Children's books

Children's books in New Zealand

Updated 4 November 2026

A children's picture book in New Zealand costs about NZ$15 to NZ$22, while board books and little golden books are about NZ$7 to NZ$12. Series boxes and five-book collections start at about NZ$52, and personalised books cost around NZ$60. To get offers that match your child's age and language, describe the book on BlaBlaPrice and sellers will answer with their prices.

Safety and rules to check

A book is not a toy, but a book sold with a toy must meet the children's toy product safety standard if the toy is for children up to 36 months. This matters for book-and-toy gift sets, so ask the seller before you buy one for a baby or toddler. Under the Consumer Guarantees Act, a book must be of acceptable quality and last a reasonable time, and you can ask the seller to fix or replace a faulty one.

Season and gift timing

Christmas falls in summer here, so most children's books are bought as gifts in late November and early December. Summer runs from December to February, and winter from June to August, so a bedtime book suits any season. Ordering early leaves time for delivery between cities.

Language, format and delivery

Specify the format (board book, paperback or hardback), the age range in years, whether you need English or te reo Māori, and new or used. Some sellers list te reo Māori titles, so say which language you want. Delivery is usually arranged between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Tauranga, so ask whether postage is included in the price, because a small book and a large box set cost different amounts to send.

What to write in the request

Give the book type, the title or author if you know it, the child's age, the subject (dinosaurs, animals, bedtime), the language, the number of books and whether you want a set. Add your budget in NZ dollars and your delivery city.

On BlaBlaPrice you write the request in your own words, and you can add a photo. The AI reads it, asks for missing details and looks through sellers' websites and price lists in New Zealand, then shows the prices and businesses it found. Sellers registered on BlaBlaPrice reply in the chat with their own offer, price and delivery terms, and your contacts stay hidden until you choose to share them. For puzzles and playthings see Toys, or for school items see School supplies.