tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42413097093254596312024-02-21T17:25:37.996-08:00AGNEW READINGAgnew Reading: This site shares an enthusiasm for books. Special interests include New Zealand books and books for children and teenagers.Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.comBlogger394125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-16712667335545883202024-02-21T17:16:00.000-08:002024-02-21T17:25:06.341-08:00Good Sports: A Storybook of Kiwi Sports Heroes<p> <b>Good Sports: A Storybook of Kiwi Sports Heroes</b>, Stuart Lipshaw, Puffin (2023) 208 pages, hardback, NZ$45 ISBN 978-0-14-377863-9</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">In Good Sports: A Storybook of Kiwi Sports Heroes (2023) Stuart
Lipshaw presents lively profiles of fifty inspirational New Zealand sporting
personalities. (To be precise there are 53 people because he included the four
members of the footballing Cox family and rowers Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell, as well as Charisma, Mark Todd’s horse.) Lipshaw’s interest is not in gold
medals or world records; rather he is intrigued by the way these people have
overcome barriers to achieve their goals in their particular sporting interest. </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The format is the same as in his readable Oh Boy! (2018).
Each athlete gets a two-page account of how they overcame a physical or mental
barrier and the effect it had on their lives. A colour portrait by a New Zealand artist complements each entry.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The result is not so much a set of biographies as a
collection of motivation stories to serve as an inspiration for young readers. It is nice to think of a future generation having a moment of inspiration in these pages.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> Trevor Agnew</o:p></p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://books.google.co.nz/books/publisher/content?id=Fde5EAAAQBAJ&pg=PP1&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U1tQvOCTrz3AToFYJVDJNCXAwHM5Q&w=1280" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="608" height="555" src="https://books.google.co.nz/books/publisher/content?id=Fde5EAAAQBAJ&pg=PP1&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U1tQvOCTrz3AToFYJVDJNCXAwHM5Q&w=1280" width="422" /></a></div><br /><!--[endif]--></span>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-89775700281438415252024-01-19T21:13:00.000-08:002024-01-19T21:13:53.015-08:00Five Books for Family Summer Activities<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>A First Book of New Zealand Backyard Bird Songs</b>,
Fred van Gessel, White Cloud/Upstart Press, 24 pages, board book, NZ$27.99 ISBN 978-1-99000-389-9<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>The Beach Activity Book</b>, Rachel Haydon, Pippa
Keel, Te Papa Press, 176 pages, pb, NZ$35
ISBN 978-1-99-116551-0<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>The New Zealand Night Sky</b>, Alistair Hughes, White
Cloud/Upstart Press, 40 pages pb, NZ$27.99
ISBN 978-1-77694-0110<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>ZIGGLE! The Len Lye Art Activity Book</b>, Rebecca
Fawkner, Massey University Press, NZ$35
ISBN 978-1-991016-40-9<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p><b>Living Big in a Tiny House</b>, Bryce Langston, Potton
& Burton, 256 pages, NZ$54.99 ISBN 978-1-98855-058-9</p><p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQ919Ti-QSWNucWUWsj05-2RwRlUbsE9VGfQ1GJYIsdDa0YJ8eoUCJ0NEygSiSNvSyqfrwkX17OlrgwAqHophIDdt0WExRQeIsJ0hOBATIkgNi8jQeqX1nEwMVfDw7944xxIj1aeUBh6lRKQpDev8uxpUi8UHlDxSvIWVDJGkxwgxlbWA9jqjaV_wlous" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="306" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQ919Ti-QSWNucWUWsj05-2RwRlUbsE9VGfQ1GJYIsdDa0YJ8eoUCJ0NEygSiSNvSyqfrwkX17OlrgwAqHophIDdt0WExRQeIsJ0hOBATIkgNi8jQeqX1nEwMVfDw7944xxIj1aeUBh6lRKQpDev8uxpUi8UHlDxSvIWVDJGkxwgxlbWA9jqjaV_wlous=w162-h200" width="162" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBf-uT-k0GLkJ1AJLcHHuEILHdhTGm93qe9PaY_wLGqYFgz9y3q615PnHzghjDhCKRHFkXPGWJkxcNw-Ov1ek7thENUXlrvJCYlHaWpvTJpHRruFKS_zcgO1u-E0eCdd0raGO_-AAqdSmSYfe0h6aFxPDOMqMg_zeThLJaqc967u_fyMwmpcBQOK0ziNQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br /><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
