Children’s stories sell overseas

Press, 21 October 1987, Page 60

Children’s stories sell overseas

By ROBIN BRISTOW la Raagiora "Tales of the Mist,” Anthony Holcroft’s third children’s book and the basis of a television series, will appear on book shelves in Britain In November. It is the first of Mr Holcroft’" books to leave New Zealand. "Tales of the Mist” is a collection of five stories which are fairy tales with a strong New Zealand flavour with the emphasis on the bush, sea and remote hill farms. It is aimed at children aged between seven yean and 11.

Mr Holcroft, who lives at Tnahtwi near Raagiora, comhtaes his writiag with growfa* fruit He has an afftnity with nature that is vesy evident in his wrttidens come from quite small things, quite often just from onture. like mist drifting through

trees or a feather frozen in a pool of ice. They are chance encounters and at some stage they become linked,” he said. Mr Holcroft has two other books with his publishers, Reed Methuen, in Auckland and it is hoped that they will appear on shelves in early 1988. One is a colelction of stories for older children. The stories are longer and have a supernatural element, but the setting is realistic with a strong local flavour. He has also written another for children aged between seven and 10 years, which is a more traditional book. Mr Holcroft received a Choysa Bursary in 1986 which assisted him in produring the two books which are now waiting to be published. The bursary was also subsidised by the Internal Affairs Department.

Personal drive has kept flie books coming. Mr Hol-

croft writes for about three hours a day, six days a week. "It is Important to keep a routine going, otherwise you tend to get rusty,” he said.

There was a great demand for children’s books, he said, but he is disappointed that they are not promoted better, particularly books written by New Zealand writers. "We have writers who have won first class awards overseas. In Canterbury alone there would be six top class writers. I do not know why they are so poorly displayed.” Mr Holcroft’s earlier books were “The Old Man and the Cat” and "The Oldest Garden in China,” both of i which were picture books. He found it challenging to produce the five short stories and hopes that he may become involved in a further televirion series for older children.