Sunday, October 19, 2025

Moana Oceania Series: Niue

Moana Oceania Series: Niue

Mele Nemaia

One of the world’s smallest nations, with a deep connection to Aotearoa and also to Tonga, Niue is a fascinating place. 


In this, the newest addition to the striking Moana Oceania series, esteemed educator Mele Nemaia introduces this unique island nation in English and Vagahau Niue (Niuean language).



The book makes available information for students or visitors, or anyone interested in our Pacific magafaoa (family).


Moana Oceania: Niue offers insights into society, geography, arts, history, sports and more, accompanied by many colour photos, illustrations and maps.



Readers will learn about daily life in Niue, the values of its people, and how families live and celebrate. A section is dedicated to Niueans in New Zealand and how they maintain their culture here.


Moana Oceania series editor Carolyn Lagahetau, who is of Niuean descent, says the book aims to help sustain the language and culture of the island. 



It is out in all good bookstores and libraries ahead of Niuean Language Week from 19–25 October, and we hope to find distribution in Niue soon.


Publication of Moana Oceania: Niue was greatly assisted by a 2024 Contestable Fund Grant by Copyright Licensing New Zealand.


 

The author


Mele Fakatali Nemaia MNZM is a community organiser and educator. She worked as a senior teacher at Favona Primary School in Auckland for decades and is now resident in Niue. Mele has co-authored several books for children in Niuean, taught after-school Niuean language classes and supported the ‘Achieving Through Pasifika Language’ programme in Auckland.  

Publication Date: 13 October 2025 |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004271-3  RRP $29.99
Paperback, 230 x 170 mm portrait, 48 pages, colour

Saturday, October 18, 2025

Interview: Toprak Işık talks about The Ant Rebellion

The Ant Rebellion

An interview with prolific Turkish author Toprak Işık

The first English edition of Toprak Işık's work is now out, with The Ant Rebellion published by Five Oceans, the international imprint of Oratia Books. 


We asked Toprak to share with readers in Oceania a little about his career, the writing of this ingenious book, and what it means to reach readers internationally.



Toprak, thanks for joining us. Can you tell us first, what inspired you to write this fabulous book set in the world of ants? 


TI: In the world of my book, everything, except the way the insects talk, exists in nature. Really, some ant species practice slavery. They dont know how to work, but theyre masters of war. There are also farmer ants. They dont eat the leaves they carry into their nests; instead, they chew them up and spread them in underground chambers. When I look at this, I see a reflection of the human world. For centuries, some societies have exploited others. People, too, have fought wars, enslaved one another, and created hierarchies that mirror those of the ants. So my inspiration came from observing nature and realising how much of it already exists within us. The ants in the story may seem small, but the questions they raise about freedom, justice, and cooperation are as big as humanity itself.

Did you know much about ant life before you wrote The Ant Rebellion

 

TI: Ive been reading about the lives of animals for years. The natural world has always fascinated me, especially creatures that live in social systems like ants do. Their organisation, discipline, and ability to work as one body are truly astonishing. What we humans call civilisation” sometimes seems like a late imitation of what ants have already mastered. When I first learned that some ants enslave others, or that certain species farm fungi and even keep aphids as livestock, I was amazed. These behaviours were so rich with meaning that they almost felt like ready-made metaphors for human society. I thought, if anyone with an imagination and a pen knew these facts, theyd feel exactly as I do: theres a novel hidden here.

My aim was to blend what is scientifically true with what is emotionally and morally human. The result became The Ant Rebellion, a story that starts in the soil but reaches all the way to the human heart.


How long did it take you to write The Ant Rebellion, and what did that involve?

 

TI: As I mentioned, Id been reading for years about ants, a special species of beetle that lives with them, and also about spiders. So when I finally started writing the book, the process didnt take too long. I strongly believe in the principle that writing is rewriting.” I completed the first version in about three months. By then, my characters had become vivid and alive in my imagination. After that, I remember writing three more versions. When I finished the second draft, I was completely inside the world of the story. I could feel, get excited, worry, and even be moved right alongside my characters. The later versions were more technical, refining the language, improving consistency, and tightening the structure.

