My brand new picturebook, and my first book to be published in Aotearoa New Zealand, is out today!
But Then… The almost true story of an overdue book is the far-fetched, tall tale of why a library book is 293 days overdue! The story follows a child and their grandfather who are returning a book to the library. When the librarian points out it’s two hundred and ninety-three days overdue, Grandad recounts an outrageous, funny and far-fetched story of why it took so long to get the book back to the returns desk. Illustrated by Daron Parton, inspired by my friend who had a five-year overdue book and featuring the beautiful animals found around Aotearoa, comes the best excuse for an overdue library book.
My publisher, Scholastic NZ, have teamed up with SLANZA to create resources for a free Story Walk you can host at your school. You can find free resources here.
Here is the awesome Ōpaheke School with their Story Walk:
Readers, I can’t wait for you to read But Then so I’m running a giveaway on Twitter and Bluesky with winners picked on 12th August – follow my socials and be in it to win a copy of the book. And if you don’t win, you’ll be able to pick up a copy from your local bookshop or order online.
I will also be doing events in Northland and a huge library readathon in Dunedin to celebrate the book in August so watch this space and come along and join the library fun!