Sarah Forster – a judge at next year’s children’s book awards – chooses the best 20 local and international books of the year.

PICTURE BOOKS

That’s Not a Hippopotamus (Gecko Press, $19.99) by Juliette MacIver and Sarah Davis

A hilarious take on the plight of the quiet boy who is the only person who can see the hippopotamus in the room. Sharply rhymed, energetically illustrated, this is frequent collaborators MacIver and Davis at their best.

Do Not Open this Book (Upstart Press, $24.99) by Andy Lee and Heath McKenzie

Do Not Open this Book unleashes the power of the reader to change the life of one poor little monster, who as it turns out, just doesn’t want to be turned into a frog. This is a brilliant read-aloud, and the illustrations keep the tension high. More than a little reminiscent of The Monster at the End of this Book, a Sesame Street classic. Best for 4+.

Don’t Cross the Line! (Gecko Press, $29.99) by Isabel Minho Martins and Bernado P. Carvalho

This superb picture book encapsulates an entire collection of short stories, spurred on by the actions of one dictatorial general, who believes the book and all its pages belongs to him. It’s a book for those kids that love to tell a piece of the story themselves – and those that just love to pore over a complex world of characters.

Fuzzy Doodle (Scholastic, $19) by Melinda Szymanik and Donovan Bixley

Fuzzy Doodle is one of the most creative picture books published in New Zealand this year. Fuzzy grows from page to page, and Bixley’s drawings get wilder and wilder as Fuzzy gorges himself on pencil, ink and paint to grow. Glorious!

Here Comes Mr Postmouse (Scholastic, $29.99) by Marianne Dubuc

Mr Postmouse travels through the different habitats of his friends to deliver their mail in this beautifully illustrated picture book. From the big long snake hut, to the dragon’s cave where Postmouse joins his friend for a sausage lunch (kitted out with a flameproof suit, naturally), to Mr Croc’s swamp, underwater for Octopus and so on, every page is packed with charming detail. Kids as young as 2 will enjoy this gentle tale.

My Grandpa is a Dinosaur (Puffin, $19) by Richard Fairgray and Terry Jones

Wanda’s grandpa is a dinosaur, and she seems to be the only one who can see it. The humour of this brilliant story of the power the brain has just to shut out the truth occasionally makes it a favourite for me. There’s an edge to this straight-seeming fairytale that will see it endure.

JUNIOR FICTION

Dragon Knight: Joust! and Barbarians! (Scholastic, $12 each) by Kyle Mewburn, illustrated by Donovan Bixley

The final titles in the Dragon Knight series, which started with Fire! in 2014. Action-packed and frequently hilarious, I recommend the full series as a must-read for anyone who likes the Horrible Histories or the tales of King Arthur.

Flying Furballs: Hot Air and Dogfight (Upstart Press, $14.99 each) by Donovan Bixley

This new series from Donovan Bixley (also featured in the Picture Book section above) has the potential to take adventure-book publishing in NZ to the next level. It’s DOGZ vs CATs, with dogs posed as Nazis and Cats the French Resistance. Claude D’Bonair is one of the most heroic characters around, and his offside Syd Fishious isn’t far behind, despite his fondness for food.

Frankie Potts and the Sparkplug Mysteries and Frankie Potts and the Bikini Burglar (Puffin, $11.99 each) by Juliet Jacka

Another junior fiction double-pack, this is a release that sees Juliet Jacka launching her Frankie Potts series in style. Frankie is a Harriet the Spy-type character, seeking out the mystery in every situation. The first book tells the story of her dog Sparkplug, and the second develops the characters well. Highly recommended for ages 5-9.

Lily Max: Slope, Style, Fashion (Luncheon Sausage Books, $22) by Jane Bloomfield

Lily Max is back, and she’s heading for the hills. Some last-minute alterations to the school-issue ski suit and off she goes. Irrepressible, zany and the most fashion-forward pre-teen you could ever hope to meet, I look forward to more adventures in the future.  Age 9-12.

Rona (Huia, $15) by Chris Szekely and Josh Morgan

Rona is a thoroughly New Zealand heroine. She lives with her grandparents, and is part of a large and wonderful whanau. There are two stories in this book, one based in the spring school holidays, and the other in the run-up to Christmas. These are hugely relatable and comforting stories, perfect to share with a child age 5-9.

The Sam & Lucy Fables (Submarine, $25) by Alan Bagnall and Sarah Wilkins

This stands out on the shelves as a lovely production. Sam and Lucy are pigs, and have been going around the world putting it to rights. They’ve solved the problem of the bus stops, the man who was exercising without going anywhere, and more. Appeals age 6+.

NON-FICTION

A is for Aotearoa (Puffin, $25) by Diane Newcombe and Melissa Anderson Scott

A lift-the-flap book for older kids, about the geography of New Zealand, by the letter. Each flap gives a clue to where the alphabet has taken us; Some of the clues made me LOL. The illustrations are done in a collage style, and the book is beautifully designed from A to Z. Everybody from 4-10 will enjoy this book.

