Author Archives: gavyn
Easy way of getting into a drinking coconut
You don’t need special tools or special skills to open a young drinking coconut – just a knife and a minute or so. Put the coconut on its side. Cut slices off the wide end until you see the ‘eyes’ – they look like bowling ball holes. You are only looking for the ‘soft’ eye, […] Continue reading
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Crock-Pot Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe
Ooohhhh yaassss, come at me chicken wraps! PF Chang’s is a popular restaurant chain in California that serves a lettuce wrap dish and people go gaga over them. I…
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We’ve been opp shopping again
So the new school term has started this week, but our first week is quite often nice and quiet and slow as a lot of our external classes don’t start until the second or third week. Which means we effectively have afternoons off! It’s a lovely way to ea… Continue reading
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Autumn fairy
Autumn fairy , made in New Zealand with NZ sheep’s wool Continue reading
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His Fair Assassin
This series was an entertaining and engrossing end to my day for the last few weeks. It leans towards being filed as pure guilty-pleasure, but its (mostly) tasteful execution and historical bent are a notch above the average YA romance series.Gra… Continue reading
Picture Book Round-up: The Joy of Giving, African Inquiry, NZ Humour, Carnivores
The Quiltmaker’s Gift, Jeff Brumbeau
Our dear friends introduced us to this beautifully illustrated moral tale. It’s super-lovely and worth seeking out if you haven’t seen it (there’s another about the quiltmaker’s journey too, but this is our favourite).
Little Red, Bethan Woollvin
The pantone colours perfectly match this bold retelling of the tale you thought you knew.
Frankencrayon, Michael Hall
I like stories about making the best of things and this cheeky cast of characters are very fun.
Carnivores, Aaron Reynolds
An excellent book about an excellent club (it made us think of A Shark Tale — nine years its senior — but in a good way).
Baa Baa Smart Sheep, Mark Sommerset
A tale of a tricky trickster in irresistible speech-bubble format. My girls read this one over and over to themselves after Haki and I had read it to them. A sweetie friend lent us her copy along with I Love Lemonade (a very similar follow-up) and the read, read, read.
Dear Fairy Godmother, Michael Rosen
A whole new take on writing to Agony Aunt. It’s always fun to read a twist on something so well-known. This lift-the-flap book filled with Fairy Godmother’s responses to characters’ problems is a treat.
Roly the Anzac Donkey, Glyn Harper
Often the historical fiction titles are something I initiate cracking open around here, but this book had my girls coming back for more again and again. The eyelashes on the donkey may have something to do with it… There’s brilliance in focusing a children’s book about war and Gallipoli on an animal. The eyelashes are the cherry.
Our last home-school inquiry study was on Africa. Of the many titles we checked out during that time, we found four real winners, all of which you should get out sometime! Galimoto is the pick of the bunch (not just of the African Inquiry selection, but the entire post; it had my girls spellbound).
What’s Cooking Jamela? Niki Daly
There are a bunch of books about Jamela. This is our favourite.
I Lost My Tooth in Africa, Penda Diakité
I love how well-fused cultural learning and narrative are in this.
A is for Africa, Ifeoma Onyefulu
Onyefulu’s explanation of how she has done her best to represent traditions common across the continent is excellent in this one.
Galimoto, Karen Lynn Williams
Spellbound, I say. This one’s best if you don’t read any blurbage and dive in. Do it!
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Brand New Work!
Hello friends!We have a whole lot of brand new work to share with you all. Due to the popular demand for kids decor and nursery prints we thought it high time Sweet William offered new artwork for the kiddies in your life. Kiddies art prints can be vie… Continue reading
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Orbiting Jupiter
Orbiting Jupiter, Gary D. SchmidtWow. After feeling starved for contemporary YA stories that tackle hard topics without including graphic (and for me, “too much”) content, I found my craving seriously satiated in Schmidt! Great characters.T… Continue reading
The weird things we do and don’t still do
I’ve been writing Craving Fresh for a long time now. Almost a decade in fact. Right from when I planted my first vegetable garden and gave birth to my first child to now. I’ve experimented with lots of things over the years. Some of those experime… Continue reading
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Children’s book illustration
I recently collaborated with Tasmanian mum, Angela Bertram on this lovely children’s book – Where All Amazing Things Start. A positive message of self belief and kindness. It was great fun to work on together with Angela and we are both very happy with the final result. Here is a little more about the book from Angela’s website:
A beautifully illustrated tale of nurturing yourself, your dreams and kindness, delivering a body positive message that everything enabling you to make your dreams come true, is found within you! Written to inspire the imaginative child, with space to personalise, by writing the child’s name, dreams and an illustrated frame to draw in, this heart-warming book makes a memorable gift for someone special.
Created for children of ages 3 – 10, to either share with an adult or for Transitional to Fluent readers.
Copies of this book can be purchased from the website here.
I have illustrated a few educational story books and plenty of children’s illustrations but this is my first full childrens book! I would love to work on more, get in touch via my website www.sweetwilliamprints.com.au to discuss your project.
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Throwback Read: Tanith / Wolf-Woman
Tanith / Wolf-woman, Sherryl Jordan Jordan enchants me. I can’t help it, okay? I love her stories! They’re like these heavily-weighted fables with heroines willing to enrage entire nations if they feel the cause is true! Tanith … Continue reading
Inside the Mind of a Sociopath
The Wasp Factory, Iain BanksWow. This is an unforgettable book. It is immersive, confident and…dark;Because the story is told from the perspective of a sociopath, the narrative includes disregard for laws, social mores and the right… Continue reading
Really Important Things…
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of really important things… extremely important things.
Important things like having tasty holiday treats with my girls…
Taking roadtrips to Auckland to visit family and precious friends…
… Continue reading
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Laundry renovation tips and ideas
I went on a house tour a few weeks ago in Mount Maunganui run by NZ House and Garden magazine and saw some incredibly stunning and mostly huge homes. I always like looking at the practical spaces in a home such as the pantry, laundry, mudroom type space if they have one, office type space etc. To me those spaces are as important as the big kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms because they Continue reading
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark HaddonI very much enjoyed this. It was intriguing, well-paced, and a story worth telling. It was so encouraging to find a hero in need for support receiving it, but it was made stronge… Continue reading
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