Waiheke Children's Book Festival

Join us as we celebrate National Children's Book Week here on Waiheke Island with a whānau friendly day of workshops, activities, music and storytelling.

We'll be joined by top New Zealand authors and illustrators including Vasanti Unka, Melinda Szymanik and local talent, Avi Duckor-Jones and Roger Mason. Other treats include the award winning children's musicians the 'Spellodies' (Artworks Theatre) 'The Light Library' (Waiheke Adult Learning) and Waiheke's very own renditions of the classic 'The Jungle Book' (Waiheke Music Museum), Donovan Bixley's quirky sing along nursery books (Artworks Theatre) and a special double author talk with Melinda Szymanik and Vasanti Unka at the Waiheke Art Gallery.

They'll be workshops on how to write a book, cartoon illustration and a chance to make your very own book. Come dressed as your favourite book character for the 'Book Week Parade' and enjoy all day readings of books by authors and illustrators.

This programme is free but bookings are required to secure your place in the workshops as places are limited to 20 people per workshop.

Book sales available on the day from onsite sales site and Lasavia Press.

10.30 am Welcome

PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME (Bookings not needed)

11.00am - 12noon Spellodies (Artworks Theatre)

Winner of the 2026 NZ Childrens Music Awards

12.00noon - 12.30pm Book Parade (Courtyard)

Come dressed as your favourite book/book character and win prizes.

12.30 - 1.30pm Sing-a-long Jungle Book adventure (Music Musuem)

Join Sister Shout and other local musicians for a wild and nostalgic romp through Rudyard Kipling's classic story immortalised by Walt Disney.

2.00 - 2.40pm Nursery Rhymes Alive (Artworks Theatre)

A programme especially for those under 5 years based on the quirky kiwiana retellings of classic nursery rhymes by NZ illustrator and writer Donovan Bixley. A visual, musical and theatrical treat.

WORKSHOP PROGRAMME (Please book tickets as places are limited)

11 - 12noon Roger Mason ' Learn to draw faces - a quick cartooning workshop'. Ages 9+

Roger is a graphic novelist based on Waiheke Islandhttps://www.rogermason.co.nz/

Waiheke Adult Learning 

11 - 12 noon Melinda Szymanik 'Plot and Character Essentials’. Ages 9+

Melinda is an award winning children's writer based in Auckland https://www.read-nz.org/writers-files/writer/szymanik-melinda

Library

12.30 - 1.30pm Vasanti Unka. 'Creating a Picture Book Character' All ages.

Vasanti is an award winning writer and illustrator based in Auckland https://www.read-nz.org/writers-files/writer/unka-vasantiWaiheke

Adult Learning 

12.30 - 1.30pm Debra Wallace 'How to Train My Brain: A Personalised & Playful Guidebook for Children & Their Caregivers' All ages.

Shake It, Settle It, Find Your Calm! In this hands‑on workshop, children’s author Debra Wallace guides tamariki (4–11) and their caregivers through making their own Calm Jar — a fun, sensory way to understand how emotions move through the nervous system. Inspired by How to Train My Brain, this activity helps kids learn how to pause, breathe, and let things settle inside. Each child will take home their Calm Jar and a matching activity from the book to keep practicing at home.

https://positivereframe.org/about-debra-wallace-ms-lmft/how-to-train-my-brain/

Library

2 - 3pm Workshop with Avi Duckor-Jones  'Creating Mood and Tone in Writing'. Ages 12+.

Avi is a writer, actor and teacher based on Waiheke Island.

https://www.ketebooks.co.nz/authors/duckor-jones-avi-2024

Library

2 - 3pm Workshop with Emma Hinton/The Light Library: Seeking Our Way – Mapping a Storm & Making a Book

Duration: 1 hour | Ages: 7+ | Tamariki and Adults | All whānau welcome

In this hands-on, imaginative workshop, we explore the idea of a storm, what it looks like, how it moves and what it feels like. Storms can be within us and around us. We'll use drawing, mark-making and storytelling to map the storm using prompts from the book Seeking Will | Rapua a Will. Together, we'll create a collaborative "storm map," then turn our artwork into a book to take home.

https://www.thelightlibrary.com

Adult Learning 

MAIN STAGE LIBRARY - MC-d by No'oroa Te Hira

11am - No'oroa Te Hira (live cartooning)

11.15am - Vasanti Unka - Wild Summer

11.30am - Adventure of Little Fox by Rowan Johnson and Daniella Gaast

11.45am - The Carecrow by Callum Gilmour

BREAK - Book Parade

12.30 - Kenni and the Roof slide by Mike Johnson

12.45 - Emma Hinton - Finding Grace, Kimihia a Grace

1.00pm - The Boy who ate bugs - Avi Duckor Jones

1.15pm - Melinda Szymanik - There's No Moa, e hoa!

BREAK

2.00pm - Koro the Kiwi with Sid Marsh and the Jassy Dean Trust

2.30pm - The Bella Buttercup Children's Book Series by Carrot Peelings

3.00pm - The Time of Your Life by Tanya Batt and Peter Forster

CRAFT STATION - LIBRARY

Come along and be inspired to create and craft using the stories shared by our fabulous line up of authors and illustrators.

COMMUNITY CINEMA 11AM - 1.30PM

This collection of short films, adaptation of classic Margaret Mahy picture books will be screened on loop between 11am - 1.30pm.

1. The Witch in the Cherry Tree

2. The Three Legged Cat 

3. The Boy with Two Shadows 

4. Keeping House  

5. The Great White Man-eating Shark 

WAIHEKE ART GALLERY 2.00 - 3.00PM (7 years plus)

Melinda Szymanik and Vasanti Unka will talk about the picture books they created together, 'Lucy and the Dark' and 'My Elephant is Blue'.

Book available for sale at the Waiheke Art Gallery

Matariki craft station using 'The Song of the Kauri' (Melinda Szymanik) and 'I am the Universe' (Vasanti Unka) as inspiration available 10.30 - 4.00pm.

Facepainting, crafting activies, book displays and book sales available throughout the day.

All of this is made possible thanks to funding from the Waiheke Local Board, Read NZ, Artworks Waiheke, Island Direct, Sealink and the Once Upon An island Trust.