This children’s book is sure to be a hit with rugby-mad Kiwis. ‘A to Z with the AB’s’ by Justin Laing is the ultimate alphabet learning book for little All Blacks fans – and we think parents will love it too!

Combining charming illustrations with clever wordplay, ‘A to Z with the AB’s’ is sure to delight All Blacks fans of all ages as well as providing a fun and interesting way to learn. The book is fantastic inspiration to engage with children, discussing how Beaudan performs magic and how Dan tames the lions, or explaining why Julian’s called the bus and how Zinny could slot dropped goals from 50 metres!

The inspiration behind the book

The book’s author, Justin Laing, says, “I’ve always loved making up stories for my kids at bedtime and we’ve come up with some crazy stories about flying dogs and talking monkeys etc. They’ve grown up watching me (and their grandparents and aunties/uncles) watch the All Blacks so they’ve both decided that the AB’s are their team too. As a result, they’d often wake up the morning after a game and ask, ‘did the All Blacks win?’ or ‘did Beaudy score?’ ”

“Billy has been learning to write for the last year or so and rather than go with the “A is for apple and B is for Banana,” I made it fun with a few rugby examples. I never wrote it down but it got to the point where Billy could recite it all anyway … “A is for the All Blacks” and “C is for Carter.” I put it down on paper and showed family and a few mates and they all said “you’ve got to publish it as a book!” So here I am!”

Meet the author

Born and bred in Lower Hutt, Justin’s love for rugby started in under-fives when he played for Hutt Valley Marist. He went on to play about 24 seasons and while his own dream of being an All Black faded away, his love of rugby and supporting the All Blacks remained.

Justin finished school at St Patrick’s Silverstream in 2002 and moved to Australia where he went on to play first-grade rugby in a Queensland Country competition on the Sunshine Coast. Justin now lives in Brisbane with his wife, Erin, and three kids, Billy, Maddi and the couple’s newest arrival, Frankie.

Justin with Billy

To find out more about the book, visit the A to Z with the AB’s Facebook page.

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THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED

We have three copies of ‘A to Z with the AB’s’ to give away! Simply log in, then comment below and tell us which is your favourite All Black. Competition closes 5pm on 8th March 2018. Three winners will be drawn at random. You will be contacted by email if you are a winner.

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