Childrens' & Young Adult / Teen Books > New Zealand Childrens' Books > New Zealand Childrens' Non-fiction

What's life on the police beat like, really? Retired cop Bill O'Brien takes the readers into the daily work lives of members of the New Zealand Police Force, with gripping tales of being on duty in the various branches of the police, everything from the dog handlers to the Armed Defenders Squad and police dive teams. Aimed at a young adult audience but of huge interest to all New Zealanders, this highly illustrated book is a unique insight and also a tribute to the men and women who protect us.

Come for a quiet, peaceful walk through the New Zealand bush and see it through a child's eyes. Meet trees that talk, watch shadows chasing each other, find strange creatures slithering through the grass, hear the birds sing in the clear air. Learn about the the mighty Kahikatea trees as told by Grandad and Grandma Kahikatea who have lived in the bush for over 600 years. This delightful rhyming story is illustrated throughout with beautiful photographs and will encourage children to explore reserves in their area to see what they can discover.

Winner of the Non-fiction Category of the New Zealand Post Book Awards 2010. Every year in March thousands of godwits leave New Zealand and fly almost 17,000 kilometres to Alaska, where they mate and raise new godwits, and then turn around and fly all the way back to New Zealand. This is the story of two godwits whose flight in 2007 was tracked using transmitters. Millions of people watched their progress on the internet. A male bird named E3 mysteriously turned back when he reached Papua New Guinea and then he ceased to transmi... read more

This Kiwi version of 'The Dangerous Book for Boys' is a must for every adventurous boy and girl in the kiwi home and includes all sorts of important information you need to know - like how to make an origami water bomb, how to spot native trees, what to do if you are stranded in the bush, how to play marbles, car games, paper planes that fly, how to make a chopstick trebuchet and much much more! Cleverly illustrated by 14 year old Conrad and written and designed by his dad Nick, this is a must have for every boy and girl.

Join Skipper L.B. Tross on a seafaring adventure around the coast of New Zealand, where you will learn heaps about our sealife and what threatens it. Inspired by the environmental work achieved by the late great Sir Peter Blake, the Skipper does his best to pass on the legacy - and educate young people about the importance of protecting our oceanic species from human-generated threats to their livelihood. Along the way, you will encounter various species of dolphin, turtle, whale, crustacean and much, much more. You will learn abou... read more

In 1939 when the Second World War began, Charles Upham was a high country farmer in Canterbury. By the time the war was over he was one of the most famous soldiers in the world. He had won the Victoria Cross, the highest medal for bravery in the British and Commonwealth armies â€ÃÂ... read more

Best and Bravest is the children's version of In the Face of the Enemy, (publishing ANZAC 2006) a history of New Zealanders and the Victoria Cross. Including all the VC winners from the First and Second World Wars, authors Glyn Harper and Colin Richardson have told the stories of the courageous men who were awarded our highest military decoration. These include the well known (Charles Upham, Moana-nui a kiwa Ngarimu, Clive Hulme, Jimmy Ward and many others), as well as those less well-remembered. All three services are represented ... read more

Join Cookie, TJ, Anzac, Shadez and Missy as they explore New Zealand from top to bottom and uncover heaps of weird, odd and fascinating facts and stuff as they drive around in their Kombi!Everything weird and wonderful that you always wanted to know about New Zealand from well-known author and illustrator Dave Gunson. First published November 2005.