In your own words, what is the main storyline and main theme of this junior novel?

 

TI: For me, this book is above all a story of a just resistance. I believe that the struggle people give to defend their homeland and their right to live is a rightful one. Yet life itself, with all its diversity, is beautiful. Life isnt only about working or fighting. In fact, fighting should never be the main axis of life. I see life as a continuous flow. War is a part of that flow, an unwanted but sometimes inevitable one. What truly matters is not to lose sight of the main axis: that the ultimate purpose of life is life itself. 

A structure based on blind obedience may look perfect from the outside, but from within, it can become a prison where theres no air to breathe. Some of the characters in The Ant Rebellion are precisely those who recognise that prison and begin to free themselves from it. We cannot expect everyone to live in the same way. An ideal system is one that allows differences to coexist in harmony.

Another important theme is solidarity. A single ant is weak on its own, but when they act together, they can achieve miracles. The same is true for human society. We need to learn how to think together, to resist together, and to live together despite our differences. 

The book has been brilliantly illustrated by Sedat Girgin. How do you work with an illustrator to represent in images what you have expressed in words?

 

TI: When I write, I try to let my imagination move freely, without limitations. I think illustrators work best when they are given that same freedom. So I never try to control their process. As a writer, I translate my imagination into words; they translate theirs into lines, colours, and forms. And Im sure they know the language of drawing much better than I ever could.

In most cases, I find that illustrators bring new dimensions to the story, things I didnt even consciously imagine while writing. Sometimes a single drawing can express a characters emotion more deeply than a whole paragraph of text.

Working with Sedat Girgin was no different. His imagination, his sense of atmosphere, and his ability to capture movement and mood gave The Ant Rebellion an extraordinary visual identity. His illustrations didnt just accompany the story; they expanded it. Seeing his drawings for the first time felt like meeting my own characters in person.


Readers in Oceania won’t know of your work. Could you share your background in writing and where your desire to write junior fiction came from?

 

TI: Writing has been my true passion for as long as I can remember. I chose engineering as a profession so that I could make a living while continuing to write. Right after graduating from university, I began working as an engineer and writing at the same time. My first works were novels, short stories, and essays written for adults. I also wrote plays that were accepted into the repertoire of the Turkish State Theatres. In those early years, my writing focused on social observation, often expressed through irony and humour. Because of that humorous tone, many people suggested that I should also write for children and young readers and Im glad I listened.

From my very first books for young audiences, I was captivated by the magic of childrens and young adult literature. Writing for children requires an active imagination, one that not only invites young readers into new worlds but also frees the author from the limits of the everyday world. That sense of creative freedom was probably what attracted me most. Since then, I've written nearly thirty books for children and young adults. Some of them aim to share scientific knowledge in accessible and enjoyable ways.

For me, literature and science are not opposites but two expressions of the same curiosity about humanity. Both search for meaning, both explore truth, and both remind us that imagination and knowledge can and should walk hand in hand.

Are you working on any books at the moment – if you are ready to talk about them?

 

TI: Yes, Im currently working on the second book in my Timeless series. The first book, Timeless, The Chipworld, is a science fiction novel that explores two contrasting realms of humanity: Chipworld, where technology and wealth dominate, and Deepworld, where people struggle in poverty. The story questions the rise of artificial intelligence and examines the moral responsibilities required to sustain a healthy society.

 

What does it mean to see your work translated into English for readers on the other side of the globe from Türkiye? 

 

TI: It fills me with deep joy to know that my books can reach readers in different countries and cultures, because I write my stories to touch peoples hearts. For me, writing has always been an act of emotional sharing, a way of building invisible bridges between souls who may live far apart but feel the same longing, the same laughter, the same questions about life. When a story travels beyond its own language and land, it reminds us that emotions have no borders. Seeing my words come alive in English, and knowing that readers on the other side of the globe can meet my characters and ideas, feels almost magical, as if the story itself has found new wings and learned to speak in another voice without losing its heart.

