Julie Lankow, Author at Kidspot

6 Cool Themes To Makeover Your Child’s Bedroom

Posted on 15/04/202416/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Decorating with Resene

A child’s bedroom is their kingdom – where they relax, read, study, sleep, and dream! Choose from one of these cool themes from Resene to make them smile and inspire their imagination.

#1 May the force be with you

Created by the Hembury family with paints from Resene.

This amazing bedroom inspired by the movie series, Star Wars, features some fantastic lighting effects to bring the tie fighter and space-look to life! It’s also hugely practical with clever storage ideas. Get a space-age wall effect in your child’s room with Resene Cinder and Resene Blast Grey metallic paint.

Get this look

#2 Surf’s up!

Created by the Hembury family with paints from Resene.

Be reminded of long summer days on the sand all year round with this sunny beach theme. It features a cute cubby house – perfect for when you need to retreat from the sun (or a sibling!). Use Resene testpots to introduce a range of summery colours to your child’s room with Resene Endeavour, Resene Curious Blue, Resene Malibu, Resene Anakiwa, Resene Wellywood, Resene Neva, Resene Spritzer, Resene Sulu, Resene Witch Haze, Resene Gorse and Resene Solid Gold.

Get this look

#3 A person’s a person, no matter how small

Created by the Hembury family with paints from Resene.

If you’re not confident painting a freehand style mural, get yourself some masking tape and mask out a mural design using geometric shapes and paint in the spaces using your child’s favourite Resene colours.

Get the look

#4 Where the wild things slumber

From the Resene colour inspiration – latest looks gallery.

This joyful yet sophisticatedly-styled bedroom look is ideal for a younger ‘tween, striking a balance between supporting a developing maturity while embracing whimsy and play. With subtle hues of Resene Colorwood Whitewash and Resene Schooner, this room will fit right into a home with a neutral colour palette.

Get the look

#5 Love and whimsy

From the Resene colour inspiration – latest looks gallery.

Pastel hues combine with textural large wall flowers, for an oasis of calm with a touch of fun and love. Don’t have a headboard? Just paint your own directly onto the wall with a contrasting colour, like this headboard painted in Resene Just Dance onto the wall in Resene Sorbet.

Get the look

#6 Matariki baby

From the Resene colour inspiration – latest looks gallery.

The Matariki cluster of stars rises in midwinter and heralds the start of the Māori New Year. Whether or not your child is due around Matariki, we think that this delightful, starry theme is perfect for a relaxing nursery. Add your own space-inspired touches to your child’s room with a wall painted in Resene Warrior and stars in Resene FX Nightlight glow-in-the-dark paint.

Get the look

More ideas from Resene for creative kids

Choose from Resene’s fun range of DIY projects for kids’ decor and bring in a world of colour.
Keep little hands busy with Resene arts and crafts activities. Try out handy Resene testpots, available in a huge range of colours. Made using waterborne paint, they are ideal for arts and crafts projects.
Resene testpots are available from your local Resene ColorShop or you can order online from the Resene website.

For more kids’ room inspiration and ideas, visit your local Resene ColorShop and view the habitat plus – kids’ spaces book online.

See more:

Written by Kidspot NZ with content from Resene.

Family review: artemis Kid’s Settle & Sleep

Posted on 08/04/202416/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for artemis

When the kids get a good, restful night’s sleep, everybody wins! But sometimes your child’s sleep (and therefore your own) can be elusive or disrupted due to a myriad of reasons. To help Kidspot families to support sleep for their kids, we gave them the opportunity to trial artemis Kid’s Settle & Sleep. Check out some of their reviews and success stories here.

New artemis Kid’s Settle & Sleep is 100% natural and scientifically formulated to help settle and relax kids aged 2 – 12 years and support calm and restorative sleep. The great taste of mandarin combined with being a liquid makes it easy and convenient to administer, and it’s fast-acting. The combination of chamomile, passionflower and lavender not only supports sleep but chamomile is also known for supporting digestion.

Find out more about the non-addictive long-term sleep support that artemis Kid’s Settle & Sleep can provide by visiting artemis.co.nz and check out the feedback below from Kidspot reviewers.

I’m enjoying getting some extra sleep too!

“I have tried this the last few nights for my almost 6-year-old daughter. She has a really hard time falling asleep. She explains to me that her brain just won’t turn off. She goes to bed about 7.30 and sometimes she’s can stay awake until 10.30-11pm. The first night I tried this I gave her one dose and she was asleep within 40mins. I was mind blown. The next night she was asleep within an hour. The max she lasts on this is 2 hours, which makes me super happy. It has made bed times so much easier and I’m enjoying getting some extra sleep too!“

Torie

Will definitely continue to purchase this

“Have been using this mainly with my 6-year-old who suffers from low-level anxiety around falling asleep. It seems to be working for her. I took the bottle away on school camp for my 10-year-old – each night I gave her some and she fell asleep well before the other children. Another parent asked to use it for her child who was struggling with sleeping, and they believed it worked too! Both older children did not like the taste, but were happy to take it, knowing it was helping them. Will definitely continue to purchase this.”

Annaclyne1

I can’t remember the last time they slept that late

“With two very active boys aged 7 and 8, and one who is neurodiverse, we are willing to try anything designed to calm and relax! We’ve been using it for less than a week but we are definitely noticing a difference. My youngest fell asleep on me last night for the first time since he was a baby! Not only that but both boys slept until 7:30am today, compared to the usual 6am and as I can’t remember the last time they slept that late, I’m thinking that can’t be a coincidence! In terms of taste, one loved it and one hated it, I had a little taste also and quite liked it, it’s definitely unusual with the herby vibe but it’s sweet and like the mandarin vibe.

Definitely keen to keep going on this one and might see how it goes to calm our ASD boy during the day when needed.”

melinda1nz

Calmer, relaxed and quieter

“We followed the instructions and gave it 1 hour before bed time. From the very first night neither were keen on the taste, however they continued to take it for the week and would have a small sip of water afterwards to “wash it down”. I think its helped our 3.5-year-old, he seems to be asleep within 15 minutes (provided he doesn’t sneak in a day sleep). For my 7-year-old bed time seems calmer/relaxed/quieter and he doesn’t come out asking a million questions however he’s still not falling asleep until 9pm. I’m willing to try it for another week and perhaps do one dose 1 hour beforehand and a second dose right before bed.

We have only tried kids night time magnesium pills on the 7-year-old and they don’t seem to have much effect on him. If children prefer a syrup over a pill then I would definitely suggest this product, [I] appreciate how natural it is and free from so many allergens and artificial things.

Hayley Roil

Sleepy and calm

“I have a 9-year-old and nearly 3-year-old. Both of them I struggle to get down in the evening, it just drags for them to fall asleep, no matter what we try or adjust it is always a long night. They also have a tendency to wake up at least 3 times in the night and struggle to get back to sleep.

We didn’t see any difference the first few days, but on day 4 we saw a difference. We started with 1 dose an hour before bed and then moved it to 20min before bed. We noticed that falling asleep went from 45min plus once in bed to 10min after day 4. They both seemed to be a little less all over the place in the evening and a little more focused.

I had a taste of it and it has a pleasant taste, no actual flavour I can pin point. The 9-year-old says it tastes of lavender and the nearly 3-year-old said it tastes like peach. The 9-year-old says it makes him feel sleepy and calm. The nearly 3-year-old has no comment on how it makes him feel haha!”

Jax

Instantly felt results

“My 11 year old son trailed the product of Artemis Kids settle and sleep to see if it would help to get to sleep quicker and stay asleep. My son is first year at Intermediate which brings a higher workload, stress of a bigger school and more sporting opportunities. Knowing how important sleep is for my tween to succeed at school was a reason we wanted to trail this product.

He said “it tasted fine, just like cough syrup”. The first weekend [he] took it twice each night and instantly he felt results. Going to sleep as soon as he has read, and stayed asleep all night.

We believe this product worked extremely well with only one week trialed, and will definitely continue to use.”

Chrislean

Afternoon got a whole lot better

“I have a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old and bedtimes have been so tricky lately that we have resorted to long drives to get the girls asleep.

I thought the first night may have been a fluke when we didn’t end up with children in our bed. However, we forgot it the second night and had 2 visitors in the night. They both are a lot more settled within our nighttime routine and falling asleep much faster so that’s great.

My 2 year old was having a rough afternoon one day and so as per the box, I gave her a daytime dose and her afternoon got a whole lot better.

I will be continue using this product and can see it being a must-have in my cupboard alongside the other artemis products I keep on hand.”

Staceykendall

Much more relaxed by bedtime

“I was particularly hoping that this would help one of my 8-year-old twins who is really struggling with getting to sleep at the moment. It can sometimes take him till 10/10.30 to drift off. The first couple of nights we didn’t notice much difference for him, but I then re read the instructions about taking it 30mins to an hour before bed and I think that is the trick to it. Now that he’s taking a double dose an hour before bed he’s much more relaxed by bedtime and the past couple of nights has been asleep by 9pm which is great.

It’s not a magic fix but nothing ever is, but we will definitely continue with this bottle and longer if it carries on helping him to relax and fall asleep easier.”

Rachaelfull

Snoring on the couch!

“Mr 6 … is going through a patch of hyperactiveness at bedtime every night which has been causing chaos every evening. [Afer use] he has settled significantly faster and more efficiently, and I have torn much less hair out (my own) every evening- winning!! The flavour of the syrup isn’t terrible but I had to mix it with a small amount of juice each dose to get it in him. Overall I am very happy with the results. I should also note that my husband tried this one evening and was snoring on the couch 30 mins later!”

Lexxx13nz

The calming effects

“I’ve been using artemis Sleep & Settle for 5 nights in a row on our son, 11 years. Despite initial reluctance, he’s now happily taking it. I have found giving him 1 teaspoon an hour before bed and another teaspoon 30 mins before is working well and since it’s just a teaspoon it’s easy to get it down in one go. It has a herbal fragrance and flavour to it but it’s pleasant and quite sweet tasting which is interesting given it has no sugars or sweeteners in it, which I loved.

I have noticed an improvement in the time it takes him to get to sleep and he’s not getting up after going to bed at all now which is fantastic. By the third night, he mentioned he felt like going to sleep was easier and he seemed calmer about going to bed so a big win for us and given it’s herbal based with no sugar I am going to continue giving it to him – he is quite hyperactive so the calming effects could be just what he needs to help settle down for the night.”

Mumof3lads

Book Review | Finding Bear by Hannah Gold

Posted on 19/03/202416/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Sponsored content

Finding Bear is the unmissable follow-up to the phenomenal bestselling and award-winning The Last Bear. The story is perfect for readers aged 8-years-old and up.

April Wood has returned home from her adventure on Bear Island. But, over a year later, she can’t stop thinking about Bear.

When April hears that a polar bear has been shot and injured in Svalbard, she’s convinced it’s her friend and persuades her dad to travel with her to the northernmost reaches of the Arctic. So begins an unforgettable journey across frozen tundra and icy glaciers.

But along the way, she discovers much more than she bargained for – a tiny polar bear cub, desperately in need of her help. In freezing temperatures, April must navigate the dangerous Arctic terrain and face her deepest fears if she’s to save him.

Beautifully illustrated by Levi Pinfold, Finding Bear is a stunning story of survival and a heartwarming tale of love that shows us how hope is born from the smallest of beginnings.

Grab your copy of Finding Bear

Be in to win 1 of 3 copies of Finding Bear!

Finding Bear is the follow up title to the award-winning The Last Bear.

We’re excited to be giving away three copies of this beautifully illustrated book.

This competition has now closed.

Read reviews from our Young Readers

Book review by Abigal, age 11

Thank you to Kidspot and HarperCollins for the opportunity to review this book.

Finding Bear is about April Wood. She had come back from Bear Island and now a year later finds out a polar bear has been shot. She fears it is her polar bear friend and convinces her dad to return to Svalbard.

When they find Bear she realizes he needs her help with his cub. April has to be brave on this adventure.

I recommend this book for ages 9+ and think it would be an exciting read filled with adventures and surprises at every turn.

Book review by Juliette, age 11

This book is based around a young girl called April, who has moved to back to the city with her Dad after living in the Arctic. She is finding it difficult to adjust to life back home and is struggling to fit in at school. She especially misses her time spent with a polar bear she became friends with, called Bear.

April then hears that a polar has been shot near the place she used to live and thinks it may be her friend Bear. She begs her Dad to take her back and help search for Bear to make sure he is alright.

When April and her Dad get back, they have to try really hard to get to where she thinks Bear may be, and they end up getting in snow storms, lose their huskies who drive the sleds and then get separated from each other. However, April somehow finds Bear in the middle of nowhere, but also finds Bear has a baby cub who needs help, as the mother has died. But somehow she manages to overcome the environment and uses her friends to make the difficult journey to get help for the baby cub.

This book teaches us that if you set your mind to something you believe in you can achieve anything. It also demonstrated the true meaning of friendship, even between humans and animals. This book also showed the great issues the environment and animals are facing in the modern world and the way we treat our natural habitats.

Overall I rate this book 4 stars out of 5 because there was a lot of adventure and twists and turns that I didn’t expect, and it was also interesting to see what is happening to the natural world of the polar bears.

Book review by Zack, age 8 (nearly 9)

I loved reading this book, and enjoyed the ending a lot.

To begin with the book started off a bit slowish but once I got into it, it kept me wanting to read and read it. It was a very descriptive book with lots of words to read and learn, which my mum helped me with sometimes. The hardcover was very pretty and I liked looking at it.

Such a nice story about finding Bear and understanding what the Arctic is all about, which I found very interesting. Loved it and it kept me wanting more.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5 stars

Book review from Kyle, age 9

Finding Bear is a follow up story. April and her dad were exploring in the Arctic. She became friends with a polar bear. When she returned to normal life,
she felt like she never fitted in with normal people. April wanted to be with her friend and the beautiful Arctic again.

When she went back to the Arctic, she found her friend, but she also got an unexpected surprise.

This is a beautiful adventure story. Reading it, I could feel the cold and hear the whirling winds. I enjoyed the parts about nature and sustainability and I think it helps make people aware that what we do can make an impact (positive or negative).

I recommend this book for animal or nature lovers or those who like to snuggle up under the covers with a hot chocolate and go to a far away land. I give this 5 stars.

Thank you for letting me do this review.

Book review by Tomas, age 11

I loved this book because it showed how April and Bear had such a deep connection. Can April help her friend get his cub to safety without risking her own life?

This book informs the readers about environmental issues such as global warming and how much it affects the world.

This is the sequel to The Last Bear which I have read and loved just as much as this one.

I feel this book is suitable for girls and boys aged 9-13, as some of the storylines are a bit brutal.

Thanks again Kidspot NZ for letting me review Finding Bear.

Reviewers were provided with a copy of the book for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers. This article contains information provided by HarperCollins.

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Ring Ting Tūī by Elena de Roo & Paul Beavis | Book Review

Posted on 29/02/202416/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for Penguin Books

A melodious counting picture book bursting with troublesome tūī, perfect to read aloud! In Ring Ting Tūī, the familiar antics of one of New Zealand’s favourite native birds have been captured by award-winning picture book creators Elena de Roo and Paul Beavis.

SQUAWK!
Things are getting loud!
The kōwhai branch is bending …
what a sticky tūī crowd!

Have the tūī slurped too much kōwhai nectar to make an escape?

Bursting with fun – and nectar! – this melodious tūī story will have children and adults joining in with the tūī sounds until they too fall to the ground, just like the crowd of too many tūī.

Elena de Roo’s sparse use of clever text and impeccable rhythm is combined with Paul Beavis’s artwork that oozes with character, creating a special picture book fit for a clutch of chaotic tūī, and finished off with ten fascinating tūī facts.

Buy your copy of “Ring Ting Tūī”

Read the book review from Emmeline and family

This was a super fun rhyming and counting book about tūī weighing a branch down. A rhyming book always goes down well in our house and is very memorable.

My kids thought it was so funny when I read the sounds the tūī made and they had a go ‘clicking’ and ‘ringing’ like a tūī too. They also loved counting up the tūī as they appeared and pointing out the funny faces they were making.

We have read this several nights in a row and even I laugh as I try to twist my tongue around the different tūī sounds. I think that is my kids’ favourite part, listening to mum ring, ting, click and chitter like a bird and then trying it out themselves.

Overall a really fun book especially for those who love rhyming and having a giggle at bed time.

4 stars 🌟

Print Ring Ting Tūī colouring pages

Print and colour in these sheets from the melodious counting picture book bursting with troublesome tūī!

Print the pages

Don’t forget to visit Puffin Books for more great kids’ titles.

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Book Review | Murray and Bun: Murray the Viking by Adam Stower

Posted on 23/02/202416/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Sponsored content

Adventure lies beyond the cat flap!

Meet your favourite new duo: Murray and Bun!

