Sharon Holt facts for kids

Sharon Holt is a New Zealand writer who creates books and learning materials, especially in Te Reo Māori, the Māori language. Many of her books have won awards or been nominated for them. Her special Te Reo Singalong series won big awards in 2013 and 2015 for helping people learn Māori. Sharon lives in Te Aroha, New Zealand.

About Sharon Holt

Sharon Holt was born in Auckland in 1959. She grew up in Glen Innes, a suburb of Auckland. Later, in 1997, she moved to the Waikato region of New Zealand, living in different towns like Leamington, Kihikihi, and Hamilton.

Sharon's Journey to Becoming a Writer

From a young age, Sharon dreamed of becoming an author. Before she started writing full-time, she worked as a teacher and a journalist. When her own children were little, she began sending her stories to publishers. Since then, many of her books, short stories, poems, plays, and articles have been published for both general readers and for schools.

Learning Te Reo Māori

In 2002, Sharon decided to learn Te Reo Māori. At that time, she didn't know much about the language, not even how to say Māori place names correctly. She took a course at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Even though she is not Māori, she quickly fell in love with the language. Her teachers and classmates helped her a lot on her Māori language journey.

Creating Te Reo Singalong Books

Sharon started her own publishing company, The Writing Bug Ltd. Her goal was to create a series of books in Te Reo Māori. These books, called Te Reo Singalong, use simple, repeated sentences and catchy tunes. This helps people feel confident when they use Te Reo Māori. She still writes and sells these picture books and their learning tools, which are now published by EduMaxi. Sharon also performs Te Reo Singalong shows and teaches workshops, both in person and online, to help people learn how to pronounce Māori words correctly.

Connecting with Readers

Sharon Holt has been a part of many book festivals and literary events, including the Auckland Writers Festival. She visits schools through the Writers in Schools program. She also holds special training sessions for teachers to help them in their classrooms. Sharon Holt is married and has two children. She now lives in Te Aroha.

Awards and Recognitions

Sharon Holt's books have received several awards and special mentions.

Notable Book Awards

In 2007, her book It's True! You Can Make Your Own Jokes, which she created with illustrator Ross Kinnaird, was a finalist in the non-fiction category of the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards. The same book was also named a Storylines Notable Book in 2007. Her book Your Mother Didn't Do That! also made the Storylines Notable Books list in 2010.

Te Reo Singalong Series Achievements

The Te Reo Singalong series has won significant awards for its contribution to Māori language learning:

• It won the Print category at the Ngā Tohu Reo Māori / Māori Language Awards in 2013. It was also a finalist in 2012 and 2014.
• It won the Best Te Reo Resource award and the Teachers' Choice Award at the 2015 CLNZ Educational Publishing Awards.

Books by Sharon Holt

Here is a list of books written by Sharon Holt:

• It's True! You Can Make Your Own Jokes, illustrated by Ross Kinnaird (Allen & Unwin, 2006)
• Sabotage! The Diary of Rowan Webb, Auckland, 1985 [My Story] (Scholastic, 2008)
• Your Mother Didn't Do That! illustrated by Brian Lovelock (Walker Books 2009)
• No Survivors: The Diary of Jackie Simms, Hamilton, 1979 [My Story] (Scholastic, 2009)
• Maranga Mai! illustrated by Deborah Hinde (The Writing Bug, 2012)
• Kei te Peke Ahau, illustrated by Deborah Hinde (The Writing Bug, 2012)
• Anei Ke! illustrated by Deborah Hinde (The Writing Bug, 2012)
• Me Haere! illustrated by Deborah Hinde (The Writing Bug, 2013)
• E Hia Nga Moe? illustrated by Deborah Hinde (The Writing Bug, 2013)
• Matariki, illustrated by Deborah Hinde (The Writing Bug, 2014)
• He aha tēnei? illustrated by Deborah Hinde (The Writing Bug, 2014)
• Whai Mai, illustrated by Deborah Hinde (The Writing Bug, 2014)
• Mahi Tahi, illustrated by Deborah Hinde (The Writing Bug, 2015)
• Kōrero Mai, illustrated by Deborah Hinde (The Writing Bug, 2015)
• Te Wairua o Waitangi, with photographs by Sophie Holt and others (The Writing Bug, 2016)
• Kia Ora, illustrated by Deborah Hinde (The Writing Bug, 2016)
• Taku Mōkai, with photographs by Sophie Holt (The Writing Bug, 2016)
• Te Taiao, with photographs by Rachael Hale-McKenna (The Writing Bug, 2017)
• Ngā Āhua, illustrated by Josh Morgan (The Writing Bug, 2017)
• Kōrero Māori ai au, illustrated by Claudia Gadotti (The Writing Bug 2018)
• Ka Maumahara Tonu, illustrated by Jasmine Bailey (The Writing Bug, 2018)
• He Mīharo Te Manu, illustrated with native bird photographs (EduMaxi, 2018)
• Haere Tonu illustrated by Miles Lawford (EduMaxi, 2018)
• He Huarākau illustrated by Stephanie Thatcher (EduMaxi 2019)
• Picture Dictionary illustrated by Sarah Loughran, Miles Lawford and Stephanie Thatcher (EduMaxi, 2019)
• Ngā waka aituā illustrated by Francesca da Sacco (EduMaxi, 2019)
• Kua tae mai te Pō illustrated by Stephanie Thatcher (EduMaxi, 2019)
• Te Haerenga illustrated by Stephanie Thatcher (EduMaxi, 2020)