Tamariki Book Festival

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Tamariki Book Festival

Connecting New Zealand authors and illustrators with children in a fun festival atmosphere

16/06/2026

Meet the 2026 Tamariki Book Festival authors and illustrators! Next up, Michele McConnochie!

Michele is the author of a creative writing workbook, a middle‑grade trilogy and two picture books, and holds a Master of Creative Practice, focused on the craft and visual language of children’s books. Michele is also an experienced creative writing teacher, working with both adults and children to develop their storytelling skills.

14/06/2026

Meet our 2026 Tamariki Book Festival authors and illustrators! First up, Jan Goldie!

Embark on your next epic quest! J.M. Goldie writes magical fantasy stories for young people who love resilient characters who aren’t afraid to snort laugh. Discover The Broken Spell series, a five-book YA portal fantasy brimming with elemental magic, ferocious dragons and strong themes of friendship and belonging. Discover more: jmgoldie.com or follow .author

09/06/2026

Our new Behind the Books programme starts in Term 3! Behind the Books facilitates (and pays for) author and illustrator visits in local schools (visit https://behindthebookstbf.wordpress.com for more information). We're thrilled about our author/illustrator lineup for Behind the Books, and we'll be introducing them here over the next couple of weeks. Today, we'd like you to meet Vanessa Townsend (aka Sunny Bloom Petal).

Vanessa Jane Townsend (and her sunny alter ego, Sunny Bloom Petal) writes picture books that celebrate curiosity, courage, compassion, humour and wonder in real life - the kind of stories that help kids see how special the everyday can be. The joyful storyteller reminds us that real life is full of wonder…if you look closely. She has self-published picture book: Emma’s Turn at the Fair, a cheeky sibling-centered story about fairness and the courage to find your voice. She has created vibrant, engaging, and interactive story props relating to her book illustrations, so children can participate in fairground related activities.

07/06/2026

Our new Behind the Books programme starts in Term 3! Behind the Books facilitates (and pays for) author and illustrator visits in local schools (visit https://behindthebookstbf.wordpress.com for more information). We're thrilled about our author/illustrator lineup for Behind the Books, and we'll be introducing them here over the next couple of weeks. Today, we'd like you to meet Julie Folkers.

Julie holds a diploma in childrens' writing which she completed in 2020, she graduated with distinction. She was Chairperson for the New Zealand Society for Canterbury in 2012. She has a bookshop on Amazon and started Ooky Spooky Publications in 2017. Writing mystery is Julie's fun. She adores writing for children.She has 5 series which all interweave. These books have been released as readers and novels for the older readers.

04/06/2026

Our new Behind the Books programme starts in Term 3! Behind the Books facilitates (and pays for) author and illustrator visits in local schools (visit https://behindthebookstbf.wordpress.com for more information). We're thrilled about our author/illustrator lineup for Behind the Books, and we'll be introducing them here over the next couple of weeks. Today, we'd like you to meet Melanie Koster.

Born on the wild West Coast of the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, Melanie was brought up in a book-loving, story-telling family. She lives in Ōtautahi Christchurch with her family of artists, inventors and tinkerers.

After being shortlisted for the Joy Cowley Award several times, Melanie was the winner of the award in 2022. She is a picture book author and her stories and poems have been published in The School Magazine (Australia). Melanie works as a Kaiāwhina Kaiako (Learning Assistant) at a local primary school, where she enjoys helping young writers hone their craft.

02/06/2026

Our new Behind the Books programme starts in Term 3! Behind the Books facilitates (and pays for) author and illustrator visits in local schools (visit https://behindthebookstbf.wordpress.com for more information). We're thrilled about our author/illustrator lineup for Behind the Books, and we'll be introducing them here over the next couple of weeks. Today, we'd like you to meet Robinne Weiss.

Robinne is an entomologist and educator by training, but has never been able to control her writing habit. She has been publishing her writing since she was nine years old and has been known to answer exam questions in verse. Unlike her exam answers, which were met with awkward silence by her Very Serious Professors, her stories have won multiple awards.
Robinne infuses adventure and a love of the natural world into all her stories. Her list of real-life adventures is long, and includes living in a mud hut in Panama and teaching with a 2.5-metre-long Burmese python named Ka.

31/05/2026

Our new Behind the Books programme starts in Term 3! Behind the Books facilitates (and pays for) author and illustrator visits in local schools (visit https://behindthebookstbf.wordpress.com for more information). We're thrilled about our author/illustrator lineup for Behind the Books, and we'll be introducing them here over the next couple of weeks. Today, we'd like you to meet Belinda O'Keefe.

Belinda O’Keefe is an award-winning author of children’s picture books and junior novels. She grew up surrounded by books, learning that no tale is too tall to tell.
Belinda adores books, and loves reading so much that she does it for a living! She’s a magazine and book editor, and also works in a bookshop.
Belinda loves visiting schools to spark a passion for storytelling in the next generation of authors. She lives in Christchurch with her two boys and two cats, who give her great inspiration for her writing.

28/05/2026

Our new Behind the Books programme starts in Term 3! Behind the Books facilitates (and pays for) author and illustrator visits in local schools (visit https://behindthebookstbf.wordpress.com for more information). We're thrilled about our author/illustrator lineup for Behind the Books, and we'll be introducing them here over the next couple of weeks. Today, we'd like you to meet Monica Coster.

Monica Koster is an artist and illustrator with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) from the University of Canterbury. Her paintings have been exhibited in Christchurch and Ashburton and she has been a finalist in the ZONTA Female Art Awards. Monica loves sharing the behind-the-scenes work to some of the books she has illustrated, inspiring tamariki and rangatahi to create their own art. Besides art and illustration, Monica loves music, languages and communicating in Morse.

26/05/2026

Our new Behind the Books programme starts in Term 3! Behind the Books facilitates (and pays for) author visits in local schools (visit https://behindthebookstbf.wordpress.com for more information). We're thrilled about our author lineup for Behind the Books, and we'll be introducing them here over the next couple of weeks. Today, we'd like you to meet Michele McConnochie!

Michele is the author of a workbook on writing for children, a middle‑grade trilogy and two picture books, and has written more than 300 freelance articles across a wide range of topics. She holds a Master of Creative Practice, focused on the craft and visual language of children’s books. Michele is also an experienced creative writing teacher, working with both adults and children to develop their storytelling skills. Through her workshops and mentoring, she has supported emerging writers in publishing more than fifteen books. She has also created a series of online courses for emerging authors. Her work blends imagination, craft, and encouragement, helping new voices find their place on the page.

25/05/2026

Congratulations to Heather!

Address

Christchurch

Website

https://tamarikibookfest.wordpress.com/

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