Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich, Sir Mouse to the Rescue and Bernie
and Flora are three stunning picture books soon to be released by Book
Island, an up-and-coming children’s book publisher located in the Kapiti
Coast.
Owner and publisher Greet Pauwelijn’s goal is not only to publish
outstanding children’s books in English and Dutch, but also to add an extra
dimension to the stories by organising activities inspired by them – enabling children’s
enjoyment of each book to extend far beyond its pages.
In Book Island’s first title, Sammy and the
Skyscraper Sandwich, a small boy builds the biggest sandwich in the world.
Following in his footsteps, we invite you to come and help us build our own
gigantic sandwich at the book’s launch on 11 November using recyclable
materials – bring your own recyclable materials and see how high we can get!
There will also be exciting activities based on Sir Mouse to the Rescue,
which chronicles the adventures of Mouse, a stubborn knight and her
long-suffering friend Dragon, and Bernie and Flora, a heart-warming tale
of friendship and flowers.
The publication of these three titles will fittingly mark the three-year
anniversary of Greet and her family’s move from Belgium to New Zealand – a
country, she says, that has been incredibly supportive of her endeavour to
become a children’s publisher.
The inspiration for this career move came as Greet was translating New
Zealand author Barbara Else’s The Travelling Restaurant (Gecko Press,
2011) for a Belgian publishing house. “While translating this book – my first
from English to Dutch – I suddenly realised that, instead of telling other
publishers about possible bestsellers, I might as well translate and publish
these books myself.”
Publishers, editors and translators were all fortuitously present in
Greet’s social circle – “Even our accountant had been working in publishing for
years!” she laughs. “I also met a publishing consultant while waiting at the
traffic lights in Wellington, and my son’s friend’s parents turned out to be
well-known book designers here…”
Greet says it felt “like lucky
stars were falling from the sky”, and she knew that she’d made the right move.
She welcomes you and your family to join her on 11 November to celebrate both
the release of these books and the beginning of a new chapter in the Book
Island journey.
Kapiti Coast Book Launch, 11 November –
ALL WELCOME
Book Island’s first three titles – Sammy and the
Skyscraper Sandwich, Sir Mouse to the Rescue, and Bernie and
Flora will be launched at 2pm, Sunday 11 November at Raumati South Memorial
Hall, Tennis Court Road, Kapiti Coast. The launch will include activities for
children, including the construction of a gigantic, recyclable sandwich. To
acknowledge the books’ Belgian origins we will also be singing Dutch and
Flemish children’s songs, and six hundred Belgian crepes have been ordered. So
come along to feed your appetite for stories … and sandwiches!
Wellington Book Launch, 19 November – ALL
WELCOME
The books will also be launched at
The Children’s Bookshop, Shop 26, Kilbirnie Plaza, Kilbirnie on Monday 19
November, 7.30–9.30pm. At the event, Book Island publisher Greet
Pauwelijn will be giving a talk about Belgian children’s book illustrations.
This is a unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the art of
illustrating – so don’t miss out!
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