Create a Book Together

What an incredible time we had at The Light Library Kids Workshop for "Seeking Will & Te Uru Gallery" event! Witnessing the enthusiasm and creativity of the young artists was truly inspiring. One of the highlights was when I asked the kids who considered themselves artists, and nearly all eagerly shot their hands in the air. May they never stop embracing their artistic spirit! Together, we embarked on a journey to create the sequel to "Finding Grace | Kimihia a Grace," curating words and painting pages that will form the book 'Seeking Will.'

We're excited to see how their creativity continues to flourish, and we look forward to sharing the published book with them all.

Thanks Nicky and Danielle for your mahi and great photos!

Treasure Hunters

We had an incredibly fun treasure workshop at the library, and it wouldn't have been possible without the enthusiastic treasure hunters, art creators, and the amazing librarians. During the first week of October, we came together to embark on a creative adventure.

In the words of the Glen Eden librarians, "We were delighted this week to host first-time author Emma Hinton, a Glen Eden local, for a school holiday workshop dedicated to finding treasures in nature." This hands-on, interactive experience was inspired by ‘Finding Grace / Kimihia a Grace,' which has recently found its place on our library's shelves. This beautiful pukapuka (book) celebrates the magic of exploration and discovery, urging us to find treasures in the world around us. If you'd like to get your hands on a copy of this enchanting book, don't hesitate to request one at Auckland Libraries Website.

The workshop was an inspiring journey into the wonders of nature, and we look forward to many more adventures like this in the future. Thank you to all the participants who made it a memorable day!

NZ Booklovers Review

Finding Grace by Emma Hinton

A child adventures into their backyard, collecting treasure and connecting with nature. The images reveal a girl finding her way of being with place. Finding her own meaning of grace.

This is a beautiful bilingual poem that explores movement, meaning and connections. The poem has been translated in to te reo Māori by Lois McIver, and having both on the page is a nice touch. The simple structure means even those with no knowledge of te reo Māori can understand it.

The illustrations, a collaboration between children and artist Nicky Hartley, add to the playful world. Children added textures and marks before Hartley added her touches. The results are breathtaking and beautiful.

I can see this book being used as a great starting point in schools, especially within art, literacy and science. I loved reading it aloud, it has a nice pace and flow effortlessly.

Readers are invited to make their own meaning of Grace, examining how the translation and illustrations contribute to the sense of the story. It's an interesting and refreshing concept, as each reader will bring their own experiences, realities and understandings to it.

Finding Grace is a beautiful, gentle book in which readers are invited to make their own meaning.

Reviewer: Rebekah Lyell

NZ Booklover page here

The Light Library

Sharing the oranges

Head down in my world of sharing the Finding Grace | Kimihia a Grace book, I was reminded how giving time to what is present in the day is both gracious and important work.

Sitting at my desk feeling the weight of to-do lists and how to 'market' a book, when I heard a man trying to get a small boy off the road. Asking if he needs help, we realize the boy is lost. Another woman joins us and we work together to keep the boy safe. He’s not talking and tries to run onto the busy road. We ended up bringing him into my house and he calmed down, playing with toys and eating oranges. The other woman called the police. They arrived and thankfully drove around the block and found the parents, very traumatised.

So grateful for the others who helped, for being home to help this boy and so very glad he found his home. I got little 'work' done but with the teamwork of strangers, we saved a child. Time present for any child, very important work of in my books.

Book Launch

Here are the words of thanks from the Ceremony…

Thank you for gathering to celebrate the birth of our book. And honouring the experience of telling stories together and making beauty.

Today I want to acknowledge all who co-created this story of words which seeding with me when I was in high school and changed many times, from film script, to healing story to emerge here with us now, with its own grace, a WE story, growing in this moment and this place.

Firstly, thank this place, the Waitakere’s, the ground where the collective hard work and fun  in making this book happened. This beach where the shells are bound onto the collector books.

Belonging here, and this way of creating is how I and many of us through art & story belong.

Thanks, Nicky for joining me to Find Grace in pictures. We began with a waterfall bush walk with Thea and Mani… from here wandered in ideas, images and worked with our background painters over the last three years.