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</v:shape><![endif]--><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAgSMu_OFZCxktQB9-vzPuCuOjPtdGIF2ot_zjPG_VpcG9Fjm9flXkRpJ6bvRBwgKfLo3T7AT09UYNkcJZ4p76tIoKq__4FE9PxVEBIomyRJz854Lld4brMG4QQLR57tqsUABmGcqX8aRB-CAdFRIirnK5iGcwGFdNOCC8wkrgHukmTvujla--RxPBwZA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="281" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAgSMu_OFZCxktQB9-vzPuCuOjPtdGIF2ot_zjPG_VpcG9Fjm9flXkRpJ6bvRBwgKfLo3T7AT09UYNkcJZ4p76tIoKq__4FE9PxVEBIomyRJz854Lld4brMG4QQLR57tqsUABmGcqX8aRB-CAdFRIirnK5iGcwGFdNOCC8wkrgHukmTvujla--RxPBwZA=w148-h200" width="148" /></a></div><br /><br /></span><o:p></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">A pile of summertime non-fiction books provides an
invitation to all sorts of family activities. Some of the five New Zealand non-fiction
titles here were created with young readers in mind: others for adults. No
matter; all of them can inspire a family to try something new together. In fact
every one of them can.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPbrc3-1VcSx2xUWwXGbn-7cqlk1fbfB3NTJPY6JvpiUXAcOGDgs9hePDmy2xkstQfN1qk7n4OM2YGqOF3DkPfweQFq-U8Ozcx8v4kVWgEF09FF9htrohsQRSACsGDlXWzWVPb3FoUyOKIFsUy70oStt16QY7IFz0g77j8HSukCDl0IpQk-9oZ7qcKQ6c" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="339" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPbrc3-1VcSx2xUWwXGbn-7cqlk1fbfB3NTJPY6JvpiUXAcOGDgs9hePDmy2xkstQfN1qk7n4OM2YGqOF3DkPfweQFq-U8Ozcx8v4kVWgEF09FF9htrohsQRSACsGDlXWzWVPb3FoUyOKIFsUy70oStt16QY7IFz0g77j8HSukCDl0IpQk-9oZ7qcKQ6c=w258-h201" width="258" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>A First Book of New Zealand Backyard Bird Songs: </b>What
a delight it is to take this book out into the backyard and play some of the bird
calls just to see how the resident birds respond. A chance to compare and
contrast. Better than rubbing corks on bottles to lure fantails. <b> </b>Reviewed below, this durable board book
has profiles of a dozen familiar birds, as well as recordings of their calls.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRE_05TgbNKVq41vDhciE4H1B88ZSH06DozvVkC9gA44q-ePMP4sZ_70lNL-XtKGUDP5kxGgDJITo8-alA_X6-Bv6a7F0L0H1zE1W_xvZZpG8kTITC7n3PWZZ79xRYaXzam-wl7Xn4OEtxZhsLiFiF0T1raC9NAru6V_myetfD0L4sHOaMg9xOFaP6YWM" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="290" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRE_05TgbNKVq41vDhciE4H1B88ZSH06DozvVkC9gA44q-ePMP4sZ_70lNL-XtKGUDP5kxGgDJITo8-alA_X6-Bv6a7F0L0H1zE1W_xvZZpG8kTITC7n3PWZZ79xRYaXzam-wl7Xn4OEtxZhsLiFiF0T1raC9NAru6V_myetfD0L4sHOaMg9xOFaP6YWM=w203-h275" width="203" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>The Beach Activity Book</b> The great thing about this
book is that it is consciously a family book. While it is written at a level
children can understand and enjoy, it is structured and directed at family
involvement. Of course, going to a beach (or a river) is usually a family affair
so it makes perfect sense. Rachel Haydon has created ’99 ideas for Activities
by the Water around Aotearoa New Zealand’ although I suspect her ideas reading scale
runs well into three figures. Who knew you could turn a yoghurt container and a
bit of plastic wrap into an underwater viewer? <o:p></o:p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Suggestions for activities include lists of things to
look out for, ideas for activities and hints on exploring nooks and crannies.