Murray is a cat. Murray loves snoozing, fluffy blankets, and peace and quiet.

Bun is a bun. Bun loves … EVERYTHING!

And together they are unstoppable!

Sometimes Murray’s enchanted cat flap leads to the garden … but mostly it leads to ADVENTURE!

And when Murray and Bun travel through the cat flap and find themselves in a land of Vikings, they’re given a very important mission: to travel to Troll Island and rescue Eggrik the Viking … if he hasn’t already been gobbled up by the trolls, that is.

Perfect for newly independent readers and fans of Bunny vs Monkey, Dog Man, Adventure Mice and Claude, this funny, exciting, and hugely loveable story – brilliantly illustrated throughout – will delight adventure-lovers young and old. After all, heroes come in all shapes and sizes!

Grab your copy of Murray and Bun: Murray the Viking

Read reviews from our Young Readers below!

Review from Eden, aged 9

Hi my name is Eden and I have just finished reading the book Murray and Bun by Adam Stower for Kidspot NZ.

I knew I was going to love this book when I saw the front cover and how cute Murray and Bun were. It was such a fun book to read, but wasn’t an ordinary story – you normally wouldn’t get a Viking cat and a sticky bun made into a character for instance!

This book brought a lot of emotions. Bun was always so happy and excited and Murray was a lot more curious. Together they made a great team.

Murray and Bun - Murray the Viking book review

Once I started reading it I couldn’t stop and I think everyone will be the same. You just can’t wait to see what happens to Murray and Bun.

The other thing that was really cool was that they showed you how to draw Murray and Bun at the end. I have already drawn multiple Murrays since finishing the book.

All kids 6 and older that love a fun, illustrated adventure book will want to read this. I give it 5 stars!

Review from Faith, aged 7

Thank you Kidspot for allowing me to review this book, it was so fun.

I enjoyed this book about Murray and Bun. Murray’s cat flap always leads to adventures. This time he and Bun go to find Eggrik the Viking and travel to Troll Island.

Only if Eggrik hasn’t already been eaten by trolls that is. Eggrik’s favourite food is – you guessed it, eggs!

Along their journey Murray and Bun learn about Vikings and trolls and we get to join them on their adventure-filled trip.

This book was so funny, especially the bit where Murray and Bun realize the trolls have carrots stuck up their noses as can be seen on the cover.

I would give this book a 5/5 and would recommend to other children my age who enjoy funny stories and would read this book again for sure.

Review by Harrison, aged 8.5

Murray and Bun is a new series by author Adam Stower. It is all about a cat called Murray and his best friend Bun, the rabbit. When Murray and Bun go through his enchanted cat flap, they end up going on all sorts of adventures!

Murray the Viking is about their adventures with the Vikings, with Murray being sent on a quest that may end up being very challenging for them both, with tricky bridges and trolls to deal with!

I really liked this book. It is funny and has really awesome pictures in it. It is very easy to read and understand. There is a cool guide to drawing Murray in the back of the book which I have given a go.

I would definitely recommend this book to other children, and I will be looking out for the next book to come out in the Murray and Bun series!

5/5 stars

Review by Sim, aged 8

My favourite things about it

I liked how on the way there was a very long boat, then on the way back it was a very short boat. It was funny. I also liked how Murray and Bun met the trolls and they did not eat them but the coolest thing I liked is how Murray’s cat flap was a magic cat flap that was so cool. I also liked how the last and best-tasting bun got changed into a rabbit named Bun which is one of Murray’s best friends!

Things that could be made better

One of the main things that could be made better is that the trolls could have chased Murray and Bun around. I also think that the chief should not have such a long beard because it looks weird. I think that the wizard should have also come with Murray and Bun.

Review by Zack, aged 8

[Murray and Bun – Murray the Viking] was about a wizard that was bad at wishes. There was a bunny and a rabbit also. The cat door became magic and they went on an adventure.

I liked this book and found it interesting. I didn’t want to stop reading it, so read it all at once.

Be in to win 1 of 5 copies of Murray and Bun!

Murray and Bun is out now!

Your new favourite new duo is Murray the cat and Bun the … well, bun.

We’re excited to be giving away 5 of these funny illustrated books, perfect for kids aged 7+.

To enter, simply tell us the name of the Viking they have to rescue? (Hint: you will find the answer on this page).

This competition has now closed.

Reviewers are provided with a copy of the book for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers. This article contains information provided by HarperCollins.

Read more kids book reviews:

Book Review | Time Travelling With a Tortoise by Ross Welford

Posted on 23/02/202416/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Sponsored content

Exciting, funny, heartwarming, and mind-bendingly clever, Time Travelling with a Tortoise is the extraordinary, adventure-packed sequel to Ross Welford’s beloved, bestselling debut, Time Travelling with a Hamster.

Al Chaudhury travelled back in time to save his father’s life.

And it worked – Al’s dad is alive again and life is back to the way it should be. At least, that’s what Al thinks.

But when an accident robs Al’s beloved Grandpa Byron of his world-beating memory, Al is forced back in time again, this time leaving someone behind, trapped in a prehistoric dimension.

Al is forced into a rescue mission to recover his friend from the past … and to make sure that there will be a future waiting for them all.

It turns out time travel is far more complicated than Al thought.

Grab your copy of Time Travelling With a Tortoise

Read reviews from our Young Readers below!

Review by Fin, aged 12

Hi, I’m Fin and I am reviewing Time Travelling with a Tortoise by Ross Welford for Kidspot New Zealand. This book is a sequel to the first successful book by the same author, Time Travelling with a Hamster.

Picking up where the last book left off, Time Travelling with a Tortoise is filled with family tragedy, time travel, alternate realities and quantum physics.

The main character Al Chaudbury thought life was finally going his way after saving his Dad’s life in the first book. An unfortunate accident leads to a whole new adventure however.

Time Travelling with a Tortoise book review

This time we see Al time travelling back to a prehistoric age, where he and his friends must fight for survival.

I would highly recommend this book for sci-fi lovers aged 10+. You don’t need to read the first book, but I would highly recommend it! You may want to read about how this exciting adventure started.

Review by Abigail, aged 10

Thank you so much to Kidspot for the chance to read and review this book … I am so grateful.

I really enjoyed this book about Al Chaudhury. When Al’s grandpa Byron meets with an accident, Al and his friends Carly and Paulie are forced back in time to send a letter of warning to grandpa Byron. But, when everything goes wrong they get stuck with dinosaurs.

Eventually when they make it home, Carly and Al realize they have left Paulie behind.

Can Carly and Al get their friend back and restore life to how it used to be?! Join Al, Carly, Paulie and Grandpa Byron on their crazy adventure.

I would love to read Time Travelling with a Hamster by the same author and would recommend this book to kids 10 years and older who enjoy adventures like I do. I rate this book a solid 5 [stars] for its great storyline that kept me gripped for days till the end.

Book review by Em and Kaitlyn, aged 10 & 13

This book is the sequel to the bestselling book – Time Travelling with a Hamster. The main plot is about a boy who goes back in time to save his grandpa’s life. It sounds pretty similar to the previous one – a boy goes back in time to save his dad’s life. Then one of the boy’s friends gets stuck back in the Jurassic Period, and it turns into a big dilemma.

Lots of injuries and time travel continues throughout the book. The plot is simplistic, yet the style of the author seems to direct the writing at older children, so we think the book can be improved by either adding more complexity or simplifying the language. But enough criticism. This book probably is good for boys in our opinion, maybe 9 or 10 year olds.

Review by Eva, aged 11

I thought to begin with the book was confusing and didn’t intrigue me. But as I delved into it, it began quite exciting and lots of ups and downs.

The time travelling concept was quite interesting and lots of imaginative stories were throughout the book while this kid was travelling. Once back in the real world it took a while for this kid to regain what had actually gone on.

I liked this book and give it 4/5 stars.

Be in to win 1 of 5 sets of the Time Travelling series!

Exciting, funny, heartwarming, and mind-bendingly clever, Time Travelling with a Tortoise is the extraordinary, adventure-packed sequel to Ross Welford’s beloved, bestselling debut, Time Travelling with a Hamster.

We’re excited to be giving away five sets of these hilarious, time-travelling books, perfect for kids aged 9+.

To enter, simply tell us Al’s grandpa’s name. (Hint: you will find the answer on this page).

This competition has now closed.

Reviewers are provided with a copy of the book for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers. This article contains information provided by HarperCollins.

Read more kids book reviews:

NEW artemis Kid’s Settle & Sleep

Posted on 20/02/202423/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Happy kids, happy family!

We all know how important sleep is for children. It helps them focus, supports cognitive development and learning, supports stronger immune health and supports them to relax in times of stress. Good sleep leads to happy kids, and happy kids lead to happy families.

New artemis Kid’s Settle & Sleep is 100% natural and scientifically formulated to help settle and relax kids aged 2 – 12 years and support calm and restorative sleep.

The great taste of mandarin combined with being a liquid makes it easy and convenient to administer, and it’s fast-acting. The combination of chamomile, passionflower and lavender not only supports sleep but chamomile is also known for supporting digestion.

Find out more about the non-addictive long-term sleep support that artemis Kid’s Settle & Sleep can provide by visiting artemis.co.nz.

Read the reviews now!

We’ve given 50 families with kids aged 2-12 years the chance to trial and review artemis Kid’s Settle & Sleep. Read the reviews in the comments below.

When comparing my experience before and after using this particular product we have noticed a massive improvement both with the failing asleep and waking up during the night.

Newkiwi

The first weekend took it twice each night and instantly he felt results. Going to sleep as soon as he has read, and stayed asleep all night.
We believe this product worked extremely well with only one week trialed, and will definitely continue to use.

Chrislean

From the very first night (they have been having it nightly for the last 2 weeks) my kids were fast asleep within a fairly short period of time. I honestly thought my eldest was just pretend sleeping but she was actually fast asleep. This is a girl who can be awake past midnight some nights, so I was honestly blown away, but thought it may just be a coincidence. But no, both girls have been getting to sleep within 20-30 mins of lights out, which is amazing.

Angelgirl081

We’ve been using it for less than a week but we are definitely noticing a difference. My youngest fell asleep on me last night for the first time since he was a baby! Not only that but both boys slept until 7:30am today, compared to the usual 6am and as I can’t remember the last time they slept that late, I’m thinking that can’t be a coincidence!

melinda1nz

I took the bottle away on school camp for my 10-year-old – each night I gave her some and she fell asleep well before the other children. Another parent asked to use it for her child who was struggling with sleeping, and they believed it worked too!

Annaclyne1

We started with 1 dose an hour before bed and then moved it to 20min before bed. We noticed that falling asleep went from 45min plus once in bed to 10min after day 4. They both seemed to be a little less all over the place in the evening and a little more focused.

Jax

Reviewer notes

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Top 10 Kiri and Lou Songs

Posted on 19/02/202416/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for Kiri and Lou

Every episode of the hit New Zealand kids’ TV show, Kiri and Lou, is wrapped around an original song written by The Front Lawn (Don McGlashan, Harry Sinclair) and performed by a cast of favourites including Jemaine Clement, Olivia Tennet, Rima Te Wiata, Jaquie Brown, Josh Thomson and Mark Wright.

Head to YouTube, Spotify or Apple Music to hear all your favourites from the show, as well as songs featuring guest artists Marlon Williams, Tami Neilson, Paul Kelly, Julia Deans, Anika Moa, Don McGlashan and Laughton Kora.

Though it’s a hard task to choose a top 10, here are our favourite Kiri and Lou songs to sing-a-long with. Share your favourites in the comments below!

Watch now on TVNZ+

Shine Your Light

After accidentally falling into a dark cave, Kiri and Lou are guided to safety by some singing glow worms. Featuring an incredible performance by Julia Deans as lead Gloworm.

Made with the support of NZ On Air

Let It Out

If something inside is troubling you, you gotta Let It Out! Starring Tami Neilson as Davinia the Duck.

Made with the support of NZ On Air

Yum, Yum Baronies

Do you like yum, yum baronies? Lou LOVES yum, yum baronies! Guaranteed to get the party started!

Made with the support of NZ On Air

Farty the Dinosaur

Pania (Rima Te Wiata) shares an educational song about gas and the whole digestive process. Excuse me!

Made with the support of NZ On Air

Wild Animal

Sung by Jemaine Clement and Olivia Tennet and featuring a wild, swinging sax solo.

Made with the support of NZ On Air

Womp Womp Womp

A celebration of getting outside and getting messy in the mud. As well as a fun singalong number, this song has been made available as a picture book, available at all good book sellers.

Made with the support of NZ On Air

Look Before You Poo

Some sage life advice from Kiri’s friends, the Three Little Birds.

Made with the support of NZ On Air

Do a Little Jump!

An amazing mood refresher, Do A Little Jump! will get everyone up and dancing. Sung by Small (Rima Te Wiata) and featuring Chris O’Connor, one of NZ’s greatest percussion artists.

Made with the support of NZ On Air

Purple Mountain

One of our favourite Australians, Paul Kelly, stars as Daddy Wuffle, a very musical flea who is living quite happily on Lou’s flank.

Made with the support of NZ On Air

Who is Sleepy Now?

Everyone’s favourite lullaby, sung by Pania (Rima Te Wiata). Guaranteed to send everyone off to sleep.

Made with the support of NZ On Air

Kiri and Lou’s new album, Thoroughly Singable Songs, is out 25th March. Don’t miss out, SUBSCRIBE now!

Discover Kiri and Lou

The funny and heartwarming Kiri and Lou stories feature Kiri, a feisty little dinosaur with huge emotions, and her best friend Lou, a gentle and thoughtful creature. They explore their feelings through singing, laughing and playing in the forest with their friends, including Pania (who’s a little ‘farty’), Sorry (a fast little animal with a confusing name), and lovable Dalvanius.

Watch now on TVNZ+

Kiri and Lou colouring pages

Extend the fun with Kiri and Lou with this selection of printable colouring pages for you to get creative with (PDFs).

Made with support from NZ On Air.

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Top 5 Tips For A Safe & Secure Child Restraint

Posted on 15/02/202416/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

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Choosing and using a child restraint can be a bit tricky sometimes – and we know you’re reluctant to read that enormous (but very helpful) instruction manual (which you should absolutely read by the way!).

In New Zealand, it’s estimated that over 80% of child restraints are not installed securely. In partnership with InfaSecure, we’ve narrowed down the top 5 tips and tricks to safely securing your child every trip and every day.

1. Choosing the right restraint

Choosing the right restraint for your child can sometimes seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be!

Under New Zealand law, all children under seven years of age must use an approved child restraint appropriate for their age and size. Children aged up to 8 must be secured in a restraint if one is available in the vehicle. International best practice recommends the use of an appropriate child restraint (or booster child restraint) until your child reaches 148 cm tall or is 11 years old.

Child restraint and medical professionals recommend that you keep your baby in a rear-facing restraint until as old as practicable – at least until they are 2 years old. It’s safest to keep your child rearward facing for as long as the restraint allows.

Other considerations should include how the restraint fits in your car (try before you buy), ease of use, safety features, and what your budget allows.

InfaSecure Child Restraints are manufactured to the Australian Standard (AS/NZS:1754) which has the highest level of mandatory testing worldwide. Look for the 5-tick red sticker for an Australian & New Zealand Standard-approved child restraint.

2. Harnessing all things safety!

It’s important to make sure that the harness is at the correct height for your child. For Australian & New Zealand Standard rearward facing restraints, the harness should be fitted through the slots or positioned CLOSE TO AND ABOVE the child’s shoulders, NEVER BELOW.

For Australian & New Zealand Standard forward-facing restraints, the harness should be fitted through the slots CLOSEST to the child’s shoulders. This means they can be above or below the shoulders, whichever is closest. They should be no further than 2.5cm distance from the shoulder in either direction.

If you have an EU or US standard restraint, it is recommended that you check your manufacturer’s instruction guide as harness set-up may differ.

A tight and well-fitted harness is essential to ensure your child is safe in their restraint. If a harness is loose, the child’s head and upper body can move too far forward, and they have the potential to be ejected in an impact. To check the harness, start by buckling your child in their child restraint. Then, try to ‘pinch’ the harness strap on the child’s shoulder/collarbone. If you can pinch the webbing, then the harness is too loose and will need to be tightened. If your fingers slip on the webbing and you aren’t able to pinch it, then it’s tight and secure.

The Pinch Test should be done every time you put your child in their child restraint. It only takes a few seconds, and it could save your child’s life in an impact. Making sure the harness is tight is half the job done. When checking that the harness is tight, it’s also important to check for twists in the straps. The straps are easily twisted when moving children in and out of their child restraints. By checking the harness every time, you can minimise the amount and type of twists that occur.

It is particularly important for newborns that they are positioned correctly in the restraint. Ensure that your rearward restraint is installed at the correct angle outlined in your user manual. Baby should not be slouching and there should be no gaps between the restraint and their shoulders or bottom. Parents should be able to place one finger between baby’s chin and chest to assist with optimal head positioning.