An I Spy picture book of thirteen significant scenes in New Zealand history between 1840 and 2000. An informative and fun way to introduce children to some important events in New Zealand history, and encourage them to search for details in the images. The scenes include: 1840 The Treaty of Waitangi,1860s Goldrush,1870s Settlers,1890s Voting Women,1914 Soldiers Go to War,1930s Queues (Depression) 1936 Jean Batten Arrives at Mangere, 1945 Celebrations (End of WW2),1953-54 The Queen visits,1964 The Beatles,1981 Springbok Tour,1995 Y... read more

The New Zealand wars began in 1845 and went on for nearly 30 years, a succession of conflicts that spanned the length of the North Island from the Bay of Islands to Wellington. What they meant has been debated ever since. To some they were land wars, to others, the Maori wars; and only lately have we begun calling them the New Zealand wars. And this has not been the only argument. Why were they fought in the first place? Who really won them? Were they the means by which Maori and pakeha became fast friends, as historians liked to s... read more

Reviews the internal strife and restructuring, highlights and horrors that helped to create modern New Zealand, from the era of post-war growth, through the anti-nuclear stand and Bastion Point to the rise of Maori sovereignty and the plans for a new millennium. The text is written to entertain as well as inform and the layout is rich in images. First published November 2005.

By the time Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 1897, Pakeha New Zealanders thought their country had come a long way since becoming a British colony at Waitangi in 1840. “God’s Own Country” was what Premier ‘King Dick’ Seddon often called New Zealand. Over the next half century this young nation would be shaped and defined by the call to fight overseas, a period of dreams and disappointments between World... read more

Anni shares her personal impressions of the enchanting land of India in simple language and vibrant drawings. In this richly textured and beautifully illustrated "diary," ten-year-old Anni tells the exciting story of her journey with her family through exotic India. Here are the magical sights, sounds, colors, and flavors as only a child could capture them. First published 1992.

No part of New Zealand is far from the sea, lakes or rivers. If you want to try fishing then this book is for you. How to catch a fish is a fully illustrated New Zealand title. Jam packed with fishy facts, moon and tide times, fish identification, and tips and tricks to catch fish. Children of all ages will find this book a useful and handy tool for successful fishing.

Simon Eliot is a kid who knows heaps of stuff because the more you know the more interesting the world is, and the more you know the more interesting you are. This book is Simon's compilation of all sorts of information collected from various sources and produced as the result of his own genius. It is packed with facts and brimming with details about famous stuff, important inventions, old dudes you need to hear about, dangerous animals, more than you ever needed to know about intestinal stuff, plus much much more.

Rangitito: Te toka tu moana /The Rock Standing in the Ocean tells the dramatic story of Auckland's most striking icon - its birth, the kaka bird's connection to Rangitoto, the imprint of humans on its fragile wildlife, and how the island's guardians are saving it today. Maria Gill's lyrical and informative story accompanied by Heather Arnold's superbly detailed illustrations make Rangitoto a book to be treasured and pored over by children and adults alike.

What is ecology-and how can you help save the planet? Do you know how many litres of water are wasted if a tap drips for one day? Which gases make up the world's atmosphere? Is nuclear power good or bad? Ecology looks at the relationship between living things and the environment. This book shows why we should take care of our environment-and how understanding ecology can help save the earth.

Did you know that chewing gum takes five years to decompose? An aluminium can 200-500 years? What happens to milk cartons, paper handkerchiefs, fruit peel or plastic bags after they're used? Waste is inevitable, but must be done carefully. Otherwise we contribute to smothering the environment and wasting more and more primary resources. If you change your habits by sorting your waste and thinking about consumption and purchases you can reduce the amount of rubbish you make and the resources you waste.

This is the true story of the remarkable team effort to save a kiwi that lost its leg. The fictional narrator of the story is a schoolboy who is doing a project on kiwi. This is very much a multi-layered story with the tale of the kiwi running alongside the story of the boy and his attempts to impress his teacher. As well as those stories, great factual detail about kiwi appears in the boy's notebook on every spread. Weta Workshop, the Artificial Limb Centre and Wellington Zoo all joined forces to provide this kiwi with an artifica... read more

Corporal Willie Apiata became the first New Zealander since the Second World War to be awarded the Commonwealth's highest military award for his actions with the NZ SAS in Afghanistan. From his early life in small town East Coast New Zealand to his actions in the deserts of Afghanistan, this is his story in his words. Inspiring, and heart warming, this is the story of an ordinary Kiwi facing extraordinary challenges. This edition has been adapted for young readers.