Bookrapt's Treasury: A collection from Tauranga's storytellers

Bookrapt is the Bay of Plenty’s imagination station, a place to discover stories for children and young people set in our own backyard, and by people who live here. – Lee Murray, ONZM.

Brimming with over forty years of work from the Bookrapt community, within the pages of Bookrapt's Treasury there is something for everyone, from preschool to upper high school.

Bookrapt’s Treasury offers hours of shared read-aloud pleasure or quiet reading for those who want to curl up in a cosy nook with a good book. As a gift, a keepsake, a companion to support a lifelong love of reading, this Treasury belongs on every family’s bookcase and in libraries and classrooms throughout Aotearoa.

Kete spoke to Debbie McCauley, who spearheaded and compiled the project with Bookrapt.

Kia ora Debbie, and thank you for speaking with Kete. What a project this book must have been! Can you tell us more about Bookrapt’s history and founding member Phyllis Johnson?

Phyllis Johnston was an exceptional children's author who dedicated much of her work to bringing New Zealand's pioneer history to life. In 1983, she played a vital role in establishing Bookrapt (originally known as the Bay of Plenty Children’s Literature Association) and remained deeply committed to the organisation as a lifelong advocate and patron until her passing in August 2021. Phyllis was honoured with the prestigious Storylines Betty Gilderdale Award in 1998 for outstanding services to New Zealand children's literature. It was an absolute pleasure to dedicate this book to her memory.

How long has the book been in process?

Bookrapt’s Treasury has been a true passion project almost three and a half years in the making. The initial call for submissions went out on 9 March 2023, and while I had hoped to finish the anthology later that year to coincide with Bookrapt’s 40th anniversary, that timeline proved overly optimistic for a project of this scale and complexity. Additionally, my responsibilities as a full-time carer for both my husband and mother-in-law naturally took priority; as a result, the book was placed on the back burner for some time, with slow progress made in between prioritising their needs. I am incredibly grateful to all our contributors for their patience, understanding, and unwavering support as we worked together to bring this beautiful collection to fruition for the very first Aotearoa New Zealand Children’s Book Week.

How wonderful to have sketches from Lynley Dodd and Margaret Mahy in the Treasury!

It is an honour to feature the work of Dame Lynley Dodd and the late Margaret Mahy, two monumental icons of children’s literature who offered unwavering support to Bookrapt over the decades. Lynley, a founding member of Bookrapt in 1983, generously created an original illustration exclusively for this anthology. Margaret's piece is a delightful sketch discovered within a well-wishing letter she sent to the organisation back in 1990. Because both of these remarkable artworks are previously unpublished, their inclusion makes this collection even more of a taonga.

You have a lot of contributors in the book – 63, wow. Can you tell us more about them?

Many of our sixty-three contributors double as the backbone of the Bay of Plenty’s literary community. This collection features works from Bookrapt stalwarts past and present, alongside exciting new material from emerging authors. Crucially, we have included several treasured, out-of-print titles, ensuring a new generation of readers can rediscover them. While it was incredibly sad to lose the brilliant Sherryl Jordan during this journey, I would like to think that both she and Phyllis Johnston would be deeply proud of what we have achieved. Every single story, poem, photograph, and illustration in this treasury is special, and having them carefully curated into developmental stages—Preschool, Early Primary, Later Primary, Intermediate, Lower High School, and Upper High School—adds immense value. Ultimately, the collection carries profound cultural significance by preserving our local heritage, regional voices, and out-of-print historical works for future generations.

Can you tell us more about the team who put the book together? It sounds like a real labour of love.

It absolutely was a labour of love! I could not have completed the project without my fabulous book designer, Sarah Elworthy, and talented artist Debbie Tipuna. We are also incredibly fortunate that our Bookrapt committee is packed with exceptional people who were more than happy to jump in and proofread. It was crucial to have their fresh eyes on the pukapuka. When you have spent years stitching together this patchwork quilt of creativity, it becomes very easy to miss the odd dropped stitch here and there!

Bookrapt’s Treasury is available in all good bookshops from Friday 21 August