3. Talking tethers

If your restraint is fitted with a top tether, it is essential that it is used as per manufacturer instructions, and used with an approved vehicle anchor point. The top tether is the webbing that comes from the top/back of the child restraint and has a metal hook on the end which is attached to the vehicle anchorage point. This tether is important for proper installation because, without it, there can be potential for serious injury in a crash (or even braking hard). It helps stabilise the top of the child restraint and prevents it from rotating over. If you’re not sure where your anchor points are, you should check your vehicle owner’s manual, or contact the manufacturer.

The top tether strap should have all of the slack removed, but shouldn’t be over-tightened. The child restraint lifting off the vehicle seat can be an indication of an over-tightened top tether strap.

4. Get it right, get it tight!

Getting a tight install of your child restraint can be difficult but we’re here to help!

When fitting a child restraint it’s important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, as a restraint that is not fitted or used correctly significantly reduces the safety protection provided by the restraint.

When threading the child restraint belt through the belt path or installing with ISOFix, put your knee and some weight into the child restraint to ensure it is pushed into the vehicle child restraint before you clip in the child restraint belt or ISOFix. The ISOFix windows on both sides of the restraint should be completely green for InfaSecure child restraints, indicating a tight fit.

It’s important that the child restraint moves no more than 2.5cm side to side at the belt path. You can check this by wiggling the child restraint at the base closest to the belt path (not the top of the child restraint – it is normal for this area to move more than 2.5cm). If your child restraint does move more than 2.5cm or feels loose, you should reinstall the child restraint more firmly.

For child restraint belt installation, you can use a locking device to ensure this install stays tight. We recommend using the InfaSecure Lockie, SafeGrip, or Gated Buckle (vailable for purchase at InfaGroup.co.nz).

If you are unsure on how to install your restraint correctly or would like your restraint checked, we recommend connecting with an independent Child Restraint Technician in your area.

5. So you’ve spotted a child restraint on the side of the road …

You’ve probably seen second-hand child restraints on the side of the road (often with a sign stating, “Free” or “Please take me”) or on Facebook Marketplace (even in good, used condition). And while the people who have put them out mean well, there are real dangers associated with using these restraints.

Even today’s most basic budget-friendly Australian & New Zealand standard child restraints can provide a higher level of protection than older, pre-owned child restraints with an unknown history.

It’s impossible to know if the child restraint has been in an accident and if the child restraint’s structural integrity has been compromised. Damage to child restraints after an accident can be invisible – such as fractures in the shell or nicks in the webbing. There is no real way to check for this kind of damage, nor are there any organisations that can “clear” a child restraint of suspected damage.

Roadside second-hand child restraints or hand-me-downs are most definitely not recommended.

There are many entry-level or budget-friendly child restraints available in New Zealand that don’t compromise on safety. If your child restraint features the AS/NZS:1754 sticker, you’ve got yourself an incredibly safe child restraint no matter the cost! There is a suitable child restraint solution for all price points, children, and families.

Top budget-friendly child restraints

Check out some of our top pick budget-friendly child restraints below.

InfaSecure Vari Move 0-4

Available now at Farmers.

Shop now

InfaSecure Optima 0-8

Available now at Supercheap Auto.

Shop now

InfaSecure Roamer II 6M – 8 Years

Available now at Supercheap Auto.

Shop now

InfaSecure Foldaway Booster 4-8 Years

Available now at Kmart.

Shop now

*At InfaSecure, they’re passionate about educating parents and caregivers on best practice use of child restraints. This guide has been written with this in mind. Advice given is broad in nature. We recommend that you contact your specific child restraint manufacturer directly for any specific help with your restraint.

Content provided by Infa Group.

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5 Back To School DIY Projects

Posted on 14/02/202416/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for Resene

With the kids settling back into school, keep them organised and engaged with these DIY projects from Resene.

Each project has illustrated step-by-step instructions to follow, provided on the Resene website.

#1 Paint your own DIY book covers

Create with paint! Projects from habitat by Resene.

Take a slice of summer into the school year with this fun idea for personalising clear files. The simple watermelon pattern is a breeze to create. Simply paint onto an A4 piece of paper and slip into the front of their folders.

TIP! Choose a different, simple fruit to paint for each subject or topic.

Create your own

#2 Transform an old school desk

Resene upcycling for good with Sarah Herring – Project 40

Those old school desks were made to last! Pick up one at a second-hand furniture store or school clearance and give it an update for a fun yet practical homework spot with storage. There’s an added surprise inside!

TIP! Keep an eye out on your local social media market pages to grab a bargain for upcycling.

Step by step instructions

#3 Make a kids’ chalkboard

Create with paint! Projects from habitat by Resene.

Create a space for those important school reminders with this simple project that transforms a plain photo frame.

TIP! To customise your design even further, you can choose from a range of chalkboard paint colours.

Find out more

#4 Make a cool noticeboard and pen pots!

From Habitat magazine – issue 16.

With a Resene testpot in the colour of choice, a plain noticeboard, some funky wallpaper, ribbon, and coffee tins or cans, you can create a noticeboard and complimentary pen pots to keep the study area tidy.

TIP! Resene have a huge array of patterns, colours, and designs in their range of wallpaper.

Find out more

#5 Make your own rainbow-inspired pen holder

Create with paint! Projects from habitat by Resene.

With this colourful pen holder you will never have to hunt for that perfect shade again. Perfect for school projects as well as colouring-in.

TIP! If you prefer to not use toilet rolls, wrapping paper cardboard rolls cut to size are an option.

Make your own

More ideas from Resene for creative kids

Choose from Resene’s fun range of DIY projects for kids’ decor and bring in a world of colour.
Keep little hands busy with Resene arts and crafts activities. Try out handy Resene testpots, available in a huge range of colours. Made using waterborne paint, they are ideal for arts and crafts projects.
Resene testpots are available from your local Resene ColorShop or you can order online from the Resene website.

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Written by Julie Scanlon

Julie is Editor for Kidspot NZ and our MVP. Her hobbies include laughing uncontrollably at her own jokes, annoying her family by asking questions about movie plots, and never taking anything too seriously. She speaks a little Spanish and a lot of Yorkshire.

Favourite motto to live by: “It ain’t nothing but a thing”

Book Review | Funny Kid: Snowballs by Matt Stanton

Posted on 20/12/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Sponsored content

It’s snow time! Laugh your head off with the super-popular Funny Kid series in the new title, Snowballs!

Every kid wants to laugh, but Max is the boy who can make it happen.

When Max and his friends holiday at a ski resort for the rich and famous, Max realises that everything he could ever need to be happy is all here in one place and he’s determined to fit in quick-smart! Max is the funny kid, but will his jokes work in the snow?

Frozen pyjamas, fast cars, falling gracefully off cliffs, a wild mountain man, impossible chairlifts and a high-end fashion parade from Lost Property are just some of the things in store for Max and his friends in this brand-new Funny Kid adventure.

Funny Kid is the mega-bestselling series from author-illustrator Matt Stanton that has everyone laughing!

Grab your copy of Funny Kid: Snowballs

Be in to win 1 of 3 copies of Funny Kid: Snowballs!

Funny Kid: Snowballs is the latest in the hilarious Funny Kid series and is out now!

We’re excited to be giving away three copies of this hilarious book, perfect for summer reading!

This competition has now closed.

Enter now

Read reviews from our Young Readers!

Book review: Harrison, age 8.5

I am so excited to review Funny Kid: Snowballs, by Matt Stanton!

I have read a couple of the other Funny Kid books and they are always great so I was really happy to read this latest book in the series.

This ‘Funny Kid’ book is about the main character, Max, who goes on a holiday to a snowy mountain where mostly only rich people go. He gets up to all kinds of funny things including falling in love with a girl who works at the Chair Lifts and has to end up saving him when he tries to show off!

Overall, I thought this book was really good. It was funny and cool! Max and the other characters are funny and very interesting and I love reading about their adventures. The intro for this book on the first couple of pages was really clever. I would definitely read this book and recommend for every kid to read it.

I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

Book review: Eden, age 9

My name is Eden and I am doing a book review for Kidspot NZ on Funny Kid: Snowballs by Matt Stanton.

This is the first time I have read a book in this series so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought it started off a bit slowly, so it took me a while to get into it. I liked that the chapters were quite short so I could just pick it up and quickly read a few.

Once I got to know the characters and the silly things they started doing, I really wanted to find out what happened in the end. I like going skiing so the story really connected with me. I would find it really funny to see some of the things Max got up to on the slopes in real life!

I think kids aged 9 to 12 would like this book as they would be able to pick up all the funny stuff. Younger kids might not understand as well.

I give this book 3 ½ stars out of 5.

Book review: Tomas, age 11

Hello my name is Tomas and I reviewed the book Funny Kid: Snowballs. Thank you Kidspot NZ for allowing me to review this book for you.

Funny Kid: Snowballs is about Max and his friends having a hilarious holiday in the snow. There are pranks like frozen pyjamas, short sheeted beds and fake avalanches off the roof.

I thought this book was so funny, just like all the other books in the series.

This book is suitable for boys and girls aged 7-10 years old. Matt Stanton is a funny author and I will read more of his books.

Book review: Zack, age 8

Hi I’m Zack and I’m eight years old and the book I’m going to be reviewing is called Funny Kid: Snowballs.

This book is about a kid called Max. He goes for a holiday with his friends to a mountain resort. There are a lot of people who are rich, and Max gets a bit jealous. But soon when he is about to get on the chairlift to have a look at the views of this great location, he gets distracted, which one of his friends calls “puppy love”.

With this to think about, nothing else is on Max’s mind. But suddenly, one of Max’s friends Hugo goes missing! Max thinks it is because Hugo has been talking to a mysterious Mountain Man, and now he’s missing too! Maybe Hugo went to look for him?

I think this book is fun for younger readers like me if you like entertaining books, but this wasn’t one of my favourite books to read.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Reviewers are provided with a copy of the book for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers. This article contains information provided by HarperCollins.

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Yakult’s Health Benefits For You And Your Family

Posted on 30/11/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for Yakult

Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that help the overall balance of bacteria in the digestive system. However, not all probiotics can achieve the same health outcomes as the unique bacteria in Yakult.

Discover how drinking one bottle of Yakult each day is a refreshing and easy way for you and your kids to restore and maintain the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, with nutritional benefits for the whole family.

Why do you need probiotics?

Some of today’s lifestyle factors such as stress, ageing, medications like antibiotics, limited physical activity, and poor diets can upset the balance of bacteria in your gut. Probiotics can assist in maintaining the balance of good and potentially harmful bacteria in the gut.

What is Yakult?

Yakult is a fermented milk drink that contains a very high concentration of the unique bacteria Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Shirota (LcS) strain. This beneficial bacteria was named after Dr Shirota who first discovered this unique strain in 1930. This probiotic strain can only be found in Yakult, with over 85 years of scientific research behind its benefits and effective use.

Each 65mL bottle of Yakult contains sufficient beneficial bacteria and is regarded as a single serve.

The benefits of the LcS strain in Yakult include:

It survives and reaches the intestines alive.
It positively improves the balance of your gut, by increasing the number of beneficial bacteria.
It encourages improved stool consistency.

Each bottle of Yakult contains 6.5 billion highly acid-resistant bacteria, exclusive to Yakult. This means that every millilitre of Yakult contains 100 million (100, 000,000) of the live LcS strain! The LcS strain of probiotics meet the World Health Organisation definition for probiotics. This particular strain has been proven to survive strong gastric and bile acids to arrive alive in the intestines, favourably increasing the numbers of beneficial bacteria there.

Yakult is fat-, gluten- and cholesterol-free, low in lactose, and contains no artificial colouring. The colour of Yakult is acquired from the Maillard reaction during the heating of the skim milk powder and sugar mixture, prior to fermentation.

Yakult and your family

Yakult is safe to drink during pregnancy and can be consumed as part of a balanced diet. Probiotics are often recommended to assist with bowel issues associated with pregnancy. It is also suitable for children who can safely consume cow’s milk and citrus fruits without any allergies or sensitivities. Children can drink Yakult as part of their normal diet when they start on solids and are consuming a varied diet. For younger children, you may prefer to dilute or give a smaller amount of Yakult.

People with diabetes can enjoy Yakult as part of a healthy diet. If you would like a lower sugar option, try Yakult LIGHT which has 75% less sugar and 40% less calories than Yakult Original. This should be considered within your total carbohydrate intake.

Yakult is suitable for individuals following a vegetarian diet who consume milk-based products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt.

Taking antibiotics can disrupt the balance of your gut bacteria by potentially removing many of the beneficial bacteria along with the harmful bacteria. Including a probiotic like Yakult before, during and after a course of antibiotics may help to reduce the disruption of balance in your gut.

Yakult can be enjoyed at any time of the day, regardless of whether it is before, during or after a meal. Yakult can also be added to tasty smoothies or cooling milkshakes – check out these Yakult recipes for more ideas.

Family review

We were lucky enough to try Yakult LIGHT. Our family of 4. Two adults, a 4 year old and a 6 year old.

The flavour was nice, sweet but not too much. They are the perfect size to drink in the mornings. All members of the whānau enjoyed drinking these and found them to help with regularity, and reducing wind.

We will 100% continue to use these daily, as they have really helped our whānau.

Katnaylan

Consistency is key

Probiotic bacteria don’t stay in the gut long-term. Drinking one bottle of Yakult daily is the best way to ensure you replenish and maintain the high numbers of the LcS strain in your digestive system. Probiotics require time to take action so it’s recommended that Yakult is consumed daily for at least two weeks to allow for the bacteria to begin influencing your family’s health.

Get your Yakult in New Zealand

There are two different types of Yakult available in New Zealand, Yakult Original and Yakult LIGHT.

Yakult Original is available in a 5 and 10 pack of 65ml bottles with each containing 6.5 billion live beneficial bacteria. Each 65mL bottle of Yakult contains sufficient beneficial bacteria as a single serve.

Yakult LIGHT offers all the same benefits and same high number of beneficial bacteria as the Original but with less sugar. Yakult LIGHT is available in a 5-bottle pack.

Find out more

Written by Kidspot NZ with information supplied by Yakult.

Additional resources and information available from the Yakult Australia website:

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Book Review | Silver Linings by Katrina Nannestad

Posted on 29/11/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

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Discover Silver Linings, a new heartwarming novel set in 1950s Australia from bestselling author, Katrina Nannestad. Read the reviews from our Young Readers below.

Nettie Sweeney has a dad, three big sisters, a farm full of cows and a cat called Mittens. But it’s not enough. She longs for a mother. One with a gentle touch and sparkles in her eyes. Instead, she has Aunty Edith with slappy hands, a sharp tongue and the disturbing belief that peas are proper food.

When Dad marries Alice, all Nettie’s dreams come true. The Sweeney home overflows with laughter, love and, in time, a baby brother. Billy. The light of Nettie’s life.

Then tragedy strikes. The Sweeney family crumbles. Nettie tries to make things right, but has she made everything so much worse?

From multi-award-winning Australian author Katrina Nannestad comes a heartbreakingly beautiful and uplifting historical novel. Life and death. Weddings and floods. Coronation joy and post-war grief. Nettie Sweeney and her community experience it all. Together. With humour, kindness and love.

Grab your copy of Silver Linings

Be in to win 1 of 3 copies of Silver Linings!

Silver Linings is out now – a heartwarming middle-grade novel perfect for Christmas.

We’re excited to be giving away three copies of this beautiful book!

This competition has now closed.

Enter now

Read reviews from our Young Readers

Book review by Kaitlyn (age 13)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The book is set in post-war Australia, with a family of girls who have lost their mother. Their father remarries, and for a time, their family is blissfully happy. Then, tragedy strikes, and the family breaks apart to process their grief separately.

Six-year-old Nettie tries her hardest to pull her family back from their knots of sadness, coming up with outrageous ideas to reunite the family.

Even though this book sounds sad – it is – it’s sad in the right type of way that makes a good book, a book that is a page-turner. All books have happy endings though, and this one is not an exception. The family knits closer together than ever, drawn by the bonds of love and grief.

I feel that most people who like family life books will enjoy this one. Silver Linings also shares some similarities to books by authors, like Michael Morpurgo and Karina Yan Glaser. And of course, the other stand-alones by Katrina Nannestad are must-reads!

Great book!

Book review by Zara (age 12)

Kia ora,

My name is Zara. I’m 12 years old and got given the book Silver Linings by Katrina Nannestad to write a review about. This book is set in the early 1950’s when Princess Elizabeth was being crowned Queen of England. Five-year-old Nettie Sweeney the main character lives in Australia on a farm full of Cows, Horses and her Cat Mittens. Shortly after Nettie was born her mother passed away from a sickness she caught. So ever since then she had longed for a soft and kind-hearted mother that would care and look after her.

