Gecko Press is the New Zealand-based, international imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, focused on children’s books in translation.
Gecko Press hand-picks books by some of the best writers and illustrators in the world—books of good heart and strong character, excellent in story, illustration and design.
Gecko Press publishes stories children and parents will want to read hundreds of times, for ages 0 to 12 (sometimes infinity) and prides itself on good production—design, paper, bindings, covers—and on trying to make each book the best it can be.
worldwide – except Mainland China, Taiwan and Turkey
Joy Cowley & David Barrow A Lot of Silly World-renowned Joy Cowley brings her silly side to this collection of rhymes and nonsense old and new, illustrated in colour by master of the absurd David Barrow, for families to recite and remember. Joy Cowley knows what makes children laugh. In this book full of absurd…
Gavin Bishop Miro – Look This arresting board book of first words in both Spanish and English by award-winning Gavin Bishop pairs family faces and toys to show connections while building vocabulary for shapes and colours. A member of the extended family looks directly at the reader alongside a familiar toy. Labels give the Spanish…
Joy Cowley & Hilary Jean Tapper Good Night, Good Beach An evocative bedtime picture book that distils the essence of a family summer at the bach. Summer holidays by the sea have a rhythm all their own. With a few resonant images Cowley takes us straight to the end of a long hot day with…
David Barrow Have You Seen Dinosaur? In this follow-up to the bestselling picture book Have You Seen Elephant?, boy, dog and elephant search in a dramatic cityscape for a dinosaur that’s surprisingly good at hiding. Best friends boy, dog and elephant are VERY good at hide-and-seek. There’s a missing dinosaur in the city – who…
Giselle Clarkson The Observologist: A handbook for mounting very small scientific expeditions A highly illustrated creative guide to the small creatures and the natural wonders we find when we take time to open our eyes to the world around us—and ode to the power of quiet observation. Try to imagine the weirdest and most impossibly…
Gavin Bishop Look – A Tummy Time Book A concertina board book of big bright faces to place around the baby on the floor at tummy time – family faces on one side and toys on the other – by multi-awardwinning author/illustrator Gavin Bishop. Babies will love tummy time or learning to sit up surrounded…
Joy Cowley Dunger Dunger is a highly readable novel from New Zealand’s beloved Joy Cowley. William and Melissa have been roped into helping their old hippie grandparents fix up their holiday home in the middle of the Sounds. They’ll have no electricity, no cellphone reception, and only each other for company. As far as they’re…
Sarah Davis & Juliette MacIver The Grizzled Grist Does Not Exist! An exuberant rhyming picture book about a school trip to the hills, where no one sees the danger—apart from quiet Liam, who pays attention and saves the day with his particular skill of hiding. It’s the class trip to Dismal Hills wilderness. The children…
A mysterious and compelling literary fantasy that weaves magic, mathematics, love, family—and riddles within riddles. Sixteen-year-old Canny Mochrie has always been different; she has a calculating, mathematical mind and she sees something extra. When she begrudgingly joins her stepbrother on a trip to research a 30-year-old coal mine disaster, she meets the alluring Ghislain Zarene,…
The tiny woman makes a coat of leaves with the help of friends in this vibrant rhyming tale. The trees, geese, porcupine, horse and plants all share something so the tiny woman can snip, snip, snip and stitch, stitch, stitch a coat to keep herself warm. Resourcefulness and friendship are at the heart of this…
The land holds the truth … the maps will reveal it. Sal, Joe, Francie and Humphrey Santander are mapmakers looking for their father, a famous explorer who disappeared on his last expedition. Their search leads them to a curious new land and a township under siege. The all-powerful Grania Trading Company plans to uproot the…
Playful animals get up to toddler mischief in this boardbook built on word play, with each page twisting animal names into funny new words to share. In this delightful boardbook built on word play, toddlers will recognise each activity—getting dressed, playing, painting (including themselves), having a bath—and see how the animal makes the mischievous most…
A day with grandad showing in simple, beautiful images the bond between grandfather and child: a small hand in a big one, big gumboots and little, some food, stories and a snooze to finish. Pops is a warm and universal board book about a day with grandad. The bond between grandfather and child is shown…
Mihi / mihimihi / pepeha: introducing yourself and making connections to other people and places. Mihi is a simple book to share with babies and talk about their whānau and place in the world. Repeating colours and shapes show the connections between waka, mountain, iwi through to mama, papa and the baby reader. This book…
Jack Lasenby Uncle Trev and his Whistling Bull It’s the 1930s. Our storyteller is crook in bed trying to get over a long sickness and wanting to go back to school, when Uncle Trev arrives to let Mum go out and do the shopping. Uncle Trev tells one story after another about the animals out…
A scrumptious collection for anyone who loves good healthy food— and an occasional indulgence. Here are after-school snacks, breakfast on a stick, cakes, slices and dinners. Egg and Spoon is for children learning to cook independently and families to enjoy cooking together. Much of the food is naturally gluten-free or vegan. Alexandra Tylee is the…
