Picture · ages 5–8

The Dream Factory

Name: The Dream Factory
Author: Steph Matuku
ISBN: 9781849769891

Written by Steph Matuku · Illustrated by Zak Atea

Top giftableAdults love it too

A vibrant, dreamlike picture book about the factory that powers a town's imagination, and what happens when a bird flies into the works. The first Tate title by a Maori author, richly illustrated by Zak Atea.

Best for5–8
FormatPicture
Length32 pp
Read aloud~6 min

Where to buyPaperback

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The vibe

What it’s like.

Style

Lyrical
Literary

Tone

Whimsical
Warm
Inspirational
Gentle

Themes

On the pagedreams, imagination, community, factory, birds

Experience meters

Energy3/ 5

Humour2/ 5

Scariness1/ 5

Peril2/ 5

Wonder4/ 5

Cosiness3/ 5

Emotional intensity2/ 5

Conceptual intensity2/ 5

What’s it about?

The story.

On the edge of town stands an amazing building: the dream factory. Every night it sends out a magical mist that fills the sleeping townspeople's heads with wonders, flying cars, flower cakes, talking tigers, and every day they set about making those dreams come true. But when a kereru flutters into the factory and a single feather drifts into a cog, the machinery jams and the dreams stop flowing, and the town must find a way to set imagination loose again. Steph Matuku's warm, whimsical fable is a celebration of creativity and community and the small sparks that keep them alive, brought to life in Zak Atea's luminous, colour-soaked illustrations. The first book from Tate Publishing written by a Maori author and picturing Maori characters, it makes a rich, thought-provoking read-aloud and a lovely prompt for talking with children about dreams, ideas and the things worth making real.

Fit check

Right for your child?

Where it lands by age

A read-aloud for roughly 5-8s, with dense, rewarding artwork and a gently thought-provoking story. Confident readers of 6-8 can manage the text; younger children enjoy poring over the dream-filled pictures alongside an adult.

Best fit · 5–8
Read aloud · 4–8
Independent · 6–8

Prose load

Moderate

Visual support

Very high

Reluctant-reader friendly

Workable

Read-aloud quality

Strong

Works well for

Reading aloud
Reading together
Gift-buying

Low sensitivityNo content warnings

Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.

Bedtime suitability

3 / 5 · Workable

Sensitive-child

5 / 5 · Good fit

Graphic intensity

1 / 5 · None

Best for

Imaginative readers
Read aloud
Diverse representation
Creativity

Avoid if

Wants fast paced action

Particularly good for children who are…

Interested in art and creativity

Why it lands

Why they love it.

Why kids love it

The idea of a factory that puffs out dreams every night is pure wonder, and the pictures burst with flying cars, flower cakes and talking tigers. When a bird jams the works, kids are gripped to see how the town gets its imagination back.

Secret world
Making a difference
Magic powers

Why parents love it

A gorgeously illustrated fable about creativity and community, and a milestone as Tate's first book by a Maori author with Maori characters. Atea's colour-drenched art rewards lingering, and the story opens up rich conversations about dreams and ideas.

Beautiful illustrations
Conversation starter
Cultural representation

About the creators

About the creators.

Steph Matuku

Writer · New Zealand · b. 1973

Steph Matuku (Ngati Mutunga, Ngati Tama, Te Atiawa) is a New Zealand writer from Taranaki, born in 1973, who worked in radio for years before turning to fiction, and who writes to make sure Maori children see themselves on the page, something absent from the books of her own childhood. Her novels Flight of the Fantail and Whetu Toa and the Magician have been named Storylines Notable Books. The Dream Factory (2025), vibrantly illustrated by Zak Atea, is Tate Publishing's first book written by a Maori author and picturing Maori characters: a warm, whimsical fable about the factory that powers a town's imagination, and what happens when a kereru flutters into the works. A generous, thought-provoking read-aloud about creativity, community and the small sparks worth keeping alive.

Zak Atea

Illustrator · New Zealand

Zak Atea is a New Zealand illustrator and visual artist whose work spans children's books, editorial illustration, artist-book design and fine art, made through both digital and traditional painting and drawing. Working within a Te Ao Maori lens, she is drawn to the intangibles of the world and the complexities of self, with a distinctive focus on colour, texture and layered, multimedia mark-making. She illustrates Steph Matuku's The Dream Factory, a warm, whimsical fable about the building that powers a town's imagination and what happens when a kereru flies into the works, notable as the first Tate Publishing title written by a Maori author and picturing Maori characters. Her luminous, colour-soaked illustrations make it a rich read-aloud and a lovely prompt for talking with children about dreams and the ideas worth making real.