Andrew Crowe

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Crowe, Andrew (1952 - ) is a non-fiction writer, photographer and designer. His guides to New Zealand's flora and fauna have established his reputation as one of the country's foremost writers of natural history for children and adults.

Arriving in New Zealand from his native England in 1972, Crowe spent six months living in a cave. Perhaps there is a practical reason for the subject of his first book, A Field Guide to the Native Edible Plants of New Zealand (1981).

Fifteen of Crowe's books have been finalists for New Zealand's national children's book awards, and he has won major awards nine times: Which Native Forest Plant? won the non-fiction category at the 1995 AIM Children's Book Awards, The Life-Size Guide to Native Trees won the non-fiction category at the 1998 NZLIA Book Awards, Which New Zealand Bird? was listed as a 2002 Storylines Notable Non-Fiction Book, Which New Zealand Insect? won the non-fiction category at the 2003 NZLIA Book Awards in 2003 (also listed as a 2003 Storylines Notable Non-Fiction Book); The Dalai Lama Story won the Ashton Wylie Unpublished Manuscript Award in 2005 (worth $10,000) and Which New Zealand Spider? won the non-fiction category at the 2007 New Zealand Post Book Awards. In 2008, Crowe received the Elsie Locke Award.

Most recently he received four awards for Pathway of the Birds: The Voyaging Achievements of Māori and their Polynesian Ancestors: the New Zealand Heritage Book Award (Non-Fiction) 2019, a Storylines Notable Book Award 2019 and two Ka Palapala Po'okela Awards 2019 from Hawai’i.

Which New Zealand Bird? was shortlisted at the 2002 Montana New Zealand Book Awards, and Which New Zealand Insect? was shortlisted at the 2003 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.

His books, many of which he designs and illustrates himself, show a strong interest in visual language. The Life-Size Guide to Native Trees was a finalist in the GP Book Design Awards in 1998.

Among his more than 40 titles are the popular "Which...?" series of identification guides, which began with Which Native Tree? (1992). Many of these use a unique (and appropriately-named) 'tree diagram' format to help the reader identify plants quickly and simply by looking at their leaves, bark or flowers.

Crowe's other books include a series of Mini Guides, Life-Size Guides, and Nature Flip Guides. His text, photographs and artwork have also appeared on posters and in journals including the School Journal, NZ Listener, On Holiday, New Zealand Geographic and Geo.

His range of books and other publications make New Zealand's natural history accessible to beginners of any age. Pat Dale writes of The Life Size Guide to Insects: 'There is an element of genius in the way Andrew Crowe has put this book together. Many a distracted teacher, parent or gardener, and many an inquiring child, will come upon it with cries of joy and sobs of gratitude.'

The Life-Size Guide to New Zealand Wildflowers was listed as a 2004 Storylines Notable Non-Fiction Book.

The Life-Size Guide to the New Zealand Beach (Penguin) was listed as a 2005 Storylines Notable Non-Fiction Book.

The Dalai Lama Story: The Making of a World Leader was published by Longacre Press, with a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to coincide with His Holiness' visit to New Zealand in June 2007. The Dalai Lama's early life, from his childhood in the worlds largest palace, to his friendship with Austrian POW Heinrich Harrer, to his escape through the Himalayas to India, is vividly told in this biography. The biography is pitched at younger readers and is now available as an ebook.

Which New Zealand Spider? and The Dalai Lama Story- The Making of a World Leader were listed as 2008 Storylines Notable Non-Fiction Books.

Crowe says his writing is inspired largely by a sense of curiosity, but often involves a good measure of persistence.

Readers may be surprised to learn that many of his books have been turned down by publishers multiple times and this is true also of his latest title: Pathway of the Birds. In the 15 years it took him to write it, it was turned down by nine companies before being finally taken up by two – one here in New Zealand; the other in North America.