This story takes off when Nettie’s dad brings home his new wife, Alice, everything is going great and the farm is filled with love and support. One day Alice comes home with a little ray of sunshine who will be her younger brother; Billy. A couple of weeks after he was born Billy gets sick and has to stay in hospital for a few days. On the day Alice and Billy were supposed to come home, Alice was the only one who stepped out of the truck. Following this Alice falls into a deep state of depression. Nettie is determined to help her stepmother any way she can, including acts of kindness, showing her the positive things happening around her and trying to bring her new mother joy.

This book teaches us that we can help people realize that there are happy and joyous things in life and they just have to take a look for themselves. This can be really hard when people are struggling with depression and other mental health issues and the book shows us some of the many ways to do this. The simple ongoing acts of care and kindness we read in the story help show us how to help the people we love when they suffer similar challenges.

Overall I rate this book a 10 out of 10 because it was so fascinating to read and very enjoyable to learn how simple it can be sometimes to help people suffering mental health challenges. This is such a topical thing for us in today’s day and age so the relevance to me as a young person today was excellent.

Book review by Eva (age 10)

Hi. My name is Eva, I am 10 and I will be reviewing a book called Silver Linings.

The main character in this book is Lynette Sweeney, also known as the five-year-old Nettie. Nettie has a kind, giving family, a dad and three sisters. She longs for a mum, but instead there is Aunty Edith. A woman with a short temper and slappy hands.

On the farm, Nettie and her family now are getting introduced to a new batch of piglets! In amongst the new litter there is always an unfortunate little piggy. That happens to be Lynette’s chosen piglet. Soon her dad is getting out of the car, hand in hand with a nice-looking lady.

I liked this book because it was a long read that was entertaining for my age group. It was sad at the start and then it had a happy ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book review by Ellen (age 14)

Hi, my name is Ellen and I had the joy of reading Silver Linings by Katrina Nannestad. I knew this book would be excellent because it is written by one of my favourite authors. The cover of the book is beautifully illustrated with special references to events that have taken place in the story.

Set in 1950s Australia, the narrative follows the Sweeney family’s life, written from Nettie’s perspective. Lynette, also known as Nettie, is the youngest of four sisters. They live on a farm with their Dad and their mean Aunt Edith. Nettie longs for a mother who will care for her, so when her dad marries Alice she feels like all of her dreams have come true. Then, when her new baby brother Billy arrives Nettie feels her heart will burst! Devastation occurs and the family starts to tear at the seams.

A touching historical novel that inspires happiness and hope after dealing with grief. I enjoyed reading this and I think that mature readers in the 10-15 year age range will also enjoy this book as much as I did.

I give it an 11/10. Special thanks to Kidspot and Harper Collins for providing the opportunity for me to read this wonderful book.

Reviewers are provided with a copy of the book for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers. This article contains information provided by HarperCollins.

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Super Snacks For Kids

Posted on 14/11/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

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We’re pretty good at ensuring our kids are eating nutritious, healthy food for their main meals. But when it comes to snacks, there can be a tendency to just let the kids loose in the pantry or fridge for after-school, after-dinner, weekend, or ‘why-not’ snack raids!

The food that children eat is very important. Not only do kids need fuel for day-to-day life, they also require good amounts of nutrients to support their growing body, developing brain, and general wellbeing.

Snacks are important

Snacks make up an important part of the diet and should be seen as a way to boost your child’s intake of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients – rather than a time for “treat” foods which tend to be high in saturated fat, sugar, or salt. Snacks are the ideal opportunity to fill in any nutrition gaps from main meals with healthy options. Kids should eat a variety of foods in regular meals and snacks from each of the four major food groups.

Why Yakult is the best snack option

Yakult

Part of a healthy diet includes probiotics – live beneficial bacteria that help the overall harmonious balance of bacteria in the digestive system. Yakult is an easy way to restore and maintain the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Drinking one bottle of Yakult daily is a refreshing way to include probiotics in your family’s diet. A perfectly proportioned bottle of Yakult makes a great after-school snack for kids when they come charging in the door from a full day of learning. Yakult can also be added to tasty smoothies or cooling milkshakes – check out these Yakult recipes for more ideas.

Yakult is the only product in the world to contain the unique bacteria Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Shirota LcS strain. The LcS strain has over 85 years of scientific research behind its benefits and efficacy.

There are two different types of Yakult available in New Zealand, Yakult Original and Yakult LIGHT.

Yakult Original is available in a 5 and 10 pack of 65ml bottles with each containing 6.5 billion live beneficial bacteria. Each 65mL bottle of Yakult contains sufficient beneficial bacteria as a single serve.
Yakult LIGHT offers all the same benefits and same high number of beneficial bacteria as the Original but with less sugar. Yakult LIGHT is available in a 5-bottle pack.

Find out more

Other healthy snack ideas

1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese with 2 carrots cut into sticks
1/3 cup chickpeas roasted in lemon juice and herbs
2-3 grain, rice or corn wafers with 1/2 tin of tuna or salmon and sliced tomato
1 tablespoon of peanut butter on 1/2 a pita pocket
1/2 a pottle of low fat yoghurt and 25g of nuts or seeds
1/2 a pita pocket grilled with grated cheese, tomato, mushrooms, onion, capsicum etc
Fruit kebabs
1/2 a pottle of low fat yoghurt and 1 small piece of fruit
1/2 a cup of reduced fat milk, 1/2 a banana and 1/4 cup of blueberries blended into a smoothie
1/2 a cup thinly sliced potatoes, oven baked with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice and herbs
1/4 cup oats and 1/2 a pottle of low fat yoghurt
1 boiled egg on 1 piece of wholemeal toast topped with sliced tomato
1/2 cup pasta with 1/3 cup of mince and leftover veges, sprinkle with parmesan cheese
1/2 a fish fillet cup into strips, coated with lemon juice, then breadcrumbs and baked
1/3 of a tin of baked beans on 1/2 a wholemeal bread roll
1/2 cup cooked rice with 1/2 cup of tinned tuna or salmon, leftover veges and 1 tbsp. Hummus
1/2 a cup of leftover potato chopped into squares and mixed with 1/4 cup cottage cheese with chives
1/2 cup of lentil and vegetable soup

Written by Kidspot NZ.

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Meet Kiri and Lou

Posted on 07/11/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

The hit New Zealand kids’ TV show, Kiri and Lou, is winning awards and fans around the world and our panel of reviewers is loving it at home too. Not only is it visually beautiful and heartwarming in its messaging, it’s also a lot of fun! Immerse your child (and yourself!) in this adorable show and it will soon become a family favourite.

Handcrafted in stop-motion animation, the cute, funny stories feature Kiri, a feisty little dinosaur with huge emotions, and her best friend Lou, a gentle and thoughtful creature. They explore their feelings through singing, laughing and playing in the forest with their friends, including Pania (who’s a little ‘farty’), Sorry (a fast little animal with a confusing name), and lovable Dalvanius.

The five-minute episodes are ideal for toddlers and preschoolers to snuggle down and learn about emotions, kindness, and friendship – perfect for bedtime or quiet time. Due to its low-stimulus approach, the show has also been found to be popular among kids with neurodivergent needs and offers a calming alternative to high-energy programmes.

With production on the 100th episode just completed, seasons one, two, and three are ready to be discovered on TVNZ+, Sky Go, and Neon.

Kiri and Lou’s world

Some of New Zealand’s top creative talent are involved in the making of Kiri and Lou.

The show includes the brilliant comedy voices of Jemaine Clement, Liv Tennet, Rima Te Wiata, Jaquie Brown, Josh Thomson, and Mark Wright, as well as guest appearances from Marlon Williams, Tami Neilson, Paul Kelly, Anika Moa, and Julia Deans.

The director and writer of Kiri and Lou is the multi-talented, Harry Sinclair, who, in one of his many creative jobs, was once part of the musical duo The Front Lawn with Don McGlashan. The pair have reunited on Kiri and Lou and the catchy songs are a hit with kids and adults alike.

Discover more about Kiri and Lou from our family reviewers below.

Watch now on TVNZ+

Made with the support of NZ On Air

Review from Coralie and Addy

My daughter Addy (age 3) and I loved watching Kiri and Lou together. Each episode is a short storyline about the two learning the important lessons in life, including being kind, feelings and how it’s ok to have them, and even death!

I love the friendship that Kiri and Lou have, with the gentle messages woven throughout. The music is so beautiful, always soothing and when Kiri and Lou, or even other characters in the show sing and harmonise together it is stunning and emotive. There is some very clever humour running throughout that even Addy picks up on, and we often have a good giggle together.

One striking feature of this beautiful show is the graphics. Specifically how relaxing they are to watch. A lot of kids shows are all about bright, garish colours, loud sudden noises and adventure storylines. Kiri and Lou focuses on the simple but important details, such as how the characters are feeling, and how they treat each other. The muted colours of the forest, with lots of greens, browns and oranges are pleasing to the eye but not over-stimulating. The animation is kind of clay animation style, simple but fascinating to watch.

@kiriandlou_official

Don't listen to what anyone says, fart jokes are always funny 😂 #fartjokes #farts #kidstvshow #claymation #songsforkids #dinosaurs

♬ original sound – Kiri and Lou

As a parent, I love that Kiri and Lou is soothing in tone, message and in appearance. The songs are often like a lullaby. You could easily watch it before bedtime and the kids wouldn’t get over-stimulated. My daughter Addy and I often watch a little tv after lunch when she needs a quiet time to decompress, so Kiri and Lou is perfect for this. Addy seems to find the storylines absorbing, and gets very focused on what’s happening with Kiri and Lou and all the other forest friends.

If I could guess, I would say Addy’s favourite thing in Kiri and Lou is the episode where Pania the green dinosaur looking character keeps on dropping huge farts. That gets her giggling every time!

Thank you for this opportunity, I truly think this show is so well made, and a great show to share with people, young and old.

Review from Jessica and Molly

Kiri and Lou are adorable and laugh-out-loud characters in a restful and calming preschool show. It’s relaxing yet engaging for the kids with an epic chilled-out soundtrack that any child (and parent!) will enjoy.

I watched numerous episodes with my youngest daughter Molly who is 3. We loved all the original songs that are entertaining and often beautiful and new in every episode.

Kiri and Lou engaged Molly’s attention and she often responded to them in the show. Molly also joined in the songs as they had a nice amount of repetition – not boring but appealing for children and brilliant for learning. The pace the show moves at does allow interaction from the viewer and she has laughed a lot through it. There have also been a few giggle moments for Mum too!

Kiri and Lou has a calming soundtrack and is perfect for winding down. We have had cuddles and snuggles on the couch while watching this together.

Visually it’s also really lovely to watch with beautiful paper cut backgrounds and wonderful claymation creatures. ( I really adore the eyebrows!!).

The show incorporates lovely bits of Aotearoa and Kiwiana yet will still be appealing to an overseas audience. The shows have basic themes that preschoolers will enjoy – a very simple message is central to each show, most sharing something that preschoolers can learn – eg being kind to our friends.

Molly’s favourite thing about Kiri and Lou is both the characters! She likes the songs as well 🙂

Review from Jacque and Zach

Zach, age 2, started watching Kiri and Lou on Monday afternoon, I told him I wanted him to watch a show and see if he liked it. Usually he will watch something for a few minutes and then walk away and play with something or get bored. So it would be cool to see how he reacts to Kiri and Lou.

For those that do not know Kiri is a little dinosaur that has these emotions that sometimes get the better of her, so very all over the place. And then Lou is the gentle and thoughtful and calm elephant-like creature. They are two best friends who go through everyday life where they learn to deal with their emotions and feelings.

Day 1 – Zach was glued to the show, his little mouth wide open, absorbed in the show!
Day 2 – Zach still was glued and started asking questions, mostly what the big dinosaur was talking about, that was really when Pania was explaining something to Kiri or Lou.
Day 3 – Zach kept asking me to play another episode once it finished.
Day 4 and Day 5 – Zach would start repeating what they were saying or imitate them after watching. He also spoke about Lou … he really likes Lou!
Day 6 and 7 – Zach watched with me and his big brother Kyle, age 9, cuddled on the couch before bed. He was very relaxed and still absorbed in the show asking for another episode after each one finished. Kyle was also quite glued to the show and found the funny moments eg where his friend is named Sorry and they get all mixed up!

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Zach’s favourite episodes that he asked to play again were ‘Funny Feeling’ and ‘Tickle Monster’.

I like that the episodes are only five minutes, makes it seem like they watched a few episodes but not a drain on time, especially before bed. It is also cool how they can get a little message across in that time frame. I love the use of colours and how the characters are made, how they move and speak. Simple but amazing!

I really like how they portray Kiri being the character who feels a lot and wears her heart on her sleeve, and Lou who is more relaxed and able to help Kiri navigate and accept she is perfect the way she is, how he helps her to understand why she feels like she feels at times.

I love how the message helps identify your feelings and shows you how to communicate and work through what you going through. Because even little kids like Zach go through these emotions and it was awesome how Zach would talk to me about what he saw. He would express how he identified with Kiri in one episode where she was just having an ordinary day not wanting to play, and her friends were worried she was broken. Zach says to me, “It’s ok to be ok, right?” In other words, he wanted to know it was ok to not want to play and just be still … it was great to see him asking questions, identifying with the characters and feeling what they were feeling. They really bring that across nicely.

I quite liked sitting in and watching the show as well, it was very calm and not too loud or over stimulating, but yet still exciting. I also like the messages that they bring across. We as adults even sometimes struggle with some of these.

I really see this show as a regular in our household. Zach really enjoyed watching it and engaging with it. I love that he was not once bored or distracted and how he actually sat and watched it. And positives are that it is a good message being relayed so that is beneficial 🙂

Thanks for letting Zach do the review!

Review from Hollie, Harper and Lulu

This is our review for Kiri and Lou by Harper (6) and Lulu (4).

What I like about the show as a parent is that it is gentle and it approaches real-life relateable social and emotional situations which are relevant to young tamariki. The messages are bite-sized but meaningful. We liked the graphics, although my daughters would close their eyes at the start as they didn’t like the anteaters! This led us into further discussions about what anteaters are and how they eat their kai which was a cool opportunity to link learning. I liked the use of te reo Māori but felt there was definitely space for more.

Harper’s favourite thing about the show is that when there is a problem with one of the characters then their friend will help out and there’s always a happy ending. Both girls liked the show as they love watching TV and they hardly ever get to watch it.

My feedback about the low-stimulation and sensory-sensitive approach of the show is that it’s a great show for bedtime hangouts which fits in well with our current low-stimulant calming routines. Normally I wouldn’t allow my tamariki to have TV before bedtime but this wasn’t a show which got them hyped up and I really liked the length of each episode – not too long. We would recommend Kiri and Lou to a range of whānau with young tamariki, it is a great show that is relevant to modern Aotearoa.

Review from Yasmin, Zayn and Maya

Kiri and Lou. What a refreshing and entertaining show. These 5-minute episodes (including credits) are catchy, quirky and quintessentially Kiwi. There’s even a subtle inclusion of te reo Māori words such as “ka pai”. Kiri is voiced by Olivia Tennet and Lou is voiced by Jemaine Clement.

This show is a stop motion claymation and uses paper for the scenes and backgrounds. I love the muted tones of the bright colours so they are exciting for the kids but don’t overstimulate their brains. I found the music very calming and catchy for both my 6-year-old boy, Zayn and my almost 2-year-old girl, Maya.

Kiri is a fiesty girl dinosaur who seems to get emotional a lot. Lou is the boy dinosaur and he is a bit more mellow and calm. There are some funny side characters too such as “Sorry” (Jacquie Brown) and “That’s ok don’t worry about it”.

Each episode has a ‘moral’ or a message. Kiri and Lou are best friends and we watch them navigate the complex world of interpersonal relationships. Often their arguments and disagreements mirror what children would experience, eg, He didn’t say sorry – I did! – Well I didn’t hear you. And how a situation like that could be addressed. Some themes in the show include owning up to your mistakes, speaking kindly, believing in yourself, standing up for yourself and having good manners.

Lou often finds himself in “Super sticky situations” and uses his calm inner voice to help him through them. Great modelling for my son and I’ve referred to the calm inner voice when he’s had something not go his way to help him navigate his feelings and thoughts.

Overall, our family has loved this show are we are enjoying watching it together. Sometimes as a wind down after school and before dinner, sometimes after dinner and before bedtime. Zayn is always asking for one more episode and he loves spotting the fingerprints on the clay. Maya is a huge fan of the music and will often be playing while we watch then she we will stop her play to enjoy the music. She gets up and sways her arms and body along with the music. As a parent, I feel that I can trust the show’s themes and language and I don’t mind letting the kids watch a few episodes at whatever time of day as it doesn’t seem to overwhelm their brains as some other shows do. It’s also easy to say ‘one more episode then turn the TV off’ because the episodes are so short.

