A Living Treasure!
​A huge thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with me. Here are some photos ...

TUATARA's first review (and my first too) ... and it's a goody!
​​bobsbooksnz.wordpress.com

Tuatara. A living Treasure by Katie Furze, illus by Ned Barraud. Pub. Scholastic, 2023.
​July 11, 2023 bobsbooksnz
​​​Tuatara are a natural treasure to the people of Aotearoa. They are found only here, can live up to 130 years and have a third light sensing organ that sticks through the top of their skulls that is often called a third eye.
This picture book follows the progress of a female tuatara from the moment that it breaks through it’s leathery underground egg and digs it’s way to the surface through to when she mates, lays eggs herself and guards the nest from other females.
Will she see her babies? Most tuatara never do and are forced to live in the daytime and hide at night to prevent being eaten by older tuatara who hunt at night.
Each page has great illustrations by Ned Barraud whose images are better than any photograph. The image of a full grown tuatara of pages 3&4 is a treasure in itself.
I learned more about tuatara from this picture book than from any other source. Young children through to adults will get something out of this picture book. Katie Furze’s text creates drama and harmonises beautifully with the illustrations.
One of the best of the year.