Pathways is an illustrated summary of the voyaging achievements of Māori and their Polynesian ancestors. In view of the rejections, it was naturally hard to press on and complete the book; the inspiration to do so came largely from entrepreneur Simon McDonald’s response to an early draft, for it was his reading of this that inspired him to found the Hawaiki Rising Youth Development Programme.

In recognition of this morale booster, their waka Hinemoana is proudly featured on the front cover, along with an endorsement by Professor Patrick V. Kirch, a leading specialist in Oceanic and Polynesian prehistory, who describes the book as ‘A masterful synthesis of the remarkable voyaging history of the Polynesians.’ The book went on to receive the New Zealand Heritage Book Award (Non-Fiction) 2019, two Ka Palapala Po'okela Awards 2019 (from Hawai’i) and a Storylines Notable Book Award 2019, and recommended by The Journal of the Polynesian Society. 

ANDREW CROWE'S TITLES

Native Edible Plants (Collins 1981; Hodders 1990; Godwit 1997; Penguin 2004)
The Parks & Woodlands of London (Fourth Estate, London, 1987)
Pathway of the Birds: The voyaging achievements of Māori and their Polynesian ancestors. (David Bateman 2018; & University of Hawai`i Press 2018) and released in Chinese in 2024 as鳥行之徑：毛利及其玻里尼西亞祖先的壯闊航程 (CIP, Taiwan 2024)

Wild Stories series
A Kiwi Has No Wings (Reed, 1997 & Longman Paul, 1988)
Where Does the Tui Go? (Reed, 1997 & Longman Paul, 1988)
When the Tuatara Came (Reed, 1997 & Longman Paul, 1988)
Archey's Frog (Reed, 1997 & Longman Paul, 1988)
When the Morepork Calls (Reed, 1997)
Saddleback Rescue (Reed, 1997)
Takahe: Lost and Found (Reed, 1997)
Kereru: New Zealand Pigeon (Reed, 1997)

Patterns in Nature series (published also in te reo Māori)
A Rainbow in the Forest (Longman Paul, 1990)
Some Leaves Are Like Your Hands (Longman Paul, 1990)
A Weta Has Six Legs (Longman Paul, 1990)
How Long is the Huhu? (Longman Paul, 1990)
All Kinds of Animals (Longman Paul, 1990)

Nga Tauira Taiao series (Maori translation of Patterns in Nature)
He Uenuku Kei Roto I Te Ngahere (Longman Paul, 1991)
He Rite Ētahi Rau Ki Ōu Ringaringa (Longman Paul, 1991)
E Ono Ngā Waewae O Te Wētā (Longman Paul, 1991)
E Hia Te Roa O Te Tātaka? (Longman Paul, 1991)
Ngā Tū Āhua Kararehe Katoa (Longman Paul, 1991)

Educational Poster set (series of three plant ID posters with booklet)
Which Plant? (Longman Paul, 1991)

Which? series
Which Native Tree? (Penguin, 1992); New Ecology Edition (Penguin, 2009)
Which Native Fern? (Penguin, 1994); New Ecology Edition (Penguin, 2009)
Which Native Forest Plant? (Penguin, 1994); New Ecology Edition (Penguin, 2009)
Which Coastal Plant? (Penguin, 1995)
Which Seashell? (Penguin, 1999)
Which New Zealand Bird? (Penguin, 2001)
Which New Zealand Insect? (Penguin, 2002)
Which Native Plant Can I Grow Here? (Penguin, 2004) (previously published by Penguin in 1997 as The QuickFind Guide to Growing Native Plants)
Which New Zealand Spider? (Penguin, 2007)

Mini Guide series
New Zealand Native Trees (Penguin, 1997)
New Zealand Native Ferns (Penguin, 1997)
New Zealand Native Forest Plants (Penguin, 1997)
New Zealand Coastal Plants (Penguin, 1997)
New Zealand Land Birds (Penguin, 2007)
New Zealand Spiders (Penguin, 2009)
New Zealand Seashells (Penguin, 2010)
New Zealand Insects (Penguin, 2010)

