As part of the Auckland Writers Festival, the map that appears on the end papers of the Dragon Brothers Trilogy has been super-sized and stuck to the ground outside the Aotea Centre. Folks can download the AR Reads app, and watch it come to 3D life! The dragons are the size of dinner plates!

James Russell is a passionate advocate for children's literature and visits over 60 New Zealand schools a year inspiring children to read and to write. Some of these are arranged by Read NZ Te Pou Muramura (formerly NZ Book Council) or the Storylines National Children's Literature Trust. Others are simply schools getting in touch and requesting a visit. Some of James's visits to schools...

For some kids, the thought of a long summer swinging gently in hammocks, lying under trees or baking on a beach reading book after wonderful book is the very definition of bliss. For other kids, it’s a nightmare. No sooner does a longed-for holiday arrive than parents go and spoil it by insisting that their children read books. For me, my heart swells when...

Jason Naylor, a photographer from Wellington, has kicked off Breaking Art - a podcast about the "alchemy of creativity and commerce." He showed up in his Combi van and we cruised out to the Otuataua Stonefields to take this photo and do the interview. It was a lot of fun. Listen to it at http://breakingart.net/childrens-book-author-james-russell/