From Moa to Dinosaurs (Potton & Burton, $29.99) by Gillian Candler & Ned Barraud

A great book to help your kids learn more about our wildlife past and present – all the way back to the dinosaurs. It has an element of pick-a-path, allowing you to choose between following the story or digging deeper into the past, which is certain to appeal to fact-loving 8-12 year olds.

Maui and Other Maori Legends (Puffin, $40) by Peter Gossage

Gossage’s original edition of Maori Legends formed the basis of my knowledge of Māori mythology. His art is magnificent, and this bind-up of eight of his best illustrated tales is essential for every New Zealander’s library.

Snark (OUP, $59.99) by David Elliott

Lewis Carroll is a genius, and The Hunting of the Snark and Jabberwocky are still in my top few poems ever. David Elliott takes both, and tells the story surrounding the journey to capture the Snark. The illustrations are incredible, and the presentation is just wonderful. This feels like a mission accomplished for David Elliott, in the same way Much Ado about Shakespeare did for Donovan Bixley last year. A book for the whole family to enjoy.

Spot the Lot (Lonely Planet Kids, $19.99) edited by Lonely Planet

The perfect spotting book to keep your kids entertained while you are travelling. There are things to find on beaches, at skifields, at the train station; everything is ranked from 5 for easy finds to 50 points for more difficult finds. My sons both loved it, and I think it would appeal into the early teens, when the batteries on their new smartphones run low.

YOUNG ADULT

Anna and the Swallow Man (Corgi Books, $21) by Gavriel Savit

This book cast a spell on me when I read it earlier this year. Anna, aged 7, is abandoned by her father in WWII Poland, and is taken under the mysterious wing of the swallow man. Quite unique.

Lungdon (Hot Key Books, $18.99) by Edward Carey

This final book in a magical illustrated YA trilogy. Filth threatens to take over an entire city, and only Clod and his friend Lucy Pennant can prevent it. It has gallows humour and so many perfect lines that it aches. Pick it up and be engrossed.

The Hate Race (Hachette, 37.99) by Maxine Beneba Clarke

The Jamaican-Australian writer’s biography is probably my favourite book of the year. Her love for her family and friends shines even as she tells a story about racism and bullying. It’s especially important for teenagers to understand the impact words can have, and I’d recommend this for 14+.

You’ve seen all the other best-of books lists and as the saying goes: they’re shit! Yeah nah this is the only one you need, as the Spinoff’s team of democratic experts bring together memoir, history, survivor’s stories, boxing, shops and other subjects from real life.

Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved & Died in The 1940s (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, $40) by Anne Sebba

The Spinoff’s choice not just as best book of non-fiction of 2016 but as the best book of any kind. “Courage is a lovely concept but especially attractive when it’s an idea as opposed to a necessary reality. Anne Sebba’s fabulous book, Les Parisiennes, sets out to show in a remarkably non-judgmental way, how the women of Paris acted when faced with German occupation in WW2, and perhaps even more interestingly, how they behaved in the years immediately following,” wrote Linda Burgess.

 Double-Edged Sword (Mary Egan, $38) by Simonne Butler with Andra Jenkin

A survivor’s story – Butler was one of the two women P-freak asshole Tony Dixon went at with his Samurai sword on a summer’s day in 2003 – but also a portrait of authentic Westie life. It’s full of great sentences, it’s darkly funny in places, and it revisits the central terror in fine, astonishing detail: “I caught my hand as it fell through the air and I calmly tried to stick it back on.”

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (Profile, $28) by Mary Beard

There were two stonking popular histories published this year, both of empires made epic by lust and greed and philosophical madness; SPQR was the less monstrous, but more exotic. An easy, thrilling read.

The Romanovs: 1613-1918 (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, $50) by Simon Sebag Montefiore

The other stonking popular history of the year, and far more monstrous than SPQR. Montefiore chronicles depravity and monstrousness to an extent that will have your eyes hanging out of their sockets while achieving the difficult simultaneous feat of being glued to the page. Gruesome, bro.

My Father’s Island: A Memoir (Victoria University Press, $35) by Adam Dudding

Memoir of the year. Widely admired and awarded as one of New Zealand’s best long-form journalists, Dudding goes way, way further with this voyage around his father Robin, an depressive, literary eccentric getting up to all sorts of mayhem and disorder in Torbay on Auckland’s North Shore.

The Māori Meeting House: Introducing the whare whakairo (Te Papa Press, $49.99) by Damian Skinner

Sumptuous and sensitive illustrated art history of the marae in New Zealand life. “Great writing, great feel, and impeccable aesthetics…At $49.99 it’s a bargain or possibly even a steal because of all the taonga inside,” wrote Talia Marshall.