Life-Size Guide series
The Life-Size Guide to Native Trees (Penguin, 1997)
The Life-Size Guide to Insects (Penguin, 1999)
The Life-Size Guide to New Zealand Wildflowers (Penguin, 2003)
The Life-Size Guide to the New Zealand Beach (Penguin, 2004)
The Life-Size Guide to New Zealand Native Ferns (Penguin, 2004)

Nature Flip Guide series
Native Trees (Penguin, 1998)
Seashells (Penguin, 1998)
Insects (Penguin, 2000)
New Zealand Birds (Penguin, 2001)
Wildflowers (Penguin, 2004)

Other children’s books
Nature's Alphabet (Bateman, 2022; Penguin, 1998)
Those Magnificent Voyagers of the Pacific (Bateman, 2023)

Other teen/young adult books
Earthkids (Penguin, 1992)
The Dalai Lama Story - The Making of a World Leader (Longacre Press, 2007)

Awards
Finalist 1993 AIM Childrens Book Awards: Earthkids
Finalist 1995 AIM Childrens Book Awards: Which Native Fern?
Winner 1995 AIM Childrens Book Awards: Which Native Forest Plant?
Finalist 1996 NZLIA Book Awards: Which Coastal Plant?
Finalist 1998 NZPost Childrens Book Awards: The Life-Size Guide to Native Trees
Finalist 1998 GP Print Book Design Awards: The Life-Size Guide to Native Trees
Winner 1998 NZLIA Book Awards: The Life-Size Guide to Native Trees
Finalist 1999 New Zealand Post Childrens Book Awards: Natures Alphabet
Finalist 2000 New Zealand Post Childrens Book Awards: The Life-Size Guide to Insects
2000 Storylines Notable Book: The Life-Size Guide to Insects
Finalist 2002 New Zealand Post Childrens Book Awards: Which New Zealand Bird?
Finalist 2002 Montana Book Awards: Which New Zealand Bird?
2002 Storylines Notable Book: Which New Zealand Bird?
Finalist 2003 New Zealand Post Childrens Book Awards: Which New Zealand Insect?
Finalist 2003 Montana Book Awards: Which New Zealand Insect?
Winner 2003 NZLIA (Elsie Locke) Book Award: Which New Zealand Insect?
2003 Storylines Notable Book: Which New Zealand Insect?
Finalist 2004 NZPost Childrens Book Awards: The Life-Size Guide to New Zealand Wildflowers
Finalist 2004 NZLIA (Elsie Locke) Book Award: The Life-Size Guide to New Zealand Wildflowers
2004 Storylines Notable Book: The Life-Size Guide to New Zealand Wildflowers
Finalist 2005 NZPost Childrens Book Awards: The Life-Size Guide to the New Zealand Beach
Finalist 2005 NZLIA (Elsie Locke) Book Award: The Life-Size Guide to the New Zealand Beach
2005 Storylines Notable Book: The Life-Size Guide to the New Zealand Beach
Winner 2005 Ashton Wylie Unpublished Manuscript Award: The Dalai Lama Story
Finalist 2008 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults: A Mini Guide to the Identification of New Zealand Land Birds
Winner 2008 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults: Which New Zealand Spider?
2008 Storylines Notable Books: The Dalai Lama Story and Which New Zealand Spider?
2009 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal winner
2019 Storylines Notable Book: Pathway of the Birds: The voyaging achievements of Māori and their Polynesian ancestors
Winner 2019 New Zealand Heritage Book Award (Non-Fiction): Pathway of the Birds: The voyaging achievements of Māori and their Polynesian ancestors.
Winner 2019 two Ka Palapala Po'okela Awards: Pathway of the Birds: The voyaging achievements of Māori and their Polynesian ancestors.
2023 Storylines Notable Book: Those Magnificent Voyagers of the Pacific