I definitely recommend this show if you have young children. To be honest, I even recommend for the older children. I really enjoy watching the show myself. Catchy music, beautiful animation, great storylines and actually quite funny.

Kiri and Lou colouring pages

Extend the fun with Kiri and Lou with this selection of printable colouring pages for you to get creative with (PDFs).

Reviewers were provided with a merchandise pack as a thank-you for providing a review. Views are those of the reviewers.

Made with support from NZ On Air.

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Blue, Blue Christmas by Anna Coddington | Book Review

Posted on 02/11/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for Penguin Books

Forget the woolly jumpers, yule logs and snow, this kid is going to show Santa Claus how we do Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere – with sunglasses, beach cricket, surfing and barbecues!

Does Santa realise it’s actually very hot here at Christmas time? What if he overheats in his red suit while delivering presents?

“Santa! It’s urgent! I’m not sure if you know –
down here Christmas is in summer!
It’s blue, blue skies and if you get fried
in that suit it’ll be a bummer.”

While everybody is getting ready for Christmas, one kid is worried. Does Santa know it’s summer in the southern hemisphere? What if he overheats? She decides to send him a message. If the big guy gets her invitation, she’ll show him how much fun a blue, blue Christmas can be!

Blue, Blue Christmas is a charming and funny story about how we celebrate Christmas in Aotearoa with words and music to sing along with by acclaimed musician Anna Coddington and illustrations by award-winning Story Hemi-Morehouse.

Te reo Māori edition HE KIRIHIMETE KAHURANGI also available!

Buy your copy of “Blue Blue Christmas”

Hannah’s book review

Our family was lucky to be selected to review the book Blue, Blue Christmas by Anna Coddington and illustrated by Story Hemi-Morehouse.

A wonderful children’s Christmas book describing some of the joys about a Christmas summer in Aotearoa and a little girl’s thoughts towards how Santa might react to our summer heat compared to the North Pole temperatures.

Our children aged 9, 8 and 4 were captivated by the story and with Christmas and summer approaching made it even more exciting. The illustrations are beautiful and fun and we loved seeing some of our favourite things about Aotearoa throughout the book such as summer beach days, bbqs, pōhutukawa flowers, pavlovas and more. It is written in a fun way that was easy for our 9 and 8-year-old to read with some funny moments and descriptions that had our kids giggling for more. I think many Kiwi families would love to add this book to their collection as it’s beautifully written and illustrated and personally made us feel very lucky for the Kiwi Christmases and summers we get to experience.

As well as opening up conversations about how other parts of the world experience Christmas in different seasons of the year and what that would be like, our 9-year-old son who is autistic really loved thinking about and comparing what a winter Christmas would be like compared to summer but especially loved this book Blue, Blue Christmas and how he could relate to this Aotearoa story.

We would rate this book 5 stars as it’s a kind and heartfelt story from a little girl’s point of view and it reminds us of some of our favourite Christmas and summer moments we get to experience in Aotearoa. It is for kids to read and follow the story and has beautiful illustrations.

There is also a special added feature of a QR code/website link at the back of the book taking you to a YouTube sing-along of the Blue, Blue Christmas story itself.

All in all this book is a great choice for those wanting a fun summer Christmas story and if you’re a Kiwi family we totally think this is a great one to add to your bookcase or Christmas collection inspired by Aotearoa itself.

Puffin Book of the Month activities

Get into the holiday spirit with this Blue, Blue Christmas colouring-in activity! Click on the image to download the PDF colouring page.

Let little imaginations grow with other Puffin Book Club activities! We have a huge range of fun, printable activities from all your favourite new Puffin books for children.

Go hunting for bugs, colour in some rascally Hairy Maclary friends, learn to count in te reo with Pūkeko, join the Lighthouse Princess on a spot-the-difference adventure, or choose any of the other great activities.

Free and printable – which ones will you choose?

Choose your fun!

Don’t forget to visit Puffin Books for more great kids’ titles.

See more books:

Book Review | The Blunders by David Walliams

Posted on 30/10/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Sponsored content

Million-copy bestseller David Walliams’ funniest book yet is the laugh-out-loud tale of the most blundering and lovable family in history – The Blunders! Keep reading to find out how to win a copy!

Meet the Blunders: Bertie, Betsy, their children, Brutus and Bunny, along with their beloved grandma Old Lady Blunder, and their pet ostrich, Cedric. An ostrich is not a sensible pet, but then the Blunders are not sensible people.

This family of upper-class twits lives in a crumbling country house named Blunder Hall. When their home comes under threat, they must embark on a series of comic misadventures to save it.

Absurd and hilarious, The Blunders is David Walliams’ funniest book yet. A laugh-out-loud tale of the most blundering and lovable family in history.

Grab your copy of The Blunders

Be in to win 1 of 3 copies of David Walliams’ brand new story, The Blunders!

For fans of his biggest hits including Robodog and the World’s Worst series, this one won’t disappoint!

We’re so excited to be giving away three copies of this laugh-out-loud tale!

To enter, simply tell us what the Blunders have named their pet ostrich (Hint: you will find the answer on this page).

The competition has now closed.

Read reviews from our Young Readers!

Book review by Tomas, 10 years

Hello, my name is Tomas and I reviewed the book The Blunders, by David Walliams.

David Walliams is my favourite author and once again he has star-struck me with another one of his books called The Blunders.

It was so funny the different ways the family tried to save their house which was called Blunder Hall. Do you think they will be able to save their house? Read the book yourself to find out.

I think this book is for boys and girls aged 7-13. I enjoy all David Walliams books and I can’t wait till he writes another masterpiece.

Thank you Kidspot NZ for allowing me to be a lucky kid to read and review this book.

Book review by Fin, 12 years

Hi, I’m Fin and I am reviewing The Blunders by David Walliams.

This book is an excellent example of the great abilities of the award-winning author David Walliams.

The Blunders is hilarious and lives up to its expectation as there were a lot of parts in the book which had me laughing out loud. The book has a lot of characters who each had distinct personalities which made the book very hard to predict.

Overall I think that this book is up there with one of David Walliams’s best books. I would highly recommend this book for the ages of 7 to 10.

Book review by Ihaia, 10 years

The Blunders is the newest book by David Walliams, and it’s illustrated by Adam Stower. This book is about a family called the Blunders. They live in Blunder Hall and they are the most blundersome family in the world. They are ridiculously silly, and Lord Blunder, Lady Blunder, Bunny, Brutus and Old Lady Blunder are always getting into crazy accidents. But one day a little man from the bank comes along and tells them he is going to turn their house into a borstal (which is a prison for naughty children). What can they do to stop it? Can they save Blunder Hall before it’s too late? Read The Blunders to find out!

I liked The Blunders because it was really funny in some parts, and I’m a big David Walliams fan. The Blunders is a great book so I give it a 9/10. I would recommend it to you if you like David Walliams or other funny books that make you laugh out loud.

Book review by Leo, 10 years

The Blunders, written by David Walliams and illustrated by Adam Stower, is a new chapter book for kids.

It is about a family who live in a big, run-down mansion. The father likes to invent things and believes his latest invention would be very popular. He asks the bank to lend him the money and bets his house that lots of people will buy his invention. Unfortunately, the invention doesn’t sell well and the bank decides to claim the Blunders’ family home. The family need to work together to save their home and the book is about their journey to stay in the home they love.

The story is very funny and made me laugh a lot. The pictures in the book were great and helped me understand the story. I read the book so fast as it was really enjoyable! I have read a lot of David Walliams books and The Blunders is now definitely one of my favourites!

Book review by Cadie, 11 years

Eye spy with my little eye, something that begins with B … is it Blunder? How did you know!?

The Blunders is filled with lots of mini stories about a crazy family (plus Butler the Butler and a goofy ostrich called Cedric). When Blunder Hall is threatened by the Bank Man, the Blunder family comes together (well … sometimes!) to try and save it.

Exploding bottom burps, life-sized board games, a ghost cat called Tiddlypops, a knicker circus and more makes this a book you want to read.

10/10 – I loved it!

Reviewers are provided with a copy of the book for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers. This article contains information provided by HarperCollins.

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The Benefits Of Yakult For Gut Health

Posted on 26/10/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for Yakult

A healthy gut is important for the health and well-being of every family member. Digestion of the foods we eat, absorption of nutrients, and the fuelling of our bodies all rely on good gut health.

Read on to discover how drinking one bottle of Yakult each day is a refreshing and easy way for you and your kids to restore and maintain the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, essential for digestive health.

Beneficial bacteria

Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that help the overall harmonious balance of bacteria in the digestive system. However, not all probiotics can achieve the same health outcomes as the unique bacteria in Yakult.

The benefits of Yakult include:

It survives and reaches the intestines alive, enabling delivery of the benefits.
It positively improves the balance of your gut, by increasing the number of beneficial bacteria.
It encourages improved stool consistency.

There are many things that can upset the balance of bacteria in your gut. These can include stress, ageing, some medications, and a poor diet. Probiotics can assist in maintaining the balance of good and potentially harmful bacteria in the gut.

The beneficial bacteria strain in Yakult is scientifically proven to survive the journey through the gastric juices to reach the small intestine alive. Each 65ml bottle contains 6.5 billion of these highly acid-resistant bacteria, exclusive to Yakult. This means that every millilitre of Yakult contains 100 million (100, 000, 000) of the live LcS strain!

Family review

Thanks for the opportunity to be a reviewer for the Yakult LIGHT for my family of two girls age 12 and 10. We enjoyed trying these over the last couple of weeks.

My husband, one of my daughters and I really enjoyed the taste and ease of having these probiotic drinks daily during the trial.

The little bottles are easy to open and very easy to drink so it’s a great way to get probiotics as well as the light version having less sugar.

Jtnz

Consistency is key

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Probiotic bacteria don’t stay in the gut long-term. Drinking one bottle of Yakult daily is the best way to ensure you replenish the LcS levels. Probiotics require time to take action so it’s recommended that Yakult is consumed daily for at least two weeks to allow for the bacteria to begin influencing your family’s health.

Yakult can also be used in other ways – like adding it to cereals, smoothies, milkshakes, cheesecakes or other cold foods. Avoid adding Yakult to hot foods and drinks as high temperatures may kill some of the bacteria.

Yakult is suitable for children who can safely consume cow’s milk and citrus fruits without any allergies or sensitivities. Children can drink Yakult as part of their normal diet when they start on solids as part of a healthy and varied diet. For younger children, you may prefer to dilute or give a smaller amount of Yakult.

Get your Yakult in New Zealand

There are two different types of Yakult available in New Zealand, Yakult Original and Yakult LIGHT.

Yakult LIGHT offers all the same benefits and same high number of beneficial bacteria as the Original but with less sugar. Yakult LIGHT is available in a 5-bottle pack.

Making Yakult

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Yakult’s Australian factory is a technologically advanced manufacturing facility. It incorporates some of the latest food processing equipment. Strict standards apply to producing Yakult, ensuring a drink yield that is close to 99% (this means that 99% of the raw ingredients end up in the bottle). There are no by-products and little waste. The Yakult factory is based in Dandenong, Victoria and makes Yakult for the whole of Australia and New Zealand.

Yakult Australia also offers guided Virtual Reality Factory Tours!

Book your FREE guided virtual tour here.

Find out more

Written by Kidspot NZ with information supplied by Yakult.

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Book Review | Only Children by David Baddiel

Posted on 16/10/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Sponsored content

A Sunday Times Best Book for Children 2023, Only Children is out now! From bestselling author David Baddiel comes a laugh-out-loud collection of three short stories for readers aged 8 and up with brilliant illustrations by Jim Field and Steven Lenton. Keep reading to find out how to win a copy!

Featuring three hilarious, heart-warming and adventure-filled stories that will have you laughing out loud!

Meet Alfie … The boy who could do what he liked!

Alfie has a routine. To be honest he has a lot of routines. But then one day Alfie’s babysitter is unavailable, and Alfie’s parents get Mrs Stokes instead. Mrs Stokes doesn’t do routines. Instead, she just tells Alfie to do what he likes. And that’s when things start to go weird.

Does everything get hilariously out of control? Yes.

Does Alfie learn a valuable lesson? Nah. This isn’t that kind of story …

Discover Chrissie … The girl who had never been on a train!

Chrissie loves trains. She has train books, train pictures – and, of course, model trains. But Chrissie has never been on an actual train. In part, because Chrissie doesn’t find getting around as easy as other people. Then, Chrissie finally gets on a train, with her Grandpa Henry, to go down to London for an important operation. Her parents and Henry hope the journey will take Chrissie’s mind off things.

And they’re right: but in a way they couldn’t possibly imagine. Because Chrissie’s trip from Scotland to London turns out to be quite literally magical – and changes her life forever.

Marvel at Ariel … The child who had never been on holiday!

Every year, Max, Lily, and Jack are taken to Snoring-On-Sea for their holiday – quite possibly the most boring town in the world. There’s nothing to do and nothing to see – even the beach at Snoring-on-Sea is dull and grey.

But this year, something DOES happen. The children meet someone on a tiny island out at sea – a mysterious child called Ariel. Ariel claims to have never left their tiny island, and to Ariel, everything about Max, Lily, and Jack’s lives is amazing – fish and chips, fizzy drinks … even the view of the brick wall out of their bedroom window.

And their new friend forces Max, Lily, and Jack to see Snoring-On-Sea in a whole new light …

Grab your copy of Only Children

Be in to win 1 of 3 copies of Only Children!

We’re giving away three copies of this short story collection, perfect for fans of anything funny!

To enter, simply name the three children that each short story is about. (Hint: You will find the answer on this page)

Enter now

Read reviews from our Young Readers!

Book review by Fin, aged 11

Only Children by David Baddiel is a hilarious book made up of three different stories. Each story has its own different setting and characters.

My favourite story out of the three was the child who had never been on holiday. This is because it was all about a boy who taught others to see the good side of things and how to use their imagination.

One of the other amazing stories is about a girl who had never been on a train. This story is about a girl in a wheelchair who is obsessed with trains but has never ridden on one. But one day she gets to ride and goes on a massive adventure.

The final story is about a boy who could do what he wanted. This story is about a boy who has a strict lifestyle but one day he gets a babysitter who lets him do whatever he likes, but there’s a catch, she is a magic babysitter …

Overall this book was one of the best I have ever read with all the stories being hilarious, having a meaning and being appealing to read.

I would give this book 4.5 stars out of 5 and recommend it for ages 7 and above.

Book review by Eva, aged 10

I really enjoyed this book because it includes three short, diverse stories.

One story is about a boy who usually has a babysitter, but not like this one! He experiences magical performances, and can do what he likes.

Another of the three [stories] is about a girl named Chrissie, a train expert. Chrissie is in a wheelchair, so it’s harder for her to get around. But, despite her disability, Chrissie finally gets to meet her dream. It comes with a twist, though.

The third is about a boy named Ariel who has never had a holiday, and the kids who hate their annual holiday help him learn and go on one together.

I really liked this book, and I recommend it for older or younger readers.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book review by Harrison, aged 8

Only Children by David Baddiel is a kid’s chapter book that features three short stories all about children! The stories are all interesting and funny and have pictures too which are illustrated by Jim Field and Steven Lenton.

The first story, The Boy Who Could Do What He Liked, was probably my favourite one out of them all. The characters were so funny and the boy gets to go on an awesome adventure instead of following his usual strict routine. This story made me laugh a lot!

The second story, The Girl Who Had Never Been On A Train, was interesting and I even learnt a bit about trains too. The last story, The Child Who Had Never Been on Holiday, was funny and really cool to read – it made me wish I could go and visit the island on holiday too!

I really enjoyed this book and the stories were fun and easy to read. My brother and sister want to read it now and I am going to recommend all of my friends to read it too!

Book review by Lachlan, aged 10

I have read a book by David Baddiel before and enjoyed it, these stories were funny too.

I thought it was an amazing book because it had three different kids with three different personalities in each story. My favourite story was The Girl Who Had Never Been On A Train because it was really interesting how a girl in a wheelchair was passionate about trains and I also love trains.

Kids will enjoy these, I gave it a 3 out of 5 star rating.

Book review by Tomas, aged 10

I reviewed the book Only Children – three hilarious short stories written by David Baddiel, for Kidspot NZ.

The first story is called The Boy Who Could Do What He Liked. The story was about Alfie, a boy who had a magic babysitter who granted him his every wish, using her Zimmer frame! Read about what adventures they get up to.

The second story is called The Girl Who Had Never Been On a Train. The girl Chrissie loves all things trains and goes on a magical train trip. I wonder what happens to her train though.

The third story is called The Child Who Had Never Been on Holiday. But this one holiday they do go on turns out really exciting.

I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it to children aged 8 years and older. I will definitely read it again. It is a book that is funny, adventurous and used my imagination.