Thanks, Lois for working in translating the poem into Te Reo, and how letting the meaning of Grace reveal itself in the story came through in this mahi.

Thanks, to Lisa who patiently helped bring out Grace into beautiful book form, designing to our deadline for the Book festival. 

There are so many to thank and only a few we named in the back of the book.

Gratitude, to the patrons and those who preordered based on a vision helping make it become real. Big thankyou to Mum and Dad, super creative and supportive, thanks for always finding me, especially when I was hiding outside with my treasures waiting to be found.

We gifted the book to the Background Painters and then Nicky shared some words before Lois & I read the story.

Finally, thanks to the treasures we collected, to make our artwork and share for a time. Gifts from the nature that we are all part of – to be in, share, touch and sometimes leave it alone.

Last touch, invitation to add some magic & sprinkles and sing together Te Aroha.

Te Aroha 

Te aroha 
Te whakapono 
Me te rangimarie
Tätou, tätou e.

Love,
Hope,
Peace,
For us all.

The Poem - Finding Grace

Finding Grace | Kimihia a Grace

By Emma Hinton, translation Lois McIver

Wake to adventure calling.            

Oho ake ki te karanga mātātoa.

Feet squish. Stumble, slip, trip. 

Waewae pākorakora. Tārutu, paheke, tapape.

Search under, over and in between. Fingers find and tuck in pockets.

Rapua ki raro, ki runga, ki waenga. Matimati kimikimi, ka kuhu pūkoro.

Explore in the shadow and the bright. Play in the green and the wet.

Torotoro i te pō, torotoro i te ao. Korikori i te mauti me te haumākū.

Catch the light and let it go.

Hopua te tūrama, ka tukua ai kia rere.

Climb up and up, balance on the mountain. Treasure shared, enough for all.

Piki ake, kake ake, ka tū tika i runga i te maunga.

He taonga ka tohaina, ka nui mā te katoa.

The wind takes a breath and blows and blows. Soar on its wings.

Ka ngongo te hau, ka puhipuhi, ka puhipuhi. Rere ana i runga i ōna parirau.

Whispers shimmer in the leaves. Listen. Feel.

He kōmuhu ka tīkorikori i ngā rau. Whakarongo. E rongo.

Find a lost treasure. Make a place of rest and return.

Kimihia he kurapae. Mahia he wāhi okioki, he wāhi hokihoki.

Night creeps closer. Roots dig deep and branches hold the sky.

Ka whakatata mai te pō. Ngoto hōhonu ngā paiaka, toko rangi ngā peka.

Grace waits with the tree. They call her home.

Whanga tahi ana a Grace me te rākau. He karanga nā te kāinga kia hoki.

Grace returns…

Ka hoki a Grace… 

Ready to be found.

Kua rite kia kitea nei ia.

Words & Pictures

The Words

Finding Grace is a transformative story for me, writing its essence in different forms over my lifetime. It started as a story I wrote at high school, got shortlisted for film funding as a script, became a healing poem after miscarriage, and the birth of my daughter settled it into this book - a collaboration of words and pictures made by many.

The Pictures

Textures that my daughter and I painted inspired Nicky. She drew pencil illustrations on the backgrounds and the images of Grace emerged. We realised this was an opportunity to get kids involved and held painting sessions with our local families to create the pictures' backgrounds. The child painters' names are printed in the book.

What’s Finding Grace about

Follow the mystery and find Grace.

Exploring the connection a child has with nature. A girl plays in her backyard, collecting treasure on adventures throughout the day. On the journey, she discovers her way of being with life and death.

Finding her own meaning of grace.

Booktown Festival 2023

We were honoured to release Finding Grace | Kimihia a Grace at the Featherson Booktown Karukatea Festival from the 10th-14th May.

What joy! I picked up the book from the printers to share the next day with preschoolers and made some beautiful art together. During the festival weekend, buzzed from the fantastic feedback and making new friends in the booksellers’ hall. Sharing the “I have a story to tell.” poem with the kids and caregivers in the "Make Your Own Book" workshop strengthened my drive for collective storytelling and art making.

Here’s to next year with more book and event ideas!