A Discussion on Children’s Writing like no other. Popular children’s author Melinda Szymanik with be our May speaker. Szymanik will talk you through

A Discussion on Children’s Writing like no other.  Popular children’s author Melinda Szymanik with be our May speaker. Szymanik will talk you through her tool box of what to know when writing for children. In addition to covering what you need to know if you want to translate your book. Szymanik’s latest 2025 release BatKiwi and the Big Wet is available at your nearest bookstore.

All ages welcome – under 16 years need to be accompanied by an adult.

Melinda Szymanik writes picture books, short stories and novels for children and young adults. Her picture book, The Were-Nana, won the New Zealand Post Children’s Choice Award in 2009, was a Storylines Notable Book in the same year, and was shortlisted for the 2010 Sakura Medal. Her fourth novel, A Winter’s Day in 1939, also a Storylines Notable Book (2014), won Librarian’s Choice at the 2014 LIANZA Awards. Her picture book Fuzzy Doodle (Scholastic 2016) was a 2017 Storylines Notable Book, a finalist in the 2017 NZCYA Book Awards and a 2017 White Ravens book. Her most recent titles are the picture books Moon and Sun (Upstart Press, 2021), My Elephant is Blue (Puffin, 2021),Lucy and the Dark (Puffin 2023) and Sun Shower (Scholastic 2023).