A Wellington publisher is hitting the road next weekend for their debut appearance as an exhibitor at the Hawke's Bay A&P Show.
Gecko Press will have a lifestyle exhibit at the show this year as they branch out of the capital and into the regions.
Sales and promotion manager Faustine Tillard said she was looking forward to sharing the independent publisher's work with those in Hawke's Bay.
"We want to give advice and tips to people to fuel the love of reading in kids. So for that we've tried to reach other areas, not just book shops, and the A&P Show was a great place to be."
Based in Wellington, Gecko Press hand-pick children's books and run a free, online book club called The Curiously Good Book Club.
"We believe that it can take just one good book to launch a child on a lifetime path of reading for pleasure. A love of reading is one of the most important gifts an adult can give to a child. This is the aim of the Curiously Good Book Club," Ms Tillard said.
The sales manager, who will be manning the exhibit solo at the weekend, said there would be a book signing with Pipi restaurant owner Alexandra Tylee, author of If I was A Banana that had been shortlisted at the New Zealand Book Awards, at 4pm on Friday.
Gecko Press aimed to foster the love of reading in children everywhere in New Zealand and was looking to reach more people by attending the Hawke's Bay Show, she said.
"We want to bring the books outside of the usual places and that's why we decided to attend the Hawkes Bay A&P Show this year.
"As a Wellington based company, it's also very easy to stay in Wellington ... but we want to be part of more events everywhere in New Zealand."
Ms Tillard said the publisher's exhibit would show the latest children's books, as well as its best sellers.
The book club was particularly relevant to show goers, as it was online and able to be accessed for free by anyone with an internet connection.
"The Curiously Good Book Club is free and open to everyone. It is a digital and real life community where people can share knowledge about great books for children (not just our books) and find creative ways to encourage children to love to read."
Activities, workshops, personal book recommendations, webinars, chats with authors, competitions and games were just a handful of what the online forum provided.
Those attending the show will be offered a special deal where customers who buy three books get one book for free.