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For ages 3 to 7.
Reviews
KidsBooksNZ ~ Bats might not win beauty contests, but they certainly fall into the “so ugly they’re cute” category – and Ned Barraud captures that unique charm perfectly in this beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book.
Katie Furze skilfully uses onomatopoeia, descriptive language, and suspense to keep young readers engaged from beginning to end. Informational sidebars appear on every spread, answering the “why” and “how” questions that naturally arise when children read about wildlife.
The final pages offer further facts about the pekapeka, including its status as New Zealand’s only native land mammal, its impressive history dating back at least 16 million years, and more species-specific details – like how it’s only 6–7 cm long and often shares a roost with hundreds, even thousands, of others.
The text is a joy to read aloud, while the digital illustrations are expressive, detailed, and immersive. Pekapeka: Secret Forest Bat is a companion to Ruru: Night Hunter and Tuatara: A Living Treasure, making it a must-have for school libraries, science resource rooms, and nature-loving families alike.
Meet the Kiwi creators
Katie Furze writes children’s fiction and non-fiction including picture books, short stories, articles, plays, readers, and novels. Katie has a master’s degree in creative writing and is fascinated by science and nature. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys the outdoors, tramping, yoga, travelling and scuba diving. She lives in Auckland with her family.
Ned Barraud studied art in Otago and Illustration at Victoria University and has since authored and illustrated a number of children’s books and journals including the ‘Explore and Discover’ series about different ecosystems in New Zealand. He loves to help introduce children to the natural world around them and encourages them to explore it. Ned lives in lives in the misty hills of Karori, Wellington, with his wife and three children.