Reviewers are provided with a copy of the book for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers. This article contains information provided by HarperCollins.

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Yakult LIGHT

Posted on 06/10/202323/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Kidspot families joined our free product trial to discover how drinking one bottle of Yakult daily is a refreshing way to include probiotics in their family’s diet. Drinking one bottle daily is an easy way to restore and maintain the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut.

What is Yakult?

Yakult is a fermented milk drink that contains a very high concentration of the unique bacteria Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Shirota (LcS) strain.
The beneficial bacteria strain in Yakult is scientifically proven to survive the journey through the gastric juices to reach the small intestine alive. Each 65ml bottle contains 6.5 billion of these highly acid-resistant bacteria, exclusive to Yakult. This means that every millilitre of Yakult contains 100 million (100, 000, 000) of the live LcS strain!

Yakult LIGHT contains the same high numbers of beneficial LcS bacteria and flavour as Yakult Original.

How is Yakult made?

Yakult and Yakult LIGHT is made fresh in Australia from at least 99% and 88% Australian ingredients respectively, by locals for locals.

Benefits

Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that help the overall balance of bacteria in the digestive system. However, not all probiotics are created equal!

Yakult is the only product in the world to contain the unique LcS probiotic bacteria. The LcS strain has over 85 years of scientific research behind its benefits and efficacy. It has been proven to:

Survives and reach the intestines alive
Positively alter the balance, by increasing the number of beneficial gut bacteria
Improve stool consistency

How do I get these benefits?

To be able to experience the benefit of Yakult, consistency is key! Probiotic bacteria don’t stay in the gut long-term. Drinking one bottle of Yakult daily is the best way to ensure you obtain and maintain the LcS benefits. Probiotics require time to take action – it is recommended that Yakult is consumed daily for at least two weeks to allow for the bacteria to begin influencing your health.

Dietary notes

Yakult is suitable for individuals following a vegetarian diet who consume milk-based products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt. However, Yakult may not be appropriate for individuals following a vegan diet as Yakult contains skim milk powder. Individuals who experience allergies to dairy, cow’s milk protein or those with sensitivity to citrus should not drink Yakult.

Read the reviews!

We gave five Auckland families the chance to trial and review Yakult LIGHT. Every family member (adults and children) was asked to drink a bottle of Yakult LIGHT every day for two weeks. Read their reviews below.

Reviewer: Jtnz

Thanks for the opportunity to be a reviewer for the Yakult LIGHT for my family of two girls age 12 and 10. We enjoyed trying these over the last couple of weeks.

My husband, one of my daughters and I really enjoyed the taste and ease of having these probiotic drinks daily during the trial. The other child didn’t enjoy the taste as much so it was harder to get her to enjoy these every day.

The little bottles are easy to open and very easy to drink so it’s a great way to get probiotics as well as the light version having less sugar.

I don’t think that I would continue drinking these daily. However I think these would be great to add to our regular shop to have in the fridge to drink a couple a week and still enjoy the probiotic benefits. Would recommend.

Reviewer: Stepanka

First of all let me say, I’m a big believer in probiotics.

We have never tried Yakult before so this was our first time. Mum 47, Dad 54, kids 10 and 7 (both of them only just after their birthdays). All of us love the taste, mainly my 10 year daughter. It was little bit fiddly to open for their little hands but after a couple of tries they mastered it. My little boy is a fussy eater (well… He doesn’t eat fruit so maybe not too fussy). My daughter has sensitive skin, growing out of dairy and egg sensitivity, but she can handle dairy pretty good now. Dad…not a fussy eater, just bad habits . Myself….not fussy at all but after a gallbladder removal surgery so should pay attention what I put in me. I myself have noticed much less of a bloated feeling which is so good!

I couldn’t really spot much of a difference in my kids, but I know it did them good, very good. And Dad …after a week of consuming Yakult, he became more regular. All in all, I love knowing we did something good for all of us, I will definitely purchase again, maybe not all the time, but regularly enough.

And yes, I would highly recommend!

Reviewer: Mibold

My family was lucky enough to trial this product I have to say I was somewhat sceptical having not tried this product but having walked past it many times in my local supermarket.

We all tried it my two kids said “no mum not for us “they just did not come around to the taste so maybe the Yakult Original might be better for my son and daughter so I am going to purchase a pack of Yakult Original to see if any different.

My husband and I however thought it was perfectly tasty and easy to fit into each of our morning routines and have [regularly] had it each morning before breakfast and I have to say I feel it has really made a difference to our general feeling of well-being as I feel I just have more energy not so tired and bloated overall just feel better and my husband feels the same.

I will definitely be purchasing this product and not just walking past this in my local supermarket as I really do feel it makes such an improvement to my everyday wellbeing and like I mentioned I am going to try my kids on the Yakult Original to see if that one is more to their liking.

Thank you for the opportunity to trial this product I feel everyone should give it a try and see for themselves the difference it can do for your health.

Reviewer: Maddiemummy

Our family was privileged to take part in the trial. There are four of us in our family, two adults, an 11 year old and 17 year old. Our 11 year old wasn’t overly enthused about the flavour. She said she was expecting it to be sweet but instead it was a bit tangy for her. She continued the trial though. Our 17 year old on the other hand loved the flavour and the first thing she would go for in the morning is her Yakult. She also enjoyed looking through the recipe booklet provided and decided to tweek the icecream recipe and use Yakult in berry icecream, on the days she made icecream she obviously had more than one bottle per day.

Mum loved the flavour and continued with the trial. Dad took the Yakult for 3 or 4 days then decided he didn’t like the flavour. Miss 17 was pleased as it meant left over bottles for her icecreams!

Overall, I would continue purchasing Yakult LIGHT for the children as I believe there has been clear benefits. It is on the pricy side though so a bit unaffordable for the whole family to consume. If Dad were to have it, we would get the Yakult Original and see how he is with that.

Reviewer: Katnaylan

We were lucky enough to try Yakult LIGHT. Our family of 4. Two adults, a 4 year old and a 6 year old.

We will 100% continue to use these daily, as they have really helped our whānau.

The youngest was unlucky enough to need IV antibiotics during the trial, and [I believe] these helped his tummy cope with the strong medication, and not leaving it sore or upset.

Reviewer notes

By registering for this product trial, you agree to the terms and conditions. Please note that comments, images, or videos provided by reviewers may be used by Yakult on their website and social media channels to promote the product.
Kidspot Terms and Conditions apply, including: Open to Kidspot members 18+ only. Only available for NZ residents. If you are selected, you will be required to use the product as soon as possible and supply a review, as set out in our review instructions. Your name, address, and contact phone number will be given to the supplier for the purpose of delivery.

PATU: The New Zealand Wars by Gavin Bishop | Book Review

Posted on 05/10/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for Penguin Books

Discover the key people, perspectives and battles of the New Zealand Wars in PATU, the latest book in multiple award-winner Gavin Bishop’s bestselling series of visual histories for children and adults telling the story of Aotearoa.

Learn about the bitter armed clashes over land and sovereignty, navigate the defining moments of the wars, visit the battle sites, and explore the sweeping change that took place in Aotearoa during the 19th century, in this powerfully told and richly illustrated book.

An essential resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of our nation, PATU is ideal for homes, libraries and especially for schools, with New Zealand history (including the New Zealand Wars) now a compulsory subject. This pukapuka will also find an appreciative adult audience, particularly for those interested in military history.

With a fully illustrated presentation of information in this stunning large-format hardback, complete with foldout maps of key pā, villages and battle sites, history has never been so accessible and engaging.

The previous book in the series, ATUA: Māori Gods and Heroes won the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award in 2022.

Buy your copy of “Patu: The New Zealand Wars”

Read the review from Jessica

This book is a great resource for families. It is visually stunning and very appealing to children. Gavin Bishop has done an incredible job of balancing his dramatic, yet accessible illustrations with just the right amount of text that a young reader can involve themselves in.

As a parent, I’m thrilled that NZ history is opening up for young primary-aged children. This groundbreaking resource would be very useful for schools as well as in homes.

PATU: The New Zealand Wars by Gavin Bishop

As a parent, I’m thrilled that NZ history is opening up for young primary-aged children. This groundbreaking resource would be very useful for schools as well as in homes.

My (almost) 8-year-old son is very interested in knights and castles and this book really captured his interest which is wonderful. He is not of the age to read it thoroughly yet, but he is reading portions of text that is attached to the particular graphics that appeal to him – and there are many in this book. All my children were interested to read about the local-to-them Wellington land disputes after learning about them at school this year.

There is something here for every New Zealand child and family to learn from, and some location that will be close to their home. How wonderful to see our country’s history laid out so clearly and simply. Bishop has beautifully balanced the harshness and realities of war whilst keeping this a factual and informative children’s book.

Our star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Quote from Mr 7 : “A really interesting and cool book. I like the battles”.

Puffin Book of the Month activities

Let little imaginations grow with our Puffin Book Club activities! We have a huge range of fun, printable activities from all your favourite new Puffin books for children.

Free and printable – which ones will you choose?

Choose your fun!

Don’t forget to visit Puffin Books for more great kids’ titles.

See more books:

Discover What MOTAT Has To Offer For A Family Day Out

Posted on 04/10/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

There’s always something new to explore at MOTAT (Museum of Transport & Technology). With interesting technology exhibits from the past, present and future and lots of hands-on fun for curious kids (big and small), you’ll return again and again.

Jacque and her family spent the day exploring at MOTAT on LIVE DAY: Flying. Read on to discover everything MOTAT has to offer for a fun family day out.

Taking the tram

Our family (2 kids, aged 2 and 9) had an amazing day out at MOTAT, during their LIVE DAY: Flying. Making an adventure out of the day, we decided to use public transport to get there. It appeared as though there were many options, with minimal waiting times. There was free parking a short walking distance from MOTAT, as well as a paid option at the Aviation Hall.

We arrived before the gates opened and caught the tram to the Aviation Hall. This is a free ride, regardless of whether any tickets to MOTAT or Auckland Zoo have been purchased. Luckily we managed to board the double-decker tram (Big Ben Tram No. 47). The stairs up [on this tram] were quite steep and pushchairs are not allowed but being upstairs gave us a great view all around, as well as some interesting insight into the workings of the trams. To add some authenticity, the tram inspector hands everyone a punched souvenir ticket. The kids really loved this keepsake.

Exploring Aviation Hall

We arrived at the Aviation Hall at 10 am and Mr 2 was awestruck by the plane on display outside the hall. There were two food trailers outside, giving patrons the option of hot drinks or some warm food and ice cream. We entered and were assisted fairly quickly as there were no queues. Even later, we noticed that there was never really a queuing backlog.

Upon entering the hall, the kids were awestruck. Our littlest one wanted to ride and touch, whilst the digital displays were more up the older ones’ alley. There was ample information on each display and it covered a variety of items and topics ranging from medals to engines, to heroes and heroines of the sky.

We were really impressed with the layout – everything is well-spaced, but one can still feel the grandeur of these magnificent beasts. The boys were also interested in the medals bestowed upon the heroes (and heroines) and the routes taken during certain bomb raids.

Te Kōtiu

We were fortunate to catch the new digital experience, Te Kōtiu – stories from the sky. Being projected on the climb on one of the boat planes, it was full of interesting information as it explored the history of aviation in New Zealand. Simultaneously, there was a light show and other projections happening on the floor. Mr 9 listened to the stories but really loved chasing the projected plane as it followed its route. Mr 2 was not far behind, dancing from picture to picture, The voice of the narrator was calm and soothing – it really intrigued the whole family.

Climb aboard the Eagle Police Helicopter

A massive attraction was the retired Eagle Police Helicopter – which the kids can board. The experience is made complete by a display with lights and sound, moving switches and levers, as well as a CB radio that communicates with those waiting in the queue. Such a popular attraction naturally has a longish queue, but MOTAT tries to mitigate this by limiting the time allocated to each family to three minutes. We were kept entertained during this time by the planes hanging over our heads (one even had its wheels descending and ascending).

Getting creative

Just beyond the ever-popular helicopter (which was nearly impossible to drag the kids away from) was an art alcove. Kitted out with tables, chairs and stationery, the kids had a place to unleash their creativity. For those wanting a bit more of a challenge, there were cardboard model plane kits. The boys loved being able to take a piece of MOTAT home with them. The kids alcove also had a reading nook, as well as a little plane with moving wings and buttons, that all the kids seemed to gravitate towards.

We proceeded upstairs to explore more history and the people who have contributed to aviation in Aotearoa New Zealand (like Jean Batten). Upstairs also housed binoculars, allowing a closer look at the planes, as well as buttons that would play sounds of plane engines. Access for those in wheelchairs or pushchairs is via an elevator, so no one feels left out.

Family facilities

It was slightly disappointing that the only baby-changing facilities were in the women’s bathrooms, as this can make it awkward for single dads. Comparatively, MOTAT Great North Road has a unisex baby changing room. Apart from this, the changing mat and the bathrooms were clean and in good working order.

Tanks, trains, and planes

Outside was our next stop. Tanks and other service vehicles were available for the kids to sit on, play pretend, and have a few snaps. One of the volunteers even offered for us to return later, when it was quieter, to open up the trucks for us to sit in.

After some snaps, off to the steam train station we went. Just before the station, demonstrations of handcars were happening – we got to ride in one and the boys were really thrilled to feel like real railroad workers. The boys were amazed to see a real-life choo choo train! We got to see how the locomotive gets attached to the trailers. The excitement of seeing real smoke and hearing the horn really thrilled us all. We disembarked at the next station and ate some home-made food at one of the many picnic tables.

Once our tummies were full, we headed inside and were helped by Hugh, who was really helpful and patient in answering Mr 9’s questions on the planes and train. We were informed of a plane wing demonstration that was to start shortly. There was adequate seating for those wishing to rest their legs or watch. The kids were really enchanted by the Avenger’s wings folding in and out.

Exploring more of MOTAT

This concluded our visit to the Aviation Hall. We got on the tram (about 1 pm) to head back to MOTAT Great North Road. It must have been a peaceful trip, as Mr 2 fell asleep.

Upon arrival we were told that the library was open and that there was a really cool activity. We were also told that we might be able to relax with the little one on the bean bags. We headed to the library, where Dad sat with Mr 2 in a comfy beanbag, whilst Mr 9 completed the activity. We learnt how items are filed in the archive and even filed our own item (a MOTAT book, which we got to take home) and earned a certificate for our efforts.

Technology from the past

We left Dad with Mr 2 while we went to explore the technology from the past section. The different styles of TVs through the ages and the morse code and gaming section were of particular interest for Mr 9! Next was the vehicle section, where we learnt some road codes and how wheels can bend to avoid water in racing. No vehicle section at MOTAT is complete without one that you can sit in. This was no exception – there was a cool car to sit in and pose for photos, or pretend to drive.

Outside we met Dad and the recently roused Mr 2 and enjoyed some of the games (quills and cornhole being just two of the really neat fun games that they had).

The Pumphouse was next, it was really amazing to see how things used to work and how some very clever people must have designed these contraptions. Just outside the Pumphouse, the whisper shields provided some interesting fun. Making our way to the dome, we just had to pose by the MOTAT sign! Inside the dome, the boys tested their mettle at making some paper planes and seeing whose could go the distance!

We headed to the mini train model tunnel, where the incredible train model does its rounds on the awesome track. After a few laps, we headed past the café. Although we didn’t step inside, it looked like a great place to grab a bite. There was a lot of interesting things here – from Mr Whippy, to the lolly man, to a VR experience for the WaterCare Interceptor. Beyond this was a line of Ford Model A’s and other vintage cars. They were allowed to sit in one and all was peaceful, until they found the horn!

Once they had their fix of cars, we headed off to the tram section. Along the way we discovered the Under 5’s room (with Tākaro tribe playing on the TV). There were smaller versions of some of the other MOTAT exhibitions, as well as foam blocks. The younger ones definitely felt that they had their own space. Mr 9 was also not shy to join in. The biggest attraction here was the working steering wheels along the walls.

No trip to MOTAT would be complete without a trip to the Machine Makers – an exhibition dedicated to simple machinery used to make complicated tasks easier, with explanations of the physics behind it. They loved the bridge and walking wheels!

Village life

We headed to the Village where we met a police officer who “locked” the boys up, which was loads of fun. We then got to see a blacksmith in action. He was extremely patient with the children asking lots of questions. We enjoyed visiting the historical buildings (churches and houses) and a really nice touch was one house was a dedicated sensory overload house. If one is feeling overwhelmed, they can head to this calm space, where there are noise control ear muffs, simple decor, and relaxed activities.

