‘Atua: Māori gods and heroes’ wins Margaret Mahy Book of the Year
Author and illustrator Gavin Bishop has won three categories in the 2022 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, including the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year, for his book Atua: Māori gods and heroes.
It’s the fifth time Bishop’s work has been acknowledged with the Book of the Year prize; he has now won it three times for titles he authored and illustrated and twice for books where he was the illustrator, more than any other children’s author or illustrator in New Zealand, including the award’s namesake Margaret Mahy.
‘Atua is an instant classic, a “must have” for every Kiwi household and library, that is packaged in stunning production values,’ said convenor of judges Pauline (Vaeluaga) Smith. ‘The book is much more than a list of Gods and legendary heroes—it’s a family tree, presented with power and simplicity. The text is never overstated, with the glory of the illustrations as the primary mode of storytelling, rewarding the reader who closely examines them.’
The winners in each category, who each receive NZ$7500, are:
Margaret Mahy Book of the Year
- Atua: Māori gods and heroes (Gavin Bishop, Picture Puffin)
Picture book
- Lion Guards the Cake (Ruth Paul, Scholastic)
Junior fiction
- The Memory Thief (Leonie Agnew, Puffin)
Young adult
- Learning to Love Blue (Saradha Koirala, Record Press)
Nonfiction award
- Atua: Māori gods and heroes (Gavin Bishop, Picture Puffin)
Illustration
- Atua: Māori gods and heroes (Gavin Bishop, Picture Puffin)
Te Kura Pounamu Award for books written entirely in te reo Māori
- I Waho, i te Moana (Yvonne Morrison, illus by Jenny Cooper, trans by Pānia Papa, Scholastic)
Best first book (NZ$2500)
- Spark Hunter (Sonya Wilson, The Cuba Press).
Chosen from shortlists announced in June, the winners of this year’s awards were announced on 10 August. For more information, see the NZ Book Awards website.
Category: Awards Junior Local news
