Новая Зеландия проведет первую в истории неделю детских книг

Aotearoa Unites For First-Ever National New Zealand Children’s Book Week For one week this August, Aotearoa will come together to raise readers. From 15–21 August, New Zealand Children's Book Week: Reading Around Aotearoa will bring together children, whānau, schools, libraries, bookshops and communities in a nationwide celebration of stories. Led by Read NZ Te Pou Muramura, and made possible by our whānau of sponsors including Mātātuhi Foundation and Spotlight, the inaugural week is an invitation to celebrate reading—and the stories, people and places that help young readers thrive. In a busy world, New Zealand Children's Book Week is a reminder that reading doesn't have to be another thing on the to do list. Whether it's five minutes before bed, a visit to the local library, discovering a new favourite at the local bookshop or sharing a well-loved book on the couch, every reading moment helps raise readers. It’s also the perfect opportunity to discover one of this year’s New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults finalist books. Read NZ Te Pou Muramura Chief Executive Juliet Blyth says Book Week is about creating a nationwide celebration that everyone can be part of. "Every reader starts somewhere, and usually someone is there, opening that first book with them. That's what New Zealand Children's Book Week is about. It's an invitation for all of us—parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, booksellers, neighbours and friends—to help create those moments that can spark a lifelong love of reading." And that's exactly what Book Week will look like. Children will meet the authors and illustrators behind the books they love. They'll climb aboard a storytelling train, discover new favourite stories and parade through school dressed as beloved book characters. Across Aotearoa, stories will spill out of books and into communities, reminding us that reading is something to celebrate together. Across the week, every day brings something different. Bookshops around the country will launch Book Week with special events and celebrations. In Wellington, Read NZ and the Greater Wellington Regional Council/Metlink will partner to present Books on Board, a unique storytelling journey on the Wellington–Kāpiti line for preschoolers, while children in Christchurch have already helped kick things off by creating costumes with Fifi Colston and Spotlight NZ. Libraries throughout Aotearoa will host storytimes, panel discussions, workshops and creative events, including a children's reading panel at the National Library in Wellington, events at Dunedin Public Libraries, Treasury Tales at Tauranga City Libraries and Book Week activities at Puke Ariki in New Plymouth. Hundreds of students will meet finalist authors and illustrators at Books Alive in Christchurch and Wellington before the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are presented on 19 August. Schools will round out the week with colourful Book Parade Day celebrations, while online audiences can enjoy book recommendations, play book bingo and download colouring competitions, and enter Sonya Wilson's nationwide writing competition inspired by a book that changed their life. One of the week's shared experiences will be the inaugural National Read Along, inviting tamariki in homes, early learning centres, schools, libraries and bookshops across Aotearoa to share Dazzlehands / Ringakoreko at 11am on Monday 17 August. Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador Kate De Goldi will join author Sacha Cotter, illustrator Josh Morgan and translator Kawata Teepa to bring the story to life. Juliet Blyth hopes Book Week will leave something behind long after the final event has finished. "Our invitation is simple: make a little space for stories. Borrow a book from the library. Wander into your local bookshop. Read together before bed. Join an event in your community. However you choose to take part, we hope Book Week inspires more moments of curiosity, imagination and connection—because those are the moments children often carry with them long after the story has ended." For the full programme of events and resources, visit the Read NZ Te Pou About New Zealand Children’s Book Week: New Zealand Children’s Book Week runs from 15–21 August 2026 and is led by Read NZ Te Pou Muramura. The inaugural celebration is made possible through the support of core sponsors Mātātuhi Foundation and Spotlight, together with sector partners including Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand, the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa, the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, the Māori Literature Trust, the National Library of New Zealand and the Coalition for Books.