Maria Gill reviews Te Kupenga for Kids Books NZ:
‘As a nonfiction writer, I've visited the Alexander Turnbull library a few times. I've locked away my bags in the lockers, taken only a pencil and notebook into the room, and donned their white gloves to look at their precious treasures. I've read old books, looked at letters written by famous New Zealanders, leafed through photo albums, and searched their data base for information not found anywhere else in New Zealand. It has been invaluable for my research, as it has been for many other writers. To celebrate this incredible resource Te Kupenga 101 Stories of Aotearoa from the Turnbull was published.
‘Authors Chris Szekely and Michael Keith wanted to commemorate Alex Turnbull's life and his great gift 101 years ago to the nation - the National Library. As well as the hundreds of books, Alex also gave sketches, manuscripts, photographs, maps, etc. He once said, "Anything whatever relating to this colony, on its history, flora, fauna, geology and inhabitants, will be fish for my net." The library has continued casting its net and storing the nation's treasures. It was made a legal deposit library, meaning that a copy of every item published in New Zealand, including music, is required by law to be deposited into its collections, to be preserved, protected and available forever.’
Read the full review here.
