The Storylines Story Tour visits Northland schools and libraries next week:
• Monday 13 June – Warkworth, Wellsford, Kaiwaka, Maungaturoto
• Tuesday 14 June – Arapohue, Ruawai and Dargaville
• Wednesday 15 June – Opononi, Kaikohe, Okaihau, Kerikeri
• Thursday 16 June – Moerewa, Kawakawa, Towai, Motatau, Kamo
• Friday 17 June – Whangarei
Presenting the Northland Story Tour are writer/illustrators Elena de Roo, Ruth Paul and Tina Shaw with
Ben Brown, inaugural New Zealand Reading Ambassador for Children – Te Awhi Rito. The writers are available for interviews before and during the tour.
Elena de Roo writes poems and stories for children and her poems are included in A Treasury of NZ Poems for Children, edited by Paula Green and illustrated by Jenny Cooper. She was the 2020 University of Otago College of Education/Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence.
Ruth Paul has written and illustrated 23 picture books and was the recipient of a New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate Award (August 2019). As well as writing and illustrating children’s picture books, Ruth has worked as a costume illustrator for Peter Jackson’s movies.
Tina Shaw writes for adults, teenagers, and children. She has received many awards for her work, including the Creative New Zealand Berlin Writers Residency.
Ben Brown, (Ngāti Mahuta, Ngāti Koroki, Ngāti Paoa), is an award winning author who writes for children and adults across all genres. He is the inaugural New Zealand Reading Ambassador for Children – Te Awhi Rito.
The team will be joined on the on the road by Chair of Storylines Trust Christine Young who is also
available for interview about Storylines and the Story Tours.
Storylines runs several Story Tours to different parts of the country each year. Each Story Tour takes
New Zealand writers, illustrators or storytellers to schools, early childhood centres and community
venues in metropolitan and regional centres, smaller cities and towns, engaging tamariki and
rangatahi across the country with books and reading by New Zealand writers and illustrators.
The aim of the Storylines Story Tours is to connect young readers with New Zealand’s children’s and
young adult writers, illustrators, poets and storytellers, to share the enjoyment of books and reading,
to encourage young New Zealanders to engage with books and reading, and to encourage them to
undertake their own artistic and written projects. The tour visits are completely free to enable access
for all to high quality New Zealand children’s literature, thanks to support from Creative New Zealand,
Foundation North and other funders.
For more information visit HERE
