REALM - Reading and Literacy in Manawatu

15/07/2025

And we're back!

Delighted to be able to support this event to bring three of the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults finalists Ned Barraud, Ruth Paul and Claire Mabey to Feilding Library Manawatū Community Hub Libraries next Monday afternoon.

We hope to see you there! :)

✨ Something magical is happening at MCHL! ✨

We're hosting finalists from the NZ Children’s and Young Adults Book Awards for a one-of-a-kind event where stories come to life—literally!

🎤 Ned Barraud, Ruth Paul and Claire Mabey
✍️ Live Story-Building Workshop
🎨 Illustrators sketching the story as it unfolds

Don’t miss this chance to meet some of Aotearoa’s best storytellers right here in your community. 📖💥

📅 Monday 21st July at 4pm
📍Location: Manawatū Community Hub Libraries at Te Āhuru Mōwai, 64 Stafford Street, Feilding.
🎟️ Free | All welcome

Facebook Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/2530378257325011

This event is proudly supported by REALM - Reading and Literacy in Manawatu and Manawatū Community Hub Libraries.

15/08/2023

Check out this upcoming PLD opportunity for school and youth library staff and teachers of literacy being held in Palmerston North this September. Organised by the same team who brought you ReaLM Seminar Days :)

SLANZA Central Conference 2023

SLANZA Central is excited to be hosting this year's regional conference.

Date: 23-24 September 2023
Venue: Queen Elizabeth College, Palmerston North
Registration Costs:
SLANZA or ASLA member - $150
Non-member - $200
Conference Dinner - $60 (three course meal & entertainment)
Our timetable of conference events:
Friday 22 Sept 6pm - Powhiri, Welcome Drinks & Registration
Saturday 23 Sept 8am-4.30pm - Registration, Keynotes & Workshops
Saturday 23 Sept - 6pm - Conference Dinner
Sunday 24 Sept - 9am-4.30pm - Keynotes, Workshops & closing Karakia

Find out more https://www.slanza.org.nz/central-regional-conference-23.html

17/11/2022

Does your school have a library? We need your voice!! Please take the time to complete this survey.

National Library of New Zealand together with SLANZA and LIANZA is asking for all school library staff, teachers and principals to participate in this year’s survey.

Please share with your principal, and teaching staff involved with your library team.

This year, information is being collected about:
➡️ staffing — roles, hours, employment arrangements and library staff expertise
➡️ library collection development, including funding levels and sources.

School library research in Aotearoa NZ is crucial to assist the sector to advocate for school libraries, and to help schools plan, build and develop relevant library spaces that reflect their communities. This survey is part of a longitudinal project which began in 2018.
Find out more and start the survey here - The survey closes 20 November 2022.

Please participate in this survey, your voice is important.

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

29/06/2021

Have you subscribed? Great book reviews AND be in the draw for FREE BOOKS 📚
whatbooknext.com

Want FREE Books?

July's What Book Next Newsletter is coming out Thursday.

It has Brand New Books to shout about along with amazing reads both old & new!

Subscribe on What Book Next.com before Thurs to go in two monthly book draws.

No ads. No selling. Just sharing our love of great Children's & Teens Reads. 💚

25/06/2021

Drawing & Writing SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAMMES this July.

These upcoming holidays, young Palmerston North writers and artists will have the opportunity to work alongside award-winning author Maria Gill Children's Books in Write Like an Author and bestselling illustrator/writer Fifi Colston Creative in Draw Like an Artist camps at Palmerston North Intermediate in the second week of the school holidays.

The 3-day writing and illustration camps run from Monday, July 19 to Wednesday, July 21 and are suitable for students aged 10 to 14 years old.
Younger students can attend the junior class on Monday 19 July, and older students the advanced class on Thursday 22nd July.

Students will learn important skills and have lots of fun with the story sport games and illustration competitions.

Be in QUICK! For more information go to www.writelikeanauthor.com or www.drawlikeanillustrator.com.

21/06/2021

Resources to support the Aotearoa NZ Histories curriculum was the focus of our ReaLMTalks panel.
Debbie Roxburgh, Services to Schools Facilitator, shared the wealth of online resources available at National Library of New Zealand, & DigitalNZ such as Topic Explorer, Papers Past, He Meka! He Meka!, He Tohu, & https://natlib.govt.nz/schools/tuia-matauranga

Archivist Lesley Courtney showed us around the
Palmerston North City Library Manawatū Heritage site. Full of local resources ready for teaching AotearoaNZ Histories. Did you know there is a mobile kiosk schools can book?? Find out more at https://manawatuheritage.pncc.govt.nz/

Warrick Taylor, Technology Leader at Manawatū District Libraries - Feilding Library presented the http://feildingheritage.nz site as a community repository packed with photos, articles, & documents showcasing our local Feilding & Manawatū history. A great AotearoaNZ Histories resource for schools.

Tuia Mātauranga highlights local people, places, and events that have helped shape our nation. The histories of Aotearoa New Zealand have multiple perspectives, some are presented here for you to explore.