Thank you.


THE ANT REBELLION: Toprak Işık

Illustrated by Sedat Girgin    Translated by Alvin Parmar

15 October 2025  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004293-5 |  RRP $25.99

Paperback, 210 x 148 mm portrait, 98 pages, b&w

 


Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Bestselling author Toprak Işık makes English debut with The Ant Rebellion

The Ant Rebellion

Toprak Işık

Illustrated by Sedat Girgin     

Translated by Alvin Parmar


Tomorrow marks publication of the first in a series of new books from Five Oceans — Oratia Book's venture to bring books in translation to readers across Oceania. 


In the first Five Oceans book, renowned Turkish author Toprak Işık makes his English debut with The Ant Rebellion.

Set in the insect world, where farmer ants rebel against their warrior cousins, this junior novel has sold over 30,000 copies in Turkey. 

 

The Ant Rebellion is a superb read for 8–12 year-olds touching on themes of freedom and resistance, with drawings by prominent artist Sedat Girgin and translator Alvin Parmar.

‘US and UK authors gain translations worldwide, while great authors from other cultures aren’t available in English,’ commented Oratia publisher Peter Dowling. 


‘Five Oceans aims to help redress that imbalance. We are delighted to be publishing Toprak's work, and providing a home for more translations along with Oratia's previous international acquisitions.' 

The Ant Rebellion was published by Tudem Publishing Group, an independent publisher based in Izmir, Turkey. Rights for the Oceania edition were negotiated by the Black Cat Agency (Goksun Bayraktar and Nazlı Gürkaş).


The publishers were helped support from by Translation and Publication Grant Program of Turkey to publish the book in New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific.


An interview with Toprak Işık about The Ant Rebellion will appear on this blog on the weekend.

Publication: 15 October 2025  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004293-5 |  RRP $25.99

Paperback, 210 x 148 mm portrait, 98 pages, b&w


Friday, October 3, 2025

Modern physics explained through the life and discoveries of Ernest Rutherford

Ernest Rutherford and the Birth of Modern Physics 

Matthew Wright

International release for new book explaining the earth-shaking discoveries of New Zealand's greatest scientist


Revealing the science that propelled Nelson’s greatest son to a Nobel Prize, Ernest Rutherford and the Birth of Modern Physics traces key concepts in modern science from their origins in the work of the man Einstein labelled ‘a second Newton’. 


Ernest Rutherford


Wellington writer Matthew Wright uses Rutherford’s life as a guide to trace the evolution of the modern physics that sits behind much of today’s everyday life. 


In the early 1900s, scientists discovered a world of waves, particles and unseen forces, giving humanity everything from radio to TV,   X-ray machines to smoke detectors. 



Rutherford was a key mover of this new world, becoming known as the ‘father of the atom’. 


Following his career from Canterbury University College through to Cambridge University, Wright reveals why Rutherford’s work seized the public imagination and remains integral to our understanding of the universe. 




It explains how the science behind his discoveries work, with many helpful diagrams and photos.


Ernest Rutherford and the Birth of Modern Physics is a major international publication. 


It goes on sale in October in bookstores across New Zealand, and Matthew will be making his first instore appearances at Unity Books (Wellington), Schrödingers Books (Petone) and Wardini Books (Napier) this month. 


Scribe Publications (Melbourne and London) is publishing the Australian and UK editions in October, with a hardback edition out in North America in November.


This book offers a chance for any reader to get a handle on the modern physics that so influences our everyday lives.

 
The author

Matthew Wright is the author of over 60 books on topics ranging from history to science and engineering, for all ages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His books include Living on Shaky Ground, about the science of earthquakes, and the introductory book The New Zealand Wars. He is active on social media and available for talks. Matthew lives in Wellington (matthewwright.net). 

Publication: 7 October 2025  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004268-3 | RRP $45.00

Paperback, 234 x 153 mm portrait, 298 pages, b&w with photo sections

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