Entertaining account of New Zealand as lived by the animals broadens the wing span of The NZ Series
Humans reached New Zealand about 1000 years ago, at which point animals had been here for several hundred million years.
How was life before and after Māori and European arrival? What is unique about our species, how have they adapted over time and what is their future in a time of climate change?
Award-winning author Philippa Werry takes the story back to Gondwanaland, looking at dinosaur life, the amazing tuatara, species evolutions over time and some of those that didn’t manage to survive, like the Haast’s eagle and huia.
Coming to the modern era, the book surveys all aspects of animal life — from introduced pests, livestock and domestic pets to conservation efforts, zoos and animal celebrities like Shrek the sheep and Phar Lap.
This colourful ninth book in The NZ Series follows The Treaty of Waitangi, winner of the Margaret Mahy Supreme Book of the Year prize at the 2025 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
A free Teacher Resource for the book is available HERE.
Categories: Animals, Extinct animals, History, Natural history, Nature, New Zealand, New Zealand history.
Reading Age: 10 years to Adult.
RRP: Glossy card cover in 100 pages NZ$29.99.
Publisher: Oratia Books.