21/06/2021

Author and self confessed book nut Adele Broadbent - Children's Author & Booknut shared with us her love of children's and YA literature. She loves collecting outstanding and beautiful children’s books, and feels lucky to be in her dream job as a children’s bookseller at the award winning Wardini Books in Napier.

Adele is the author of five novels for middle grade readers and several educational titles in the US and Australia. Secrets are a theme in her writing, her mother says it's because she was "a sneaky child". Her latest novel – IF ONLY, is for young teens – A tale of loyalty, first love, white lies and whales – all wrapped up in...you guessed it... a guilty secret.

When Adele isn’t reading or writing or talking about books at Wardinis, she is adding reviews to her children’s and teen’s book review site – www.whatbooknext.com. Keeping the youth reader engaged by matching them to their next book. Check it out :)

21/06/2021

As the school librarian at Halswell School in Christchruch Zac McCallum presented next on how he is 'Building Community Through the School Library'.
"School libraries need to reflect our community". Zac organises at least one community evening event each term engaging with parents and caregivers such as a 'Family Night at The Library' which are often themed - Matariki, Boys & Dads, Spooktacular, Girls Night to name a few.

Book Clubs, Board Games & Card Games Days, interactive themed displays, competitions, and of course reading...Zac's school library is a busy, fun, enticing and sometimes quite noisy place for students to engage in all things books.

Zac encouraged us to "Be the reading role model in your school".

"Use graphic novels to develop a diverse and inclusive school library collection", Zac shared his, not so secret, love of graphic novels.

Book review sites are an essential tool for school librarians and Zac's site https://bestfriendsarebooks.com/ site is one of the best, where he shares his love of children's literature. He reads A LOT and is a avid book reviewer! Be sure to check it out and follow!

21/06/2021

Next up we had Sandra Morris Artist, a Whanganui based author and illustrator of award winning children’s natural history books as well as a botanical artist and a keen nature journaler.

Life as a nature enthusiast - From the subantarctic islands through the Australian outback to Melanesia Sandra's nature journaling has taken her to some amazing places.
Nature journaling is "all about being an ACE observer not the being best at drawing". Draw, write, sketch, take notes, leaf rubbings, make lists, record what you see, hear and wonder. Sandra tells us we can all give it a go. "Beach, forest, city street or backyard nature journaling can be done anywhere, all you need is a basic kit of pen and paper".

Like all her publications, her stunning new book 'North & South' (published by Walker Books Australia) captures and shares illustrator Sandra Morris's curiosity and desire to engage with the natural environment. This title features as a finalist in the Elsie Locke Award for Nonfiction in the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

21/06/2021

Our second session was Sharon Holt from Te Reo Singalong books.
"I first met te reo Māori in 2002, when I attended a night class in basic te reo Māori. It was love at first sight."

As a child Sharon knew she was going to be an author but life got in the way and she finally realised her dream in her 40's. With no time to lose, Sharon started writing stories, plays and poems for Learning Media’s School Journals and Ready to Read series, then books for with Walker Books, Allen & Unwin and Scholastic. For the last eight years, Sharon has focused on writing her award winning series of Te Reo Singalong books. She also has a passion for correct pronunciation of Māori place names, birds and trees, which she teaches through her Te Reo Māori Challenge.

Sharon talked us through the basics learning te reo Māori, insisting "We are all on a different part of the journey - as long as you are moving, and not stuck, it's ok - go step by step", sharing tips like:
- There is a break after every vowel (Sharon calls this the Golden Rule)
- 'T' sounds different when used with 'i' or 'u'
- There are no silent letters in te reo Māori

Sharon Holt tours NZ passionately advocating, encouraging and educating others to use the language of Aotearoa, "Learning to pronounce te reo Māori is all about respect". Sharon also suggested maybe Kauri dieback was really caused by pronouncing it's name wrong for so many years by so many people.

At the end of her presentation she had us all singing in te reo Māori and signing in NZ Sign Language with her as she played one of her Te Reo Singalong series videos 'He aha tēnei?' Singing with others is always good for the soul.

21/06/2021

We started the day with Melinda Szymanik Children's Author sharing her own journey to writing for children and young adults, including the fundamental contradiction of looking backwards to her own youth for insights and inspiration, while looking forward to the youth of today and tomorrow to know their fears and concerns.

"Today's writer's need to juggle messages of hope, with an examination of the issues and challenges relevant to contemporary teens, writing stories that allow young readers to simultaneously ‘escape,’ while providing them with the tools for navigating their future adulthood"

She also touched on how to develop readers;
"Be a reading role model"
"Don't undercut someone's reading choices!"

She finished her talk by reading her latest picture book 'My Elephant is Blue' aloud to us - a beautifully written story about having the blues, in the form of a large blue elephant - a very special way to end her session.

17/06/2021

And we're off...starting another great day of celebrating reading and literacy at our annual Libraries, Literacy & You - Seminar Day
Ready for lots of 'take-aways' and ideas to build on what we already do as librarians and educators.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to join our day of PD.