We looped back up again (the alley with the printing shop and females in tech exhibitions were closed for renovations, but the boys got to see the diggers through the fence, which caused some amazement), and found a little play area. After a quick play, we headed off to the pay phone booth. This was the perfect introduction to the telecommunications room. Complete with dial-up phones, replicas of the first phones, morse code, party lines and, of course, operating phones and switchboards. It was so nice to be able to explain to the younger ones of today of the pains of older technology, without coming off as preachy. Once they learnt how to dial, they were in their element, calling each other and anybody who’d pick up. The remainder of our time was spent here, until it was announced that it was five minutes until closing. Where did the time go? We headed to the last tram of the day and got to the bus stop that took us home.

Overall the staff were super friendly, interactive and helpful. A full day is required to be able to see and experience everything as there is so much to see and do that appeals to so many different interests. We really enjoyed the touch and feel interaction everywhere. Definitely a great adventure for all ages, even the tiniest, as there is something to captivate everyone! I love how items are relatable across generations and age-gaps.

Plan your visit at MOTAT.nz

Jacque and her family were provided with a family pass to MOTAT for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewer.

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Make The Move To Homegrown Vegies

Posted on 27/09/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for Yates

With the cost of living crisis continuing to bite at the heels of Kiwi families, it’s a great time to consider the multiple benefits of growing your own vegetables.

Homegrown vegies are cheaper, fresher, often have a higher nutritional value, and provide a great sense of satisfaction at harvesting time. So it’s no wonder that there’s a growing movement of people who are living off their land and growing more for less.

Gardening hacks for beginners

Even if you’ve never planted peas or potatoes, peppers or pumpkins, there is never a better time to get planting. To help you get started, Yates has provided some handy gardening hacks for beginners.

Clear plastic sushi or salad ‘clamshell’ containers make great mini greenhouses for getting seeds started. Just poke a few vent holes in the lid, fill the bottom half with seed-raising mix and sow your seeds. Add a little bit of water, close the lid and place the container in a sunny spot.
If you’re planting out seedlings in cooler temperatures you can protect them from frost – and slugs or snails – by using 2L soft drink bottles. Take off the lid, cut off the bottom and push the bottle down over the seedling, into the soil. When the seedling, is ready to face the elements remove the bottle during the day and pop it back on overnight, until the seedling is mature enough to grow on its own.
If you’re short on space, you can start a bag garden. Black soft plastic polybags can be placed anywhere, are inexpensive and are an economical option to replace rigid and heavier pots when growing vegies and herbs. Use bigger sized bags as smaller bags dry out faster in hot weather.
Attract insect pollinators to your vegetable garden with colourful flowers. The more bees and butterflies you have visiting your vegies, the better your harvest will be.
If you have cats in your neighbourhood make sure there isn’t any exasperating litterbox action in your newly sowed areas by ‘planting’ disposable wooden forks or chopsticks into the soil, to discourage digging … or just a bunch of pruning offcuts pushed into the soil.
Take advantage of sunny house or garage walls to grow tall tomatoes. Plant seeds in polybags and hang lengths of stretchy cotton plant ties from cup hooks under the eaves. You can spiral wrap it around the main stems to hang up the plant, then gradually train it to full height. Even a tomato plant heavily laden with fruit will hang quite comfortably from stretchy plant ties.
If you’re growing beetroot, there’s a good trick to maximise your results: soak the seeds in water overnight before you sow. When the seeds sink in the water, they’re ready. Each ‘seed’ is actually a cluster of 1-4 true seeds, protected by a corky outer coating.
Double the life of your vegetables by sprouting them from scraps that may normally get thrown out, including lettuce, celery, bok choy, leeks, and onions. Simply place the cut base of the vegetable in an inch of water, place in good light and change the water every couple of days. Once roots have shown on the cuttings, the sprouted vegetables can be planted out in the garden, or transferred into pots, to grow on into new plants.
Grow your vegetables from seed instead of seedlings. The math is simple – you get dozens more plants from a packet of seeds, for a fraction of the cost.
Join a garden club or community garden and learn everything you need to know from the pros.

Funs seeds for kids to grow

Download this printable and inspire the kids with these fun seeds they can grow

There are so many benefits to getting kids into gardening. It helps them to understand where their food comes from, which can have a knock-on effect of encouraging them to try new tastes and discover the extraordinary diversity of fruit and veg. Gardening can also inspire kids with a love of nature and encourage patience and nurturing. Not to mention all that fresh air!

Seasonal planting guide

Use our guide for the best time to plant and get top tips for growing healthy plants. The climate in New Zealand varies widely so you may need to adjust to suit the climate where you are. We’ve picked out the best plants to grow if you’re getting started on your growing journey.

Spring / summer planting

Beans and peas – These guys don’t like frost and cold temperatures so in warmer areas you can start planting them out from late September or early October. If you are at risk of a later frost, wait until the danger has passed. Plant some again in December / January so you can harvest all summer and into autumn.

Try Sugarsnap Peas (Dwarf)

Cucumber – There are many varieties of cucumber including telegraph, green, and apple! Give them plenty of space in the garden and plenty of water. Frost tender so in colder areas plant after Labour Weekend.

Try Continental Cucumber

Courgette / zucchini – They don’t like frost so you can plant them in most places from late September right though until late January / early February. One or two plants in a lovely sunny spot and well-watered will keep producing right through into April in most areas.

Try Yummy UFO’s -Alien Scallopini Zucchini

Potatoes – If you want potatoes ready for Christmas, your best bet is to plant them in September. You can plant them any time from then right through until December.

More tips on how to grow potatoes

Pumpkin – Enjoys the summer weather so plant in spring and harvest in autumn.

Try Behemoth – Giant Pumpkin

Tomatoes – Tomatoes are a summer plant, so spring is the best time to plant, in fact, they are traditionally planted by many at Labour Weekend. Make sure they are protected from any late frost, water and feed and they will reward you into autumn.

Try Tomato Heirloom Favourites

Mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, dill, and sage – These last all year round but will be quite dormant in the cold weather. Plant in spring for years of fresh herbs! Parsley needs to be in semi-shade otherwise it will go to seed.

Try Oregano

Parsley, coriander, and basil – These should be planted in spring in semi-shaded areas to prevent them from going to seed in the hot summer sun.

Try Genovese Basil

Autumn/ winter planting

Broccoli – Great for when those pesky white butterflies and aphids aren’t around. Choose a hybrid that is ideal for winter growing.

Try Sprouting Broccoli

Cabbage – Cabbages don’t like warm temperatures and if grown during summer will be targeted by white butterfly and aphids. You can get in early and plant them in early spring to harvest before the warm temperatures hit, although the best bet really is to plant in autumn and even winter in warmer places. Along with their cousin brussels sprouts, they are one of the few reliable winter-harvesting veges.

Try Sugarloaf Cabbage

Broad Beans – Happy in the colder temperatures so you can plant them from around March to the end of July in most places but if you are in colder areas, you can extend this by a month at either end.

Try Hughey Broad Beans

Year-round planting

Bok Choy (Chinese Cabbage) – Plant year-round, including in winter but be sure to protect the tiny seedlings.

Try Shanghai Bok Choy

Lettuce – There are many varieties of lettuce and with a bit of luck you will be able to grow some almost all year round. They tend to go to seed quickly in the hot summer so keep replanting and harvesting for best success.

Try Cos Lettuce

Micro-greens – Plant in pots in well-lit positions in winter or outdoors in summer. Snip once they are about 3-5cm tall for a tasty and pretty addition to any meal. Just 18 days from planting to snipping!

Try Red Garnet

Spinach – You can pretty much plant and harvest spinach year-round in many areas. It does like sun, but if you are in a warm area you will find in the hot summer it will go to seed quickly.

Try Winter Queen Spinach

Silverbeet – The hardiest of all plants! Plant any time in warmer places and avoid the peak of winter in colder places. Keep free from slugs and snails, harvest regularly to encourage new tender growth and you will be able to eat it all year round.

Try Perpetual Green Silverbeet

Tatsoi – This versatile green can be eaten raw or cooked so is perfect for adding to almost any dish. Grow in a warm sheltered spot in a pot in the winter or outdoors in the summer (they will be happy with a bit of shade). Keep harvesting and you will be rewarded with continuous growth.

Try Tatsoi

Rhubarb – Plant at any time, but it’s best to avoid planting in the peak of the summer. There are different varieties that will grow more vigorously earlier in the spring than others.

More tips on how to grow rhubarb

Check out Yates Seasonal Planting Guide

Written by Kidspot NZ with information supplied by Yates.

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Fun For The Whole Family At Snowplanet

Posted on 01/09/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Looking for a fun family activity that’s unique and exciting? Have fun in the snow all year round at New Zealand’s only indoor snow park – Snowplanet!

Enjoy the snow 365 days a year with over 8,000 square metres of real snow. There’s plenty of room for skiing, snowboarding, snowtubing, and all the fun of playng in the snow. When you want a break from the slopes, relax and recharge in the on-site restaurant with a view of the snow.

If you’re new to snow sports, skilled instructors are available to get you out on the snow.

Snowplanet is a great day out for families so we asked Jacque and her family to head on down for some snowy fun and share her day with us.

Family day out at Snowplanet

Recently we were lucky enough to visit Snowplanet! We took our 8-year-old (who’s going on 9) and 2.5-year-old. En-route, there was clear signage, which I appreciated. We arrived at about 14:30, to a fullish but adequate parking lot, but were able to find a close parking space.

The kids loved the outside décor, including the little skiing characters on top of the bollards and the benches made from ski-boards which were a really nice touch. Inside there were more quirky items, which tied in with the whole theme of the place (and was great for some photos).

Getting set up

We were unsure what to expect, so we were well-dressed and warm. There were items for rent and sale, if required. These were also reasonably priced.
There was a smallish queue to get through to get to the cashiers, but it moved reasonably quickly (plus there was a TV explaining some items to us), and within a few minutes, we were greeted by a warm, friendly face and helped quickly and professionally.

Once we had acquired our tickets, the next stage was explained to us – head through the foyer into the equipment area. Despite there being four tables and helpful staff, the wait was a bit longish (it was fairly busy though and it was a weekend). We got our boots and despite having to return twice due to wrong sizes, we never felt like we were judged or an inconvenience to the staff.

A snowy adventure

Once fully kitted, we headed through the door for our little adventure!

There’s a little section prior to the actual snow area that we went through, where you begin to feel the cold and as the doors open to the snow zone, you feel the sudden rush of brisk coolness.

We struggled at first to find our snow feet, but it wasn’t long before we were walking around like we had been raised in the snow! The first thing the kids did was reach down to feel the cold snow between their fingers (and of course start launching snowballs). Upon entering the snow zone, we noticed ski lifts on either side of the setup. Riding these would take you all the way to the top, for the most experienced skiers. The middle has a magic carpet (travel escalator). This takes you to the middle section – for the beginner skiers, the toboggans (although we saw none of these) and the tubes. In case you are wondering how cold the area is or how much time you have left, there is a big digital gauge/clock, right above the entrance.

Experience a Winter Wonderland

Between the tubes and the travel escalator is a section entitled, Winter Wonderland. Winter Wonderland was right up Mr 2’s alley. There was a lot for him to do plus frames and lights to take photos with. There were slides and an igloo for climbing and a little slide inside a house, both of which brought out some smiles and laughter. There was also a bench halfway through, for just sitting and watching the whānau. In Winter Wonderland there was also a smaller section for the younger one to slide down, either with a tube or a sled. This caused non-stop fun for the littlest one!

Mr 8 (going on 9) loved the bigger tube slides, literally being on them for the duration of our stay. Between racing with his dad and mom, or just going down, he really had a blast. There was hardly any wait at the top of the tube slopes, which allowed us to get more slides in. The speed was enough for a bit of a thrill, but not so much that it would terrify one. We also let the kids make snow angels and explore the space and enjoy it.

Friendly and helpful staff

We noticed staff members just around making sure that everyone is safe and doing the correct things. It was refreshing to see young people doing their jobs, as well as looking like they are happy to be there. Atop the travel escalator, we encountered a few staff and all of them gave us a friendly smile. At one point, on the magic carpet, we spoke to Oliver (who was helpful and friendly) about lessons, and he mentioned some staff that were excellent to get beginner lessons from (Helena, Georgia and Thomās). It was nice to know that he knew his colleagues and was able to give honest recommendations. We also noticed a lot of signage around safety and dos and dont’s.

When we were finally able to pull the kids from the snow, tubes, and the fun, we went back to the equipment section and placed our helmets and boots in their respectful areas (which was well-marked and neat and clean).

People watching from the restaurant

Before heading off, we needed toilet breaks, so we went to the bathrooms closest to the entrance. The wooden log cabin feel of them is quite cool, they were also clean and well-maintained. The only drawback of these bathrooms was a lack of nappy facilities for the little one (there is one hidden at the equipment side).

We also scoped out the restaurant, which had a nice view of the entire slope, one can get quite mesmerised watching all the people sking. The menu looked quite varied and reasonably priced. We settled for coffees for the adults and slushies for the little ones.

When we left, the kids were really excited about how amazing their day was, they even want us to go through again, and soon!

Plan your snowy fun at Snowplanet

Reviewers were provided with a family pass to Snowplanet for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers.

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Good Sports by Stuart Lipshaw | Book Review

Posted on 29/08/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for Penguin Books

Bursting with energy and inspiration, Good Sports makes for fascinating reading for New Zealanders of all ages who love sports and good stories.

A companion volume to the best-selling Go Girl, Oh Boy and Kia Kaha … be inspired by this collection of true stories about 50 remarkable Kiwi sports heroes – people who have set goals, aimed high, and achieved their dreams.

With a real mixture of well-known and lesser-known stories, Good Sports shows that our ‘heroes’ all started out as kids with big dreams, doubts, and challenges – just like us. Their stories of achieving success against expectations and the odds, paving the way for others to succeed too, will embolden readers to dream big and follow their passions.

The diverse range of incredible contemporary and historical sportspeople featured in this book include Dame Lisa Carrington, Dame Valerie Adams, Sir Peter Blake, Lydia Ko, Israel Adesanya, George Nepia, Yvette Williams, Wynton Rufer, and many, many more!

The perfect book for encouraging a love of literacy in reluctant readers – Good Sports is ideal for the school library or classroom, as well as at home – where adults will enjoy reading these engaging stories just as much as kids!

Buy your copy of “Good Sports”

Read the review from the Brown/Reid family

This book was received with great excitement in our house – there was almost a fight over who would get to read it first!

How amazing to be able to read about New Zealand sporting heroes, some of which the kids had heard of, but many they had not. The simple pleasure of scrolling through the table of contents, choosing their favourite sport or sports person and then having the story read out loud for all the family to hear was a privilege.

This book has become our new bedtime reading go-to. It sits on the coffee table in the lounge, the TV gets turned off and the kids each choose a story to be read. It has been hard to stop at one each and some stories have already been read multiple times.

This book would be a fantastic addition to any family’s reading collection. The stories are easy to read and hold great relevance to anyone interested in sports, or New Zealand sporting history. We have learnt a lot reading these stories, it’s a very inspirational book. I often find the kids sitting and reading it on their own in a quiet spot. It is one of those books that grabs your attention and holds it.

If we could award it more than 5 stars we would! Totally recommend it for all ages, it has something for everyone, even if you don’t think you are a sports fan.

The Brown/Reid family

Puffin Book of the Month activities

Let little imaginations grow with our Puffin Book Club activities! We have a huge range of fun, printable activities from all your favourite new Puffin books for children.

Free and printable – which ones will you choose?

Choose your fun!

Don’t forget to visit Puffin Books for more great kids’ titles.

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Book Review | Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef

Posted on 23/08/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

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Discover a world of extraordinary beasts and unexpected heroes in Once There Was, the dazzling debut from New York Times bestselling author Kiyash Monsef.

Once was, once wasn’t …

So began the stories Marjan’s father told her as a little girl – tales of mythical beasts that filled her with curiosity and wonder: Griffons. Unicorns. Dragons.

But Marjan is not a little girl anymore. After her father’s sudden death, she is trying to hold it all together: her schoolwork, her friendships and her dad’s struggling veterinary practice. But a mysterious visitor soon reveals that Marjan’s father was no ordinary vet. The creatures from his stories are real – and he travelled the world to care for them.

Stepping into a secret world hidden in plain sight, where magical creatures are bought and sold, treasured and trapped, Marjan must take her father’s place. The deeper in she gets, the closer she comes to a shocking truth that will put both humans and beasts in terrible danger.

Once There Was is perfect for readers aged 9+ and fans of Philip Pullman, Neil Gaiman, J.K. Rowling and A.F. Steadman.

Grab your copy of Once There Was

Be in to win 1 of 3 copies of Once There Was!

We are giving away three copies of this magical novel, perfect for lovers of Skandar and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

To enter, simply name three magical creatures that feature in Once There Was. (Hint: You will find the answer on this page).

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Read reviews from our Young Readers!

Holly, age 14

Once There Was is a magical novel about Marjan, a girl who discovers that her father was secretly a veterinarian to magical creatures. After his death she finds that she must take up his job, despite the many dangers.