We are encouraged to develop awareness of tides and seasons. The activities of
creatures large and small are important here. So are the landscapes they live
in and the vegetation they move among. There are many types of beaches and
watercourses to be examined. [Moomintroll readers will already know how to make
a waterwheel.] There are suggestions for experiments, collections, examples of
beach art, ideas about poems and even a guide to making your name in driftwood.
Listening, thinking and even smelling have their place in the range of things
to do.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">There are lots of photos, as well as great illustrations
and diagrams by Pippa Keel. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">This is a book that will go to the crib with the family
and will be used by the family.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggckSglDg7LxfrUuoY0-tgmnFZAsaC-4pOWOmXZihmT6jQwiM4jpUkk5dS0ruGWJ6ixBkwgjsp9scYsTrMdtLeYCEudQQY4mRzRCyVl-GbMBaK7CZO1dRKdont8zfzSnRpckcl6xWmETfqR6e3UW0RP32EKN5XzGAlm0IcHnZhpMv1WU5bi6AjJR8TOU8" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="275" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggckSglDg7LxfrUuoY0-tgmnFZAsaC-4pOWOmXZihmT6jQwiM4jpUkk5dS0ruGWJ6ixBkwgjsp9scYsTrMdtLeYCEudQQY4mRzRCyVl-GbMBaK7CZO1dRKdont8zfzSnRpckcl6xWmETfqR6e3UW0RP32EKN5XzGAlm0IcHnZhpMv1WU5bi6AjJR8TOU8=w257-h257" width="257" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>The New Zealand Night Sky </b>is the year’s most
handsome nonfiction book for young people. Alastair Hughes is responsible for
the down-to-earth text and heavenly illustrations as well as the amazing stellar
diagrams. He invites young readers, armed only with a warm coat and a pair of
binoculars, to explore the wonders of the stars above their heads. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">“<i>Every culture has imagined patterns in the stars</i>.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">We can all find the Southern Cross but this guide to the nearer
constellations and galaxies encourages readers to go searching for the Magellanic
Clouds (Nga P<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ā</span>tari)
Orion’s Belt (Tautoru) and Antares (Rehua). Not only does Alistair Hughes
include their M<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ā</span>ori
names but he also provides handsome diagrams of the Māori astronomers’ version
of the constellations. Thus the Tail of Scorpius is not only the bow of the great
canoe Te Waka o Tamar<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ē</span>reti
but is also Maui’s Fish hook. The stars of Matariki (Pleiades) likewise mark
the bow of Te Waka o Rangi.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">There are splendid double-page features on the Moon, the Sun,
the planets, comets and meteors. Little treasure chests of information are
scattered generously. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kiwi pride is also
touched with a portrait gallery of New Zealand astronomers and rocket
scientists. The stellar link between Pacific voyaging canoes and the Rocket Lab
launching is neatly made.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Best of all there are two star maps – Summer and Winter
versions – for junior stargazers. Stand by for an influx of aurora-seeking young
visitors heading to Lake Tekapo and the Catlins.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaSuGdMCe2O2FYJLy71TYiix2ahC2xPj6RMOgNlidxS5R-nTTahNwa_7GkP8p6RS3IDYlaLoHzFxKYU64df7AkofEoYS6KHgb8t98_xcF0QNAM4v3D9fQ43HeUpGEqE0nH_9NnOsZMLh204uVwYIIASBVi1AHP3aUKQCDNoDQ1uYb7CbCsh4rKZOSpzmg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="301" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaSuGdMCe2O2FYJLy71TYiix2ahC2xPj6RMOgNlidxS5R-nTTahNwa_7GkP8p6RS3IDYlaLoHzFxKYU64df7AkofEoYS6KHgb8t98_xcF0QNAM4v3D9fQ43HeUpGEqE0nH_9NnOsZMLh204uVwYIIASBVi1AHP3aUKQCDNoDQ1uYb7CbCsh4rKZOSpzmg=w200-h271" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>ZIGGLE! The Len Lye Art Activity Book </b>is an
eye-opener and a mind-opener. I hadn’t realised that, as well as creating
lively artworks and animated movies, Len Lye was also a poet and wordsmith. “Ziggle”
is a Len Lye original, a word coined to describe the zig-zagging shapes in his
film Free Radical. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Rebecca Fawkner’s well-constructed activity book is also a
bright, lively introduction to Len Lye’s life and artistic achievement. It is
created around a range of imaginative games, exercises, experiments,
cartooning, poetry writing and artistic creation – all with plenty of ziggle. Rebecca
Fawkner credits Len Lye as an artist who “believed that art moved, art felt, art
experimented, that art was noisy, art was in the footpath cracks and art was in
outer space.” Her book is based on activities created for the groups of young
people who regularly visit the Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth and are intrigued
by his moving sculptures.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The book also relates events in Len Lye’s life to his
art. Kicking a kerosene tin was the beginning of his career as an artist, while
a childhood experience of the Cape Campbell lighthouse with its flashing light
controlled by a clockwork mechanism made a lasting impression. His poems inspired
his pictures and vice versa. Young readers are invited to write their own poems
about some of Len Lye’s pictures as well as finding what sort of pictures his
writings inspire. Then there are the waving and writhing sculptures. Each
activity suggestion is linked to some aspect of Lye’s life or work. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It is hard to portray animated films in the pages of a
book, so Rebecca Fawkner suggests that readers can see such pioneering works as
The Peanut Vendor, Free Radicals or The Birth of the Robot at <a href="http://www.ngataonga.org.nz/">www.ngataonga.org.nz</a> (although they are more easily accessed <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on Youtube). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Rebecca Fawkner has done a brilliant job of showing what
Len Lye achieved and encouraging young readers<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>to follow his example. She says Ziggle! offers 65 Len Lye-inspired ways to be an
artist, though I think there are many more. These range from trying rubber-band
music to creating a blind 3-D self-portrait. New generations of sculptors,
poets, painters and animators may find their inspiration here.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Len Lye is shown laughing on the first page of Ziggle! and
his good humour permeates all the pages which follow. His own words might
thoroughly sum up this book’s approach: “happy-go-lucky alive stuff.”<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAzzcj-xhw2aQGnPpes9SNv9NWnkzaNmmZIb_ZmtSrEIkk6EYRAvLqQnM57WJGNJhggrRt8P3yc0KlHVnbQT9V0eFn-Z4kvnIp5r1lHKg-PhElqAABairBH5WJ6oIAJ3w4p-dYNoYg1FkgIOI28ACy9eTYNNbDiUlWwJySrBggaIMsg2LqS-PV7O07nDU" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="431" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAzzcj-xhw2aQGnPpes9SNv9NWnkzaNmmZIb_ZmtSrEIkk6EYRAvLqQnM57WJGNJhggrRt8P3yc0KlHVnbQT9V0eFn-Z4kvnIp5r1lHKg-PhElqAABairBH5WJ6oIAJ3w4p-dYNoYg1FkgIOI28ACy9eTYNNbDiUlWwJySrBggaIMsg2LqS-PV7O07nDU" width="194" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Living Big in a Tiny House</b> surprised me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bryce Langston is a key figure in the Small
House movement so I assumed his book (a revised version of the 2018 edition) would
mainly be of interest to architects or adults seeking a tiny roof over their
heads. What surprised me was how much interest young people show in this book.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Although the illustrations are magnificent – as one would
expect in a Potton & Burton title – it is Bryce Langston’s prose that
appeals. He is a great storyteller and, in this book, he tells the story of some
52 tiny homes. He begins with his $6,000 tent, the Lotus, which he admits taught
him “the true convenience of an inside toilet.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Each of the tiny houses is given a four-page account and
each of them is a delightful essay. We are introduced to the owners, their
design concepts and their account of creating it and living in it. The diminutive
houses come from all round the world and the range is incredible – from rebuilt
railway carriages to converted containers, and from forest cabins to tiny
trailers. Materials include canvas, straw, mud, stone, felt and even wood.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Rasa Pescud’s colour photographs are a grand complement to
the prose, giving both the big picture and close-up details.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I suspect the young enthusiasts are initially attracted
by the idea of a hut of their own and are then drawn in by the intriguing details:
stairs that slide away, beds surrounded by plants and rooves that rise hydraulically.
With luck this book will help inspire a generation of lateral thinkers and
do-it-yourselfers, who will one day be building little houses on Mars.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Trevor Agnew <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-4693897952290837942024-01-05T20:16:00.000-08:002024-01-05T20:30:30.034-08:00Cook Islands and Samoa in Moana Oceana Series<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgn9E1q6Lt_JCrMaqVc-0U3JGEBfZU7kydYzOD_CdH8Jb9JfZZGa0kXt66ZRmwFlbXh0PwBXLQZl5yerjA8VgncxO6kCahIh_kByS-gti7m2X1UfcEkB4AM-BLoEFshFtqc-0nq3W3J7ccId1z8p8e02LxCKUzVRXRz8FbjvWG5d1F3phyeIadYZmWaz3I" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="297" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgn9E1q6Lt_JCrMaqVc-0U3JGEBfZU7kydYzOD_CdH8Jb9JfZZGa0kXt66ZRmwFlbXh0PwBXLQZl5yerjA8VgncxO6kCahIh_kByS-gti7m2X1UfcEkB4AM-BLoEFshFtqc-0nq3W3J7ccId1z8p8e02LxCKUzVRXRz8FbjvWG5d1F3phyeIadYZmWaz3I" width="177" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh13_dW939WZw7P5g3C5ZMO10krdMdoHxev696Vy9I5AwZB7p_w0PkrrjeVrb8Eyik7p_srdlGDKB_NLKKNBOximOXfq2AAPEVWgycJewZox7uuxtmlmd1N4BhYtZ6KwGWb71S8SZXVm4phS4_-DOJ-xZLKn22aLIZje1owxN31mhsPpu4FI-sj3IkrLZA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh13_dW939WZw7P5g3C5ZMO10krdMdoHxev696Vy9I5AwZB7p_w0PkrrjeVrb8Eyik7p_srdlGDKB_NLKKNBOximOXfq2AAPEVWgycJewZox7uuxtmlmd1N4BhYtZ6KwGWb71S8SZXVm4phS4_-DOJ-xZLKn22aLIZje1owxN31mhsPpu4FI-sj3IkrLZA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGy25udfjRN9LSmpB-UToVFITKemxbVpEdJlGcH0x9xXZtqchnfufavAaG351AtTsbjYp4oIEWfTkEA7qBDeERNwQQvLElOMTtc06rZvGbdvry7EjtjoHLw9dz9IuZ7nitLw5HmGXMaA9Mnx0muwgIAMcDzvy4R_Zqlk6UgKvrNjEtnJh1k1O0-_BoHGc" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div></a></div></div><img alt="" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="296" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGy25udfjRN9LSmpB-UToVFITKemxbVpEdJlGcH0x9xXZtqchnfufavAaG351AtTsbjYp4oIEWfTkEA7qBDeERNwQQvLElOMTtc06rZvGbdvry7EjtjoHLw9dz9IuZ7nitLw5HmGXMaA9Mnx0muwgIAMcDzvy4R_Zqlk6UgKvrNjEtnJh1k1O0-_BoHGc" width="177" /><p></p></div></div><p><b>Cook Islands: Kūki ‘Airani</b>, Jean Tekura Mason,
Oratia, 2023, 48 pages, paperback, NZ$29.99, ISBN 978-1-99-004221-8</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Sāmoa</b>, Dahlia Malaeulu, Oratia, 2023, 48 pages,
paperback, NZ$29.99, ISBN 1-99-004222-5<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>These two lively books launch a new Moana Oceania series
from Oratia Books in Auckland. Both books are bi-lingual, with English on one
page and the appropriate Pacific islands language (in these two books, Cook
Islands Māori and Samoan) on the facing page. The subtitles for both books are
‘People, Culture, Language’ and the
authors have selected from these aspects well. The reading and interest level
of each book is aimed at 8 and up but the books carry a high level of appeal
for adults as well as children. The illustrations are colourful without being
touristy; many of them show ordinary people engaged in familiar activities or
special ceremonies. These books look not only at daily life in the islands
concerned but also shows how Cook Islanders and Samoans maintain their culture
and traditions at home and in New Zealand. So, these two books will be of great
value in the schools and homes of all three countries. </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Cook Islands: Kūki ‘Airani</b>, Jean Tekura Mason,
Oratia, 2023, 48 pages, paperback, NZ$29.99, ISBN 978-1-99-004221-8<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuGRAgt9-skGhcJuOC3O3YntsIA91ZM3UIVcerH4JwotbUfgynl-9Rs-sZwvuTDIOICEnOyWtkV7zCM3bPa-0Z-BtzOHTXj5pHVLELu9bxlXmR8yC_908N6jxinPlGQK3qjIW5y042paxFDXctrUyeIGCAW_w_Ay77KObRBBH2tUTDPl45XAYs-wg_fHo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="297" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuGRAgt9-skGhcJuOC3O3YntsIA91ZM3UIVcerH4JwotbUfgynl-9Rs-sZwvuTDIOICEnOyWtkV7zCM3bPa-0Z-BtzOHTXj5pHVLELu9bxlXmR8yC_908N6jxinPlGQK3qjIW5y042paxFDXctrUyeIGCAW_w_Ay77KObRBBH2tUTDPl45XAYs-wg_fHo" width="177" /></a></div>‘<i>The Cook Islands’ way of life is one that includes
the fulfilment of duties to family and community, speaking the Maori language,
and living according to the culture and customs of the country.</i>’ I wrote my
M.A. thesis on one small aspect of Cook Islands history and learned very
quickly that there are 15 islands and most have their own customs and culture. That
is why there are eight different dialects of Maori in the Cook Islands. Jean Tekura
Mason has a deep knowledge of the Cook Islands and has compressed a great deal
into this attractive introduction to her nation.<br /> <o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The book begins with the seven pillars of Cook Islands
culture: Ngakau aro’a (kindness), Kopu tangata (family), Marū (peacefulness),
Kauroro (respect to elders), Akakoromaki (patient fortitude), ‘Aka’aka (humility)
and ‘Irinaki’anga and akarongo (religious belief). The sections that follow
each show some of these in action, in village, church, school and sportsfield. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3LDEdN13f-JWvh2x3TKt1E3xxTdw25dNlMYLOG07R6jXRLnpYifNeFL4UroQ86Ga-3FX4blvS8wMIj5xiWBFpwnVmkCcrd1f3ZqLyp-KHBW3_0WB8nlLnPTHhI5MRng3YqCT647fLc1egE_2oBRA5lG59ofcKsliYwDqjciqy2iOocKNhoE1rGiqpTzw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="296" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3LDEdN13f-JWvh2x3TKt1E3xxTdw25dNlMYLOG07R6jXRLnpYifNeFL4UroQ86Ga-3FX4blvS8wMIj5xiWBFpwnVmkCcrd1f3ZqLyp-KHBW3_0WB8nlLnPTHhI5MRng3YqCT647fLc1egE_2oBRA5lG59ofcKsliYwDqjciqy2iOocKNhoE1rGiqpTzw" width="177" /></a></div>The text is bilingual with Cook Islands Maori (Rarotongan
dialect) on one page and English on the other. (There are useful pages on
language matters, including pronunciation guides and handy phrases.) Fact boxes
provide interesting snippets of information and statistics. The layout is
user-friendly with good headings. The history section is well presented
although the pictures need captions. Makea Ariki is mentioned in the text but
readers may not be aware that she also appears in three of the photos. Food and
clothing are important cultural elements, whether in the home islands or in New
Zealand, and these are well covered. Readers also learn about tatau (tattoo), tapa
cloth, weaving and tivaivai (quilts). Dancing, music and sport are all described,
with modern double-hull canoe voyaging linking us back to where we began with the
original settlements of the various islands.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsaNZ92uIZe4w87SZW4qg7QWKRZsl09RtlCAKelyJ35l2HzOmYjnA0eUg4XlIRTX2xCg6mi-TX2QmLp-aCKTGtQrU9RJVF11hH1kWFqOeUi_UK95iJLu4m1-h0bJErEdxnL89TA4Asx4U8-UIJiG3YBDCR4ssmkv68yS2DjRUJB06AqXU8ZZM3DZTUpQU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="297" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsaNZ92uIZe4w87SZW4qg7QWKRZsl09RtlCAKelyJ35l2HzOmYjnA0eUg4XlIRTX2xCg6mi-TX2QmLp-aCKTGtQrU9RJVF11hH1kWFqOeUi_UK95iJLu4m1-h0bJErEdxnL89TA4Asx4U8-UIJiG3YBDCR4ssmkv68yS2DjRUJB06AqXU8ZZM3DZTUpQU" width="177" /></a></div><b>Cook Islands: Kūki ‘Airani </b>will be an important
book in encouraging interest in the Cook Islands and its lifeways among
young people, whether they live in the islands or New Zealand. Or<br /> anywhere else in the world. <o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Trevor Agnew <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><b>Sāmoa</b>, Dahlia Malaeulu, Moana Oceania series, Oratia,
2023, 48 pages, paperback, NZ$29.99, ISBN 1-99-004222-5</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Over 70 years ago, two Samoan women visited our classroom
at Sawyers Bay School and talked to us about life in their home village. They
told us of their fale (houses) with their open walls. Our jaws dropped. It was
our first realisation of different ways of life in other countries. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXhvIV4B8F4nV2pQvBAq5plZye6vz9cGHUr8dupGFM9aJW6IqtTB1pmVJ22OT5VdEqDBSCrvsCiupKJff465Zc1ukUVQzhcl6N44OZJrj-ybrui7hv-TIIN_Rna9MZyhhG_wfZ3Opyiu9JpaoKuf-TgjYSbw325fXb8GJzJj1-6HDxOl15ypLXPHFrMFg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="296" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXhvIV4B8F4nV2pQvBAq5plZye6vz9cGHUr8dupGFM9aJW6IqtTB1pmVJ22OT5VdEqDBSCrvsCiupKJff465Zc1ukUVQzhcl6N44OZJrj-ybrui7hv-TIIN_Rna9MZyhhG_wfZ3Opyiu9JpaoKuf-TgjYSbw325fXb8GJzJj1-6HDxOl15ypLXPHFrMFg=w190-h258" width="190" /></a></div>In a way, this book carries on the work of those two
gracious women. <p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">It introduces the Samoan culture, customs, traditions, language
and food, both to young people in other countries and to young Samoans living
overseas. The text is bilingual with English and Samoan pages facing each
other. Lively fact boxes offer information on everything from the ecologically-important
manumea (tooth-billed pigeon) to the types of siva (dance performances). There
is even a box for Samoan values: Fa’aaloalo (respect), Alofa (love), Tautua
(service) and Usita’i (discipline).</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The book begins with the pillars of Fa’asāmoa – the
Samoan way of life – emphasising the importance of the family, the village, the
language, the church and food. There is a good summary of the sorry history of
New Zealand’s 20th Century relations with Samoa, and a useful introduction to
the geography and economy of the islands. A quick guide to the Samoan alphabet
and language includes useful words and a pronunciation guide. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The best part of <b>Samo</b>a concerns the Samoan people
and their activities, such as tatau (tattooing), singing, story-telling, mat
weaving and sport of all kinds, including fautasi (longboat racing) and the
joyous kilikiti. That’s an amazing amount to pack into 24 x 2 pages and Dahlia
Malaeulu – a great storyteller - has succeeded brilliantly. The selection of colour
illustrations is particularly good, again with an emphasis on people and their
activities.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Best of all there are several pictures of fale. Did you
know that they have no walls? The section on Samoan climate explains why not. </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Trevor Agnew<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-49541374891160179822024-01-03T19:26:00.000-08:002024-01-03T19:26:21.021-08:00A First Book of New Zealand Backyard Birdsongs<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>A First Book of New Zealand Backyard Birdsongs, <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Fred van Gessel, White Cloud Books/Upstart Press, 2