We’re excited to be giving away two copies of Kekeno, Curious Explorer by Katie Furze & Ned Barraud to our GrownUps members!
To be in the draw, simply make sure you’re a GrownUps member, signed up to our newsletter, and fill in your details at the bottom of the page.
About Kekeno, Curious Explorer
This children’s picture book brings the wild, windswept world of the fur seal, kekeno, to life through lyrical storytelling and fascinating natural history.
Gulls screech. Waves splash.
Baby Kekeno sniffs the salty air,
shakes his flippers and looks around.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s fur seals once teetered on the brink of extinction, yet today many have returned to our mainland shores. This story follows one spirited pup through his first year of life as he learns to hunt, survive, and explore both sea and land, offering a vivid window into the secretive world of these remarkable marine mammals.
A companion to Ruru, Night Hunter; Tuatara, A Living Treasure, and Pekapeka, Secret Forest Bat, with rich, detailed illustrations by Ned Barraud that capture the drama and beauty of Aotearoa’s rocky coasts, from crashing waves to strange inland wanderings.
Kekeno is an ideal resource for home, classroom and library, and a perfect gift for young nature lovers and marine explorers.
About the Authors
Katie Furze writes children’s fiction and non-fiction, including picture books, short stories, articles, plays, readers and novels. This is her fourth non-fiction picture book with Scholastic. Katie lives in Auckland. She has a master’s degree in creative writing and is fascinated by science and nature.
Ned Barraud studied art in Otago and Illustration at Victoria University and has since authored and illustrated a multitude of children’s books and journals including the ‘Explore and Discover’ series about different ecosystems in New Zealand. His other books with Scholastic include the others in this series, and playful Pu and Ru’s Bird Beak Clues and Honu and Blue’s Sealife Clues written by Jez Smith, as well as Ned’s own At Home on the Farm and the soon to be released Out in the Bay. Ned lives in Nelson with his wife and three children.
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Terms and conditions
You must be a GrownUps member and subscribed to our newsletter to be eligible to enter.
The competition closes on 10th June 2026. Winners will be notified via email by 11th June 2026.
It is your responsibility to provide a correct New Zealand postal address for prize delivery. GrownUps is not responsible for prizes sent to incorrect addresses.
Winners will be drawn at random by the GrownUps administration team.
GrownUps employees and their immediate families are not eligible to enter.
By entering, you agree to GrownUps using your name on social media as a winner of the competition.
One entry per household.
The prize is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash or other items.
You must reside in New Zealand, as the prize can only be delivered within New Zealand.
You must be over 50 years of age to enter. Please ensure your membership details are up to date in your dashboard.
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