Cirrus@Austlit

'This edition of Magpies is the last that Julie and Colleen, our friends and compilers of the NZ section of Magpies, will be responsible for. Sadly, their decision to step down is due to issues of health. I remember receiving a letter from Julie 25 years ago out of the blue saying that her parents owned a children's bookshop in Auckland and she always looked forward to receiving their copy of Magpies and thought it would be of interest to many of their customers. Who could receive such a warm letter and not respond? We knew little about New Zealand other than it was beautiful and very green. We soon learned that it is a society that values education and reading and that many of their writers and illustrators, including Margaret Mahy, Joy Cowley and Gavin Bishop amongst many, were well known to librarians and children around the world.' (Editorial introduction)