Scholastic New Zealand Award
for Best Children’s Book 2026

Finalist

Designer: Kate Barraclough (Kate Frances Design)

Title: Rākau: The Ancient Forests of Aotearoa

Publisher: Te Papa Press

Format: 270 x 210 mm, 48pp, hardback. Printed on a sturdy yet tactile 140gsm woodfree (FSC) stock. Includes two vertical gatefolds to illustrate the magnificent tree giants, kāuri and rātā.

Typography: Title: Myster
Headings and labels: Aunt Mildred
Body: Tiempos Text

We wanted the headings to sit in harmony with the organic forms of the trees and vegetation, while keeping the body text clear and easy to read.

Publisher’s Brief
“Ned Barraud (the author and illustrator) created his draft illustrations around placeholder text, so it needed the right font and placement for the text in the spaces. Once the edited text, font and sizing was confirmed, the illustrations could be amended further. In addition to the main text it needed to incorporate heading levels and factual labels.”