What does a kiwi, a baby goat, and now a pile of gobbly turkeys and a llama have in common?

They are all characters that flow from the pen or brush of Ōhiwa author-illustrator Nikki Slade Robinson.

As illustrator, Turkey Hurly-Burly is Slade Robinson’s latest picture book to be released.

Written by Annelies Judson and published by Scholastic, the story follows a chaotic troupe of mischievous turkeys wreaking havoc as school pets.

Judson’s story is the 2024 Storylines Joy Cowley Award winner and Slade Robinson has been busy illustrating the book since then.

“I had fun illustrating all the mayhem, as it reminded me a little of when there was a piglet and goat at Waiotahe Valley School,” Slade Robinson said.

“I had to do some turkey research to develop the character look. Fortunately I have a friend who is great at making turkey gobbling sounds and also had a chaotic troupe of mischievous turkeys that I could photograph and watch.”

Slade Robinson has illustrated, and written, many books previously including The Little Kiwi’s Matariki (published by David Ling, Duck Creek Press), which won Best Picture Book in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

“That title will be 10 years old next year and it’s still selling as Matariki grows in popularity. It’s a special book to me as it’s been inspired so much by the area I live in.”

Many of her titles have been published overseas, translated into several different languages, made into animated versions… from North and South America to Europe, Asia and Turkey.

“You just never know how far your book will go after its release,” she said.

Turkey Hurly-Burly is available at Ōpōtiki Paper Plus and Whakatāne Paper Plus, as well as nationwide through all good booksellers.