Piano Rock: A 1950s Childhood (HB)

Author(s): Gavin Bishop

Biography / Memoir

This is a memoir of Gavin Bishop's idyllic childhood days, growing up in Kingston beside gorgeous Lake Wakatipu. It's a gentle tale of a boyhood spent haring around outside, building huts, eating griddle scones, catching eels, watching the train, eating roast mutton, going to school on a horse, arguing with your best mate, eating marmite sandwiches, Guy Fawkes Day - and lots more eating.


It's an elegantly written story but it's the illustrations that are the real star of this book. Using two different techniques, Gavin has created both colour and black and white illustrations that bring the story to life and give a great sense of nostalgia to it. This also includes a glossary that explains things like box brownie, tilly lamp, coronation, mutton birds, melting moments and brylcreem.


Product Information

Winner of PANZ Book Design Awards: Children's Book 2009.

Shortlisted for New Zealand Post Children's Book Award: Non-Fiction Award 2009 and Storylines Notable New Zealand Books: Non Fiction 2009 and LIANZA Children's Book Awards: Elsie Locke Award 2009.

Gavin Bishop is a renowned children's book author and illustrator. His book Weaving Earth and Sky won the non-fiction section and the Book of the Year Award of the NZ Post Children's Book Awards 2003; Taming the Sun was shortlisted for the same awards in 2005, Riding the Waves in 2007; and Rats! in 2008.

General Fields

  • : 9781869790103
  • : Random House New Zealand
  • : UNKNOWN
  • : 0.45
  • : October 2008
  • : 198mm X 128mm
  • : New Zealand
  • : February 2018
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Gavin Bishop
  • : Hardback
  • : 823.2
  • : 115pp
  • : True stories
  • : Colour illustrations