Books Come Alive!

WORD Christchurch will have you and your family buzzing this August, with some of our nation’s best writers and illustrators set to hit Te Ata Ātea for a day of special storytimes, fun activities, as well as a few surprises as tamariki take over Te Ara Ātea. Featuring Steve Mushin, writer of Ultrawild, Melanie Dixon, Michaela Keeble & Tokerau Brown, Raymond McGrath and Cubbin Theatre.

This is your chance to meet some of the finalists of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young people before the awards are announced on 14 August. Fun!

PROGRAMME

11:00am – 11:30am Story Time! Story times for pre-schoolers with some of Aotearoa’s favourite picture books, hosted by the wonderful Cubbin Theatre.

11:30am – 12:00pm Meet Michaela Keeble & Tokerau Brown writer and illustrator of Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapōkai. See the colourful images from the book on the big screen, and draw your own Māori Atua.

12:30pm – 1:00pm Meet Steve Mushin, writer of Ultrawild. Listen to his ideas on how to transform cities into jungles, rewilding them into carbon-sucking mega-habitats for all species, and as fast as possible and then come up with your own!

1:30pm – 2:00pm Join Raymond McGrath, writer of Double Dippers as he reads some excerpts from the book. Hear how he created the comic storyboard for his graphic novel and hear about his drawing process, with tips and tricks for making your own graphic novels.

2:30pm – 3:00pm Local writer Melanie Dixon reads excerpts from her latest book New Dawning, and talks about the inspirations of writing this. Hear about some of the themes raised in the book. In a post apocalyptic world, surrounded by water, how would you survive?

In partnership with Selwyn District Council, Lexus Christchurch and the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young People.