This book was a great page turner and I always had to keep reading. I especially loved all the fantastic magical beasts and Marjan’s fearless nature.

This book is definitely at 10/10. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves fantasy and magic.

Ellen, age 14

Hi my name is Ellen and I had the pleasure of reading Once There Was, the latest book from Kiyash Monsef. The story begins with a fairytale that Marjan, the main character, was told by her father when she was young. The next chapter skips to her at 15 years old, the new owner of her dad’s vet clinic. A role she has had to take on after becoming an orphan as her mother passed from cancer when she was 7, then her father mysteriously dies. The chapters alternate between her father’s tales and her current situation running her father’s struggling vet clinic.

Marjan struggles with the responsibilities of the vet clinic, all while trying to survive high school. Until a peculiar visitor arrives and persuades Marjan to travel to the UK, where she discovers all of her dad’s fairytales were real.

I think that this book would suit readers aged 11 years and above, who are interested in fantasy and make-believe.

I give this book a 7.5/10. Thank You to Kidspot to dive into this mystical and creative story.

Niam, age 13

Hello, My name is Niamh and this is my review on the book Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef.

This story is about a young girl named Marjan, who is coping with the sudden death of her father. She is pulled into the world of her father’s stories after a fateful trip to England.

Now, in her father’s place, as a vet for creatures of the imagination, with a magical room mate and runaway unicorn, Marjan has to save them all from the terrible truth that could alter the future for everyone’s existence.

The author has done an outstanding job at making loveable characters that make the story all the better. The setting is always changing, never the same place twice, it just makes the story so exciting. The story is so moving and capturing it makes you want to keep reading.

I believe this book is aimed at the age group 10-15, because it is quite long and maybe a bit mature for too young of a reader.

I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 and would place it in the top 20 of my favourite books. It is an amazing book that everyone should read. Thank you for reading my review!

Zara, age 12

Kia ora. My name is Zara and I’m 12 years old.

A few weeks ago I received a book in the post, called Once There Was, written by Kiyash Monsef. You might already know that mythical creatures aren’t real but this fictional book really made you second guess yourself. Some of my favourite themes in the book were courage, good versus evil, betrayal and revenge.

If I was to recommend this book to a certain age I would recommend it to kids aged 10 onwards because of the size of the book and it had some scary parts that not everyone would enjoy reading about.

Overall the rating for this book would have to be a 4 out of 5, because it was great to read except for when it took a bit too long building suspense for the exciting parts. Other than that it was amazing and cool, plus I would really recommend reading this fictional book.

Reviewers are provided with a copy of the book for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers. This article contains information provided by HarperCollins.

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Why Fruits & Veggies Are Essential For School Kids Health

Posted on 18/08/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

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One of the most impactful ways to support your child’s well-being during the school-age years is by incorporating a variety of fruits and vegetables into their daily diet. Packed with essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fibre, these natural wonders offer many benefits that can contribute to your child’s growth, development, and overall vitality.

The school-age years are marked by rapid growth, both physically and mentally. Fruits and vegetables offer a host of benefits that are particularly vital during this developmental phase. By providing a diverse range of nutrient-rich options and using creative strategies to encourage kids to eat them, you can set your child on a path towards a lifetime of healthy eating habits.

Nutritional needs for school kids

Fruits and vegetables are nutritional powerhouses that deliver a wide range of health benefits to growing children. Here’s a closer look at why they are so vital for school kids.

Brain health and cognitive development

The vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables, such as vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate, contribute to optimal brain function and cognitive development. These nutrients can aid in memory and concentration.

Energy for activities

As school-age kids become more active, they require energy to fuel their physical activities. Fruits provide natural sugars that supply immediate energy, while the fibre in both fruits and vegetables provides sustained energy release.

Immune support

School environments may expose children to various germs. The vitamins A and C in fruits and vegetables can strengthen the immune system, helping your child to fend off illnesses.

Bone health

Calcium and vitamin D, essential for bone health, are found in many vegetables and fruits like broccoli, oranges, and spinach. These nutrients can aid in maintaining strong bones and teeth, crucial for active kids.

Digestive health

Fibre-rich fruits and vegetables promote healthy digestion and can reduce the likelihood of gastrointestinal discomfort to help your child focus on their studies.

Tips for encouraging schools kids to eat more fruit and veggies

Include colourful options: Vibrantly coloured fruits and vegetables are not only visually appealing but also packed with diverse nutrients. Try blueberries, carrots, strawberries, and bell peppers.
Snack smartly: Replace sugary or processed snacks with sliced fruits, carrot sticks, celery, or snowpeas. Preparing convenient and nutritious snacks makes it easier for your child to choose healthier options.
Lunchbox variety: Pack your child’s lunchbox with a combination of fresh fruits and vegetables. Cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, apple slices, and grapes are easy to include and enjoyable to eat.
Dips and sauces: Provide healthy dips like yogurt-based dressings or hummus to make raw vegetables and fruits more appealing.
Smoothies: Blend fruits and vegetables into delicious smoothies. The natural sweetness of fruits can mask the taste of certain veggies, making it a great way to sneak in nutrients.
Cook together: Involve your child in meal planning and preparation. Let them choose a new fruit or vegetable to try and experiment with simple recipes.
Educational approach: Teach your child about the importance of different nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. This knowledge can empower them to make healthier choices independently.
Grow your own: If possible, start a small vegetable or herb garden. Children often become more interested in trying foods they’ve grown themselves.

Written by Kidspot NZ.

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Lucy And The Dark by Melinda Szymanik | Book Review

Posted on 08/08/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for Penguin Books

When Lucy makes friends with the Dark she discovers a new and exciting world! Meanwhile, everyone else discovers what it’s like to live without the Dark! Lucy and the Dark is a delightful bedtime story with a surprise at lights out in the form of a glow-in-the-dark cover.

“I’m Dark,” said the voice. “It’s all right if you don’t like me. Nobody does. Everyone is too afraid. Just close your eyes and by morning I’ll be gone.”

Dark heaved a sigh.

One night Lucy meets the Dark and they zoom away on an adventure to explore all the wonderful things that happen when the Dark is around. But back home, everyone else is realising that they really do miss the Dark after all. Can Lucy and Dark be convinced to return?

From the award-winning creators of My Elephant is Blue comes this gorgeous, funny, and reassuring bedtime story about why we should ALL make friends with the Dark (recommended for children aged 3-7). Lucy’s adventure brings her back home to her mum, extremely ready to go to sleep, and with the hidden glow-in-the-dark pictures on the cover to discover, this is a story that will have the most reluctant child looking forward to turning off the light.

Buy your copy of “Lucy and the Dark”

Reader review from Emmeline

This was a lovely story about a girl overcoming her fear of the dark and learning about all the amazing things that can happen in the dark. It would be a great book for kids who have a fear of the dark/nighttime.

My 4-year-old said, “She is friends with the dark now ay mum?” And Mr 2 said, “They did a high 5!” Both boys were fully engaged and loved the story.

It was also a special surprise to turn the lights off after reading and seeing the cover glow! My boys can’t wait for ‘lights out’ after reading this book! So far we have read the book three nights in a row and once in the morning – so it is safe to say it is a favourite.

The author has a lovely writing style making the book easy to read and I would certainly read more books by this author. Overall, a really nice book with a lovely message – I am sure we will be reading it again and again!

Five stars – myself and the kids really enjoyed it.

Puffin Book of the Month activities

Let little imaginations grow with our Puffin Book Club activities! We have a huge range of fun, printable activities from all your favourite new Puffin books for children.

Free and printable – which ones will you choose?

Choose your fun!

Don’t forget to visit Puffin Books for more great kids’ titles.

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Book Review | Batpig: Go Pig or Go Home by Rob Harrell

Posted on 28/07/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

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Batpig: Go Pig or Go Home is the third book in a brilliantly funny young graphic novel series, with two separate stories in each book.

Gary Yorkshire and his friends, Carl the fish and Brooklyn the bat, are facing what might be their piggest mission yet: magical sharks – and summer camp! First, there’s the sudden appearance of Sharkraham Lincoln (half shark! half president!), who sets off a major test cheating scandal. And then, at the worryingly named Camp Whomp-a-Pig, Gary’s hoping to finally get a break from superhero-ing, but a grumpy lake monster isn’t letting this sleeping pig lie.

Will Batpig ever catch a break to just relax and enjoy a tasty sandwich, and not have to save the world?

Brilliantly written and skilfully rendered by Rob Harrell, Batpig: Go Pig or Go Home is ideal reading for ages 7+.

Grab your copy of Batpig: Go Pig or Go Home!

Be in to win 1 of 3 copies of Batpig: Go Pig or Go Home

Superswines assemble! We’re giving away three copies of this hilarious graphic novel.

To be in to win, simply tell us who Batpig’s two friends are that are in the water on the cover of the book.

Competition has now closed.

Enter now

Read the reviews from our Young Readers!

Review from Fin, age 11

Hi, I’m Fin and I am doing a book review on Batpig: Go Pig or Go Home for Kidspot NZ. This book was very entertaining to read. I loved the characters and the humour.

The book is about a pig called Gary and his friends Brook the bat and Carl the cod. I really liked the names the author gave the characters in this book especially.

The book is broken into 2 miniature stories and it was really easy to read because it is a graphic novel. The pictures made the story come to life in my head and I have found myself reading it over and over again as I enjoyed it so much.

I would recommend kids aged about 5 upwards should read Batpig, especially kids that enjoy funny stories and animal characters. I am giving this book a 4.5 star rating.

Review from Kyle, age 8

My name is Kyle and I am 8 years old, I am doing a book review for Kidspot NZ on the book Batpig: Go Pig or Go Home by Rob Harrell.

This book is really cool! It has a comic vibe but in a book style. This has 2 stories in the book. 1st story is about Batpig being lazy with studying for a test and how he used a bit of magic and then all these wierd things started happening! 2nd story was Batpig went with his friends on camp and his identity got discovered, and how they went about to get it back to a secret!

I loved how the book is like a comic, I love the colours of the book. It is so funny and silly, it really makes you feel you reading something silly you and your friends would be doing. I liked how they dealt with Batpig feeling like he was all alone and left out with no friends, I sometimes feel like that. I also wish I had magic when I feel lazy to study!

My favourite characters where Gary, I relate to him, and Carl … he is funny!!!

I give this book 5 out of 5, it really makes you want to read it again and again. It has funny fun adventures that you really see yourself and friends doing 🙂

Review from Reid, age 11

I really enjoyed this book and think it’s a 5 out of 5. It intrigued me and kept me interested the whole time.

I like the pictures as it is enjoyable to read with being interesting to look at.

Loved it.

The reviewers were provided with a copy of the book for the purposes of the review. Views are those of the reviewers. This article contains information provided by HarperCollins.

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There Was An Odd Farmer Who Swallowed A Fly | New Book

Posted on 12/07/202316/05/2026 by Julie Lankow

Promotion for Penguin Books

Peek through the holes in the pages to see what the odd farmer swallows in this favourite nursery rhyme with a pitch-perfect Kiwi twist!

Kiwi kids will love this favourite nursery rhyme with witty words by Peter Millett and hilarious illustrations by Paul Beavis – and a surprise twist at the end!

There was an odd farmer who swallowed a fly.
I dunno why she swallowed a fly —
it’s such weird kai.

Peek through the holes in the pages to see all the creatures inside the odd farmer! And what happens to them all at the end of the tale?

Expect a lot of belly laughs as you read this brilliant rhyming story aloud!

After the belly laughs reading There Was An Odd Farmer Who Swallowed a Fly, have some fun finding the words in this Word Search!

Print the Word Search

Buy your copy of ‘There Was An Odd Farmer Who Swallowed A Fly’

Reader review from Yasmin

There Was An Odd Farmer Who Swallowed A Fly, written by Peter Millett and illustrations by Paul Beavis.

The title is quite revealing about the book’s contents. It is a story about an Odd Farmer who swallowed a fly and all the other things she swallows to try and get rid of this fly. A special feature of this book is the little holes that show us inside her tummy and all the things she has swallowed so far.

My 18 month old daughter was mostly fascinated by these little holes and loved pointing at them and through them with her little fingers. My 6 year old son loved the growing absurdity with each page, the rhymes and the hilarious outcome at the end. There’s even a little bit of discussion that could be had about the ending with older kids too, as I read it to a class of 10 year olds as well. At first they thought it was too kiddy, but as soon as I read the first page, they were hooked.

The incorporation of simple te reo Māori was awesome as well as the Kiwi animals too! When I asked my son what those words meant, he was able to answer me and understood the words in context. We have had the book for about a week and have probably read it 5 times already.

There Was An Odd Farmer Who Swallowed A Fly

Our family really enjoyed this book for a few different reasons. When I asked my son why he enjoyed it, he replied “I like the book because there’s a horse, doggy, a cow AND a kune! It’s funny, every time we don’t know why the farmer swallowed the fly.” My daughter can’t speak yet but the first chance she got, she took the book off to a corner and sat turning the pages and enjoying the pictures. As a parent, I enjoyed reading the book because of the rhyme and the rhythm in it. It was funny and the pages are a very thick cardstock so I am not worried about the kids ripping the pages as they turn them.

Overall I give this book 5 stars and would recommend it as a gift to children or teachers for age groups anywhere from 1 year old up to 10 years old. My children and students enjoyed it and I would read it again.

Don’t forget to visit Puffin Books for more great kids’ titles.

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Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

A child’s bedroom is their kingdom – where they relax, read, study, sleep, and dream! Choose from one of these cool themes from Resene to make them smile and inspire their imagination.

#1 May the force be with you

#2 Surf’s up!

#3 A person’s a person, no matter how small

#4 Where the wild things slumber

#5 Love and whimsy

#6 Matariki baby

More ideas from Resene for creative kids

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

I’m enjoying getting some extra sleep too!

Will definitely continue to purchase this

I can’t remember the last time they slept that late

Calmer, relaxed and quieter

Sleepy and calm

Instantly felt results

Afternoon got a whole lot better

Much more relaxed by bedtime

Snoring on the couch!

The calming effects

Read more reviews

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Finding Bear is the unmissable follow-up to the phenomenal bestselling and award-winning The Last Bear. The story is perfect for readers aged 8-years-old and up.

Be in to win 1 of 3 copies of Finding Bear!

Read reviews from our Young Readers

Book review by Abigal, age 11

Book review by Juliette, age 11

Book review by Zack, age 8 (nearly 9)

Book review from Kyle, age 9

Book review by Tomas, age 11

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

A melodious counting picture book bursting with troublesome tūī, perfect to read aloud! In Ring Ting Tūī, the familiar antics of one of New Zealand’s favourite native birds have been captured by award-winning picture book creators Elena de Roo and Paul Beavis.

Read the book review from Emmeline and family

Print Ring Ting Tūī colouring pages

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Adventure lies beyond the cat flap!

Meet your favourite new duo: Murray and Bun!

Read reviews from our Young Readers below!

Review from Eden, aged 9

Review from Faith, aged 7

Review by Sim, aged 8

My favourite things about it

Things that could be made better

Review by Zack, aged 8

Be in to win 1 of 5 copies of Murray and Bun!

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Exciting, funny, heartwarming, and mind-bendingly clever, Time Travelling with a Tortoise is the extraordinary, adventure-packed sequel to Ross Welford’s beloved, bestselling debut, Time Travelling with a Hamster.

Read reviews from our Young Readers below!

Review by Fin, aged 12

Review by Abigail, aged 10

Book review by Em and Kaitlyn, aged 10 & 13

Review by Eva, aged 11

Be in to win 1 of 5 sets of the Time Travelling series!

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Happy kids, happy family!

We all know how important sleep is for children. It helps them focus, supports cognitive development and learning, supports stronger immune health and supports them to relax in times of stress. Good sleep leads to happy kids, and happy kids lead to happy families.

Read the reviews now!

Reviewer notes

Please note

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Every episode of the hit New Zealand kids’ TV show, Kiri and Lou, is wrapped around an original song written by The Front Lawn (Don McGlashan, Harry Sinclair) and performed by a cast of favourites including Jemaine Clement, Olivia Tennet, Rima Te Wiata, Jaquie Brown, Josh Thomson and Mark Wright.

Shine Your Light

Let It Out

Yum, Yum Baronies

Farty the Dinosaur

Wild Animal

Womp Womp Womp

Look Before You Poo

Do a Little Jump!

Purple Mountain

Who is Sleepy Now?

Discover Kiri and Lou

Kiri and Lou colouring pages

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Choosing and using a child restraint can be a bit tricky sometimes – and we know you’re reluctant to read that enormous (but very helpful) instruction manual (which you should absolutely read by the way!).

1. Choosing the right restraint

2. Harnessing all things safety!

3. Talking tethers

4. Get it right, get it tight!

5. So you’ve spotted a child restraint on the side of the road …