Joy Cowley & Giselle Clarkson The Gobbledegook Book – A Joy Cowley Anthology Joy Cowley’s wordplay and humour shine in this landmark collection of stories, rhymes, nonsense and poems. The Gobbledegook Book collects favourites like ‘Faster Faster’ and less-known treasures alongside the much-loved classics ‘Greedy Cat’ and ‘Nicketty-Nacketty Noo-Noo-Noo’. The Gobbledegook Book is a perfect…
Miro and Zia live in Aurora, a fishing town nestled in the shadow of a mysterious castle. Miro lives in the world of books; Zia is never without her camera. The day they meet, they stumble on a secret. With Zia determined to discover more, a reluctant Miro is pulled into a real-life adventure. The…
Jenny Bornholdt & Sarah Wilkins A Book is a Book Told from a child’s view, this book captures the magic of books felt by voracious readers, and is a perfect gift for book-lovers of all ages. This small-format jacketed hardback has whimsical yet humorous illustrations and words that perfectly define everything that is good about…
The Cook who Cooked for Captain Cook Cook’s Cook follows the 1768 journey of James Cook’s H.M.S. Endeavour with his ship’s cook, the one-handed John Thompson, as story teller. Through real recipes, events on board and the places the ship travelled on its way to the Pacific, the book tells multiple stories. Here are stories…
In this resonant story from Joy Cowley, Cam the mountain boy follows the river from its trickling source in the snow all the way to the sea. The river leads him through forest, farms and towns to the salty wind of the sea. The dramatic landscapes are packed with detail to discover in the world…
Fairytale, time travel and adventure Harsu has five droplets of god blood and a treasured cloak to remember his father by. Now his father is gone, he lives with his mother, his only friend an old onager donkey. And something is not right with Harsu’s mother. She has started kidnapping children, and sometimes her skin…
Five children have 28 days to map a rail route through the mountains in this exciting adventure-race for middle readers. Sal, Joe, Francie and Humphrey misplace their mother as they begin the Great Race to map a rail route through an uncharted wilderness. Their money is gone and their father didn’t come back from his last adventure….
More funny stories and wry observations with the bestselling Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley “There is so much of human nature and good humour in the stories of Helper and Helper. We are very pleased to be back in the company of Snake and Lizard!” Julia Marshall, Publisher “Not a word out of…
Mum said she nearly died. That wasn’t true. But it was a shock for her. She and her sister didn’t get along, and here was Auntie Rosie West, Uncle Leo West and the five West children moving into the next street. Michael’s cousins, the West family, are everything he’s not allowed to be at home….
Two very different creatures learn about the give-and-take of friendship in these warm and funny stories set in the desert. Snake is elegant and calm, and a little self-centred; Lizard is exuberant and irrepressible. With its wisdom, acceptance and good humour, Snake and Lizard captures the essence of friendship. The stories are beautifully illustrated by…
The baby wants breakfast so Malcolm gets out of bed to get started. Then in comes Toby. And Una and Toto, then Alice—they’re hungry too. And Conrad from next door and his sister Ruby! Everyone has a request for breakfast. But who is taking notice of the baby? The Longest Breakfast is a fun stroy…
A strong and simple picture book that perfectly encapsulates the world of a child If I was a banana, I would be that one, so beautifully yellow and full of banana … This boy’s eye-view of the everyday brings alive all the wonder and oddity of the world inside our own heads. It beautifully captures…
A deft and delightful tale, packed with word play and madcap energy A class trip to the zoo descents into a chaotic hunt for the missing hippopotamus. Teacher, zookeeper and all the children join the search. The noise and drama reach a pitch, and no one thinks to listen to quiet Liam, who really might…
A family of rats is forced to leave their home, so sets out to find the fabled city of Ratenburg. Along the way they outwit vicious dogs, tricky rat traps, and sharp-beaked hawks, and make some very dangerous crossings. The rat family’s adventures test their character and grow bonds between sisters and brothers, father and…
An assured and exciting debut picture book from a top emerging talent, about a small boy and his elephant playing an absurd game of hide and seek. Elephant wants to play hide and seek. But you’ll need to try your best—he’s very good! Have You Seen Elephant is perfect for sharing with children, who will…
With a father more interested in money than family, a brother in prison, a sister with a secret, and a mother in denial, it’s no wonder Jeff buries himself in the safe world of mathematics. When a storm hits Wellington, a strange old woman is blown into Jeff’s life, challenging everything he thinks is true. by Joy Cowley “A high-drama…
Tales of Fontania – vol. 3 Dorrity is the only child in magic-free Owl Town. When she finds an enchanted book with dire predictions, she must face her enemies. And who is the strange boy who has appeared in the Beastly Dark? This stand-alone pre-teen adventure/fantasy novel is third book in the ‘Tale of Fontania’…
Tales of Fontania – vol. 2 Hodie is the unpaid odd-job boy at the Grand Palace in the Kingdom of Fontania. Fed-up, he decides to leave and better himself. The young Queen, 12-year-old Sibilla, is fed-up too, because of gossip about her lack of magical ability. She decides to run away with Hodie, whether he…
Tales of Fontania – vol. 1 In the reign of Lady Gall (Provisional Monarch of Fontania), the word ‘magic’ is forbidden… When 12 year old Jasper Ludlow’s parents flee the city, he gets left behind and finds refuge on The Travelling Restaurant, a sailing ship captained by old Dr Rocket and crewed by feisty Polly. Jasper…