The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone (Canongate, $40) by Olivia Laing

Very nearly the Spinoff’s choice as best book of non-fiction of 2016. Laing is a singular writer, who thinks her way in and out of that most terrifying state of being in urban life: loneliness.

Mansfield & Me: A Graphic Memoir (Victoria University Press, $35) by Sarah Laing

No other book like it, really, is there? It’s a memoir told in colourful drawings, and the story intersects with insights into the life and times of Katherine Mansfield. All up: a work of art.

Can You Tolerate This? (Victoria University Press, $30) by Ashleigh Young

Genius at work. New Zealand’s best prose writer gathers her thoughts in an intimate, personal, thoughtful, socially engaged collection of essays.

 1971: Never A Dull Moment (Bantam Press, $70) by David Hepworth

The premise is simple and audacious: 1971 was the greatest year in music, ever. Hepworth goes about his argument with brilliant chapters on Bowie, Sly Stone, Carole King, T Rex, Led Zep, Yes, Nick Drake and many other artists who created masterpieces in that shimmering year.

Things That Matter: Stories of Life & Death from an Intensive Care Specialist (Allen & Unwin, $37) by David Galler

The Spinoff’s choice as best New Zealand book of the year – it’s scandalous that this massively popular and affecting book failed to make the longlist of the 2017 Ockham national book awards. Dr Galler takes an up close and personal look at the real-life medical dramas in intensive care.

The Shops (Luncheon Sausage Books, $40) by Steve Braunias and Peter Black

But it’s written by and published by the editor of the Spinoff Review of Books! Has he chosen his own book in this elite list? You bet! His collaboration with photographer Peter to create a quiet, lyrical celebration of New Zealand shops in small towns is awesome. Do the math: 44 colour photographs and 6000 words = a perfect Xmas gift.

Muhammad Ali: A Tribute to the Greatest (HarperSport, $34.99) by Thomas Hauser

The meaning of Muhammad Ali by his great biographer.

Bloomsbury South: The Arts in Christchurch 1933-1953 (Auckland University Press, $70) by Peter Simpson

Art book of the year. It’s the one Simpson was meant to write; his various investigations into the Christchurch art scene have led to this fascinating history of 20 years of frenetic artistic activity, aided and abetted by the likes of Curnow and Glover. Beautifully illustrated, beautifully art directed.

In Love with These Times: My Life with Flying Nun Records (HarperCollins, $37) by Roger Shepherd

You bought the records, now buy the book. Artful memoir by the quiet architect of Flying Nun. All the bands are there, all the seething unruly punks – Carter, Knox, etc – and Shepherd lays himself bare.

The Odd Woman and the City: A Memoir (Schwartz, $26) by Vivian Gornick

This sly old New York broad was the absolute star of the 2016 Auckland Writers and Readers Festival. She was candid about everything, including anal sex; her book lays it all out.

Women of the Catlins: Life In The Deep South (Otago University Press, $49.95) by Diana Noonan and Cris Antona

Striking black and white photographs, and stories of women in the Otago region of the Catlins. Roy Colbert wrote, “It has the appeal of Country Calendar, an endless stream of exceptional smiling New Zealanders making miraculous stuff from a sow’s ear…. There are so many glorious quintessential one-liners in this book. They should pick 52 and turn them into a souvenir pack of playing cards at the museum shop. I counted at least seven that were cardable in the opening chapter, and you would be hard put to find a better one-liner in non-fiction anywhere than Judy Walker on page 59 – ‘I don’t let being the wool ganger go to my head.’”

 Roughy: Fishing the Mid-Ocean Ridges (Bach Books, $24.95) by AJ Peach

The best fishing book of the year. Peach tells it like it is, in this fresh, amusing account of his life and times as an ancient mariner, with a stand-out chapter about working on a Ukrainian rustbucket.

Beryl Bainbridge: Love by All Sorts of Means (Bloomsbury, $49.99) by Brendan King

 “This is the first full-length biography of Beryl Bainbridge, the brilliant Liverpudlian novelist…..So many men! It’s not the morality concerns me, it’s the strain on the memory. Harry, Hugh, Paul, Ken, Adam, George, Mick, Les, Alan, Harold, Mike, Don, Ronnie, and all. If this were a soap – and at one point Beryl had a part in Coronation Street, playing a left-wing friend of Ken Barlow’s – no storyliner would ever come up with such repetitious script. Beryl falls in love, Beryl cries, then Beryl spots the perfect man and we’re back to: ‘this is the one’”, wrote Marion McLeod.

Through the Eyes of a Miner: The Photography of Joseph Divis (Friends of Waiuta/Craig Potton Books, $40) by Simon Nathan

Strange, haunting photographs of a small West Coast mining settlement – Waiuta – before the mine closed and it became, virtually overnight, a ghost town.