A huge thank you to Snells Beach Kindergarten for having me read Grandpa versus Swing at their morning hui last Friday. The children were very attentive and involved in the story. Together we put mixed up story pictures back in the right order, and they were keen to share their love of playgrounds. They are … Continue reading Kindy reading
Storylines Trust tour of Taranaki: Day Five
With the sea beside us, we drove the last leg of our tour on Friday 16 September. The mountain peeked in and out of cloud throughout the day, and the landscape became more volcanic, hillier and rockier, as we drove along Taranaki's Surf Highway. The first stop for Stuart and me was St Joseph's School … Continue reading Storylines Trust tour of Taranaki: Day Five
Storylines Trust tour of Taranaki: Day Four
We woke to a bright, blue day on day four of the tour, and at last saw the mountain in all its majesty. It was well worth the wait! My first stop was at the very colourful and friendly Normanby School. The Year 0-3 students there had lots of ideas for playground rescues, from hitching … Continue reading Storylines Trust tour of Taranaki: Day Four
Storylines Trust tour of Taranaki: Day Three
We had our first partial glimpse of the maunga as we headed out this morning. It was beautiful, but fleeting, and by the end of our first school visit it had disappeared from view altogether. It amazes me that a feature so dramatic and dominating of the landscape can be hidden so completely! Midhirst School … Continue reading Storylines Trust tour of Taranaki: Day Three
Storylines Trust tour of Taranaki: Day Two
We stopped in Inglewood today, where Year 2 and 3 students from St Patrick's School braved the elements to join me in the lovely and very welcoming Inglewood Library. The children did a fantastic job of retelling the story, and of creating their own stuck-in-the-swing rescue scenarios (jaws of life, a fishing rod, butter and … Continue reading Storylines Trust tour of Taranaki: Day Two
Storylines Trust tour of Taranaki: Day One
What fun! This week I'm on tour with Storylines Trust Te Whare Waituhi Tamariki o Aotearoa. We are travelling in a loop around Taranaki Maunga, visiting schools and libraries along the way. You can see updates on the Storylines Trust Facebook page, and on Instagram. Also on tour are authors Ben Brown, Cristina Sanders, and … Continue reading Storylines Trust tour of Taranaki: Day One
December 2021
I am sitting amongst large and diverse piles of books, figuring out which need to go back to the library and which we can hang onto for a little longer. When the libraries opened again a few weeks ago, all the books I had previously placed on hold came flooding in like an early Christmas. … Continue reading December 2021
Keeping up with Grandpa
Almost two months ago, we launched Grandpa versus Swing. Days later, we were in lockdown again. Here in the Auckland region we are still fairly strictly locked down. Time ticks on - in fact the weeks seem to fly - but it feels a bit like the world has stopped. Books couldn't be shipped in … Continue reading Keeping up with Grandpa
A big day!
We officially launched Grandpa versus Swing on Saturday, with a very encouraging and supportive crowd at Mahurangi East Library. It was an absolute pleasure to have award-winning illustrator Lael Chisholm with us for the event. Thank you so much to everyone who came, to Storylines Trust Te Whare Waituhi Tamariki o Aotearoa and Scholastic NZ, … Continue reading A big day!
Grandpa versus Swing book launch
Our book launch is taking place this coming weekend! We will be celebrating at Mahurangi East Library, Snells Beach, from 1pm on Saturday 14 August. Please register at the Storylines website by this Wednesday, 11 August, I'd you'd like to join us.
Tania Scott Sickling 