Sam has been ill and his appetite has disappeared. Uncle Nick comes up with a plan to get Sam's appetite back. He suggests his young nephew visit him in Hokitika, on the west coast of the South Island, but he doesn't let on that Sam's holiday will coincide with the famous Wildfoods Festival. Tourists from all over New Zealand flock to the iconic festival in March to sample the wide range of local wild food and drinks of the West Coast. Stallholders promote artisan food and many people dress up in costumes to celebrate the event. Uncle Nick introduces Sam to an unforgettable array of festival delights, including live huhu grubs, plump snails, green candyfloss and gumboot milkshakes, to name a few. The final spread in the book gives information about Hokitika and how the town came to host the Wildfoods Festival. There's also a wild recipe for children to create and enjoy. Sam Goes Wild is the third book in the Great Kiwi Read series that began with Gypsy Day on the Farm, and also includes Grandpa Ngata and the Seagull.

Author Biography

Jennifer Beck has written a number of best-selling award-winning children's books, including The Bantam and the Soldier and Nobody's Dog. Jennifer grew up on a dairy farm and enjoys country life. She lives on the outskirts of Auckland. She wrote Gypsy Day on the Farm, published by New Holland in 2011. Jenna Packer is a graduate from the Ilam School of Fine Arts. A painter, printmaker and illustrator, she has exhibited in New Zealand, France and Japan. She lives at Waitati on the coast near Dunedin with her two sons and husband, writer Scott Willis with whom she illustrated Enough is Enough. She has based her colourful illustrations on a trip to the festival with her young children.