Great Mates: 30 New Zealand Stories for Children

Edited by Barbara Else
Illustrated by Phillip Webb
Random House, 2011
Hardback $29.99

This is a collection of stories about something important to everyone – friends. Not just school friends, or best friends, but people who start as definitely not being your friend (Cowardly Cushla by Feana Tu’akoi), or a squishy space creature as big as your head (Squid Head by Peter Friend), or someone much older than you (A Very Special Friend by Bev Wood). A great mix of happy, sad, furious and hilarious from both well-known and new writers, all illustrated in black and white to capture the atmosphere of each story. Ages six to 11.