Award winning author Kyle Mewburn will launch her two recent children’s stories at Alexandra Library on Monday afternoon (December 5).

The books are We Saw a Spinosaurus, illustrated by Daron Parton, and Have you seen tomorrow? illustrated by Laura Bee.

It has been six years since Kyle last published a picture book but she said she has plenty of ideas.

“I have way too many ideas whizzing around in my brain (and stored in huge files on my computer) that I'm already worrying I won't have time to write them all. So motivation is not a problem,” Kyle said. 

Author Kyle Mewburn lives in Millers Flat, appreciating the peacefulness and supportive welcoming nature of the village

The dinosaur inspired 88-page tale is an aural treat of words that end in ‘us’. Reviewer Paula Green said it was a cracking good book that deserves a spot in every classroom and in every home as it is such fun.  

An excerpt of the story's prose is: “We were trying not to snorus (sometimes school is such a borus), when we heard a roaring chorus floating down the corridorus.”

Kyle said the book has been a long time in the making and grew from a tour with the Dinosaur Rescue series in 2012.

“When I was touring… I included a "Name the Dinosaur" competition with all sorts of strange dinosaurs. The strangest of all was the Doyouthinkhesaurus, which is from an old joke. So for the last 10 years I've been trying to find a way to write a story about a Doyouthinkhesaurus.”

Cover of We saw a Spinosaurus

Have you seen tomorrow? is described by Penguin NZ as a contemporary fable about mindfulness, gratitude and living in the present.

It is a 32-page story about a rabbit who decides tomorrow does not look like how he imagined it. 

The story was initially purchased by a different publisher (Little Hare) a few years ago, but as the publisher changed hands it only made it into print until this year.

Cover of Have you seen tomorrow?

In her blog Kyle said the story “hung around on various desks for another couple of years until it finally landed at Penguin NZ”. 

“So the title, and theme, of the story is especially apt…it is indeed, such a glorious thing when tomorrow finally arrives.”

Kyle said Rabbit turned up during the first Covid lockdown.

“With every day basically the same, it was getting harder to imagine how tomorrow might be different. So I set Rabbit off on a quest to find his perfect tomorrow.”

An excerpt from the fable is: “Rabbit couldn’t wait for tomorrow. Today had been exceptionally grey, and he hadn't enjoyed yesterday at all. But tomorrow… well, tomorrow was sure to be extraordinary.”

Her top tip for aspiring writers is to enjoy writing their stories.

“Write your stories just as you want them. The more you write, the better you'll get and the better the chances you'll have to get published.”

Kyle’s books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. 

In 2007 she won Best Picture Book and Children’s Choice Awards for Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! in the NZ Post Book Awards.

She won another supreme award for children and young adults for Old Hu-hu in 2010.

She was Children’s Writer-in-Residence at Otago University in 2011 and President of the New Zealand Society of Authors from 2013-2017. She began writing fiction full time in 1997.

The double book launch and reading is free to attend at Alexandra Public Library, Monday December 5, 3.30pm.  

Download a colouring activity from Have you seen tomorrow? Here.