Keep an eye and ear out for Charlie!

A rather naughty dog is making his entry into bookshops around New Zealand tomorrow.

Charlie is for sale, so it’s no wonder he’s eager to please the boy who spots him in his neighbourhood. What is a wonder is that Charlie has tales to tell, each one more amazing than before. Why would a marvellous talking dog be in need of a new home?

 Oratia is proud to publish Charlie and his amazing tales — a colourful picture book for primary-school-age readers that matches Dawn McMillan’s uniquely funny rhymes with Ross Kinnaird’s zany, inventive illustration.

It’s a delight to publish books with this pair, who not only create fun stories but are also great fun to work with. And we’re so happy to hear from kids and adults who get a kick out of stories from I Need a New Bum! to Squeakopotamus.

Cheers to Charlie and to you both, Dawn and Ross, for this and your other magnificent creations (and Happy Birthday, Ross!). And heartfelt thanks also to Carolyn Lagahetau, Cheryl Smith and Belinda Cooke for helping bring the big-talking Charlie to life.

Charlie and his amazing tales
Publication Date: 5 October 2017  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-33-9  |  RRP $19.99

Paperback, 230 x 215 mm, 32 pages colour

Squeakopotamus about to make a huge entrance

Squeakopotamus will make a big impact on bookshelves from 6 October.

The giant pet, a perplexing cross between a hippopotamus and a mouse, is the latest creation from Thames-based author Dawn McMillan and Auckland illustrator Ross Kinnaird.

The pair have created some of New Zealand's most-loved and maddest picture books over the years, including Why Do Dogs Sniff Bottoms?, Woolly Wally, I Need a New Bum!  and Doctor Grundy's Undies.

Squeakopotamus tells the story of this oversized creature that comes to stay with a normal-sized family:
Is he a hippo that 
looks like a mouse?
Or is he a mouse
too big for this house? 

Squeakopotamus is a fun pet, but his size means that Mum wants him to go. How can the kids get him to stay?

On sale from tomorrow at good booksellers everywhere, Squeakopotamus (ISBN 978-0-947506-11-7) is a full-colour 32-page picture book suitable for readers aged four and over.