Happy 10th Birthday to I Need a New Bum!

Happy Birthday to the boy in the red pants!

 I Need a New Bum! — Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird's zany tale about a boy who discovers his backside has a crack — turns 10 years old today. 

Published on 20 September 2012, the picture book was well received locally and shown to the world soon after during New Zealand's Country of Honour programme at the Frankfurt Book Fair (where publisher Peter Dowling donned the first of what would become a number of New Bum t-shirts). 

Dover Publications jumped aboard with its edition, I Need a New Butt! in 2014, CITIC Press followed with a Chinese version in 2015, and Brazil's Telos Editora followed with Preciso do um nouvo bumbum! in 2018.

In September that year, a Facebook reading by Janice Clark ('the Scottish Granny') made our 'red pants boy' into an Internet sensation, and editions followed from Scholastic UK, Midnight House (Korea) and Adriano Salani (Italy). 

Now, after 10 years, the boy trying to find a new bum has cracked up millions of readers worldwide, appeared in board books and noise books and collections, featured on TVNZ's Seven Sharp, become a favourite in Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's household, and is soon to star in a 'find the new butt' game (to be released by Spin Master in early 2023).

Along the way he's created a whole family of books — now extending to I've Broken My Bum!, My Bum is SO NOISY!, My Bum is SO CHEEKY! and My Bum is so CHRISTMASSY! 

It's all a long way from its origins in Dawn's head, on a road trip to Rotorua — and the trip goes on (as Dionne Christian summed up so well in her recent article on Kete Books). 

To celebrate the 10th birthday, Stephanie Huriana Fong has translated the book into te reo Māori — Kia Hou Taku Tou! hit the bookstores of Aotearoa at the start of September, in time for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. (See this coverage on Te Ao Māori News.)

March 2023 will see the next addition to the New Bum family with the global release of My Bum's ON THE RUN!

From Oratia Books a big thank you to Dawn and Ross for their dedication and imagination, to all our bookseller and publisher partners, and to our own Bum team (especially editor Carolyn Lagahetau, designer Cheryl Smith, and marketing wiz Belinda Cooke). 

Dawn McMillan and Ross Kinnaird

And a very Happy Birthday to I Need a New Bum!

Publication: 20 September 2012  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-18-6 | RRP $19.99

Paperback, 230 x 215 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour

 

Photo gallery: Whangārei's Hundertwasser Art Centre presents new book about the artist's legacy in New Zealand

The new book Hundertwasser in New Zealand took pride of place in a presentation this past Wednesday 7 September at Whangārei's stunning Hundertwasser Art Centre. 

The Hundertwasser Art Centre on the evening of 7 September

Supporters of the centre, local dignitaries and Oratia Books' publishing team were in attendance to celebrate the publication. 

A highlight was the sharing of recorded messages from Joram Harel and Andrea Fürst of the Hundertwasser Foundation in Vienna, which commissioned the book, and from Andreas J. Hirsch, the book's esteemed author.

Joram Harel, chairperson of the Hundertwasser Non-Profit Foundation, Vienna

Andrea Fürst, director of the Hundertwasser Foundation, Vienna 

Author Andreas J. Hirsch in a recorded message from Vienna

Ken Couper, Whangārei District councillor and member of the Hātea Art Precinct Trust, spoke of his pride in what the Hundertwasser Art Centre has brought to the city.

Ken Couper addresses the audience

Rebecca Varley, fundraising and event manager of the Hundertwasser Art Centre, MC'ed the evening

Pam Tothill, long-time support of the Hundertwasser Art Centre, then gave a spirited reading of selected passages from the book.

Pam Tothill reading from Hundertwasser in New Zealand

Former mayor Stan Semenoff speaking (photo courtesy Sue Shepherd)

The book team, from left: Carol Smart, Richard Smart (Hundertwasser Foundation representative in NZ); and from Oratia Books, Carolyn Lagahetau (editorial director), Gill Hughes (publicist), Ella Fischer (editor) and Belinda Cooke (sales & marketing consultant)

Hundertwasser in New Zealand: The Art of Creating Paradise is available at the Hundertwasser Art Centre and at good bookstores around the country.

The Hundertwasser Art Centre features prominently in the book

Thanks to Carol Smart, Sue Shepherd and Carolyn Lagahetau for photos.

Hundertwasser in New Zealand |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004214-0 |  RRP $70

Deluxe hardback, 260 x 190 mm portrait, 240 pages colour

The joy of sharing cultures, generations and lunches — meet The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street

 

The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street
Ngā Kuia o te Tiriti o Pikitea        

Renisa Viraj Maki

Illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson

Translated by Kanapu Rangitauira

Touching story about multiple cultures in New Zealand bonding through food and stories across the generations  

‘I hope young readers, and those who read the book with them, connect to this story and see the beauty of our multicultural society,’ says author Renisa Viraj Maki of her debut book. 

‘As an Indian immigrant, I struggled to find stories that celebrate the multicultural experience. That inspired me to write about immigrants and locals connecting across cultures.’

In The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street/Ngā Kuia o te tiriti o Pikitea, Renisa portrays Māori, Ethiopian, Samoan, NZ European, Indian and Chinese grandmothers sharing traditional stories with their grandkids as they make the kids’ lunchboxes for school the next day. 

 

The grandmothers are also preparing dishes for their monthly gathering, where they share their respective traditions and stories.

Sumptuously illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson and with a fine te reo translation by Kanapu Rangitauira, The Grandmothers of Pikitiea Street will be in bookstores ahead of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

Renisa’s hope is that ‘stories like this warm people’s hearts to our shared human experiences. After all, who doesn’t love a hug from grandma or sharing delicious food?’ 

The authors

Renisa Viraj Maki is a Kiwi-Indian leadership consultant and artist who is a graduate in art history. She is dedicated to writing stories that reflect cultural diversity; this is her first book. Renisa lives in Auckland.

Nikki Slade Robinson is an award-winning illustrator and author who has published numerous children’s books, including with Oratia Books There's a Weta on my Sweater and There's a Moa in the Moonlight, with Dawn McMillan. She lives in Ōpotiki.

The translator

Kanapu Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) is a registered translator and teacher of te reo Māori. Among his book translations is Nanny Mihi's Medicine/Ngā Rongoā a Nanny Mihi (Oratia Books, 2022). Kanapu lives with his family in Rotoiti, Rotorua. 

Publication: 8 September 2022  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004217-1 | RRP $22.99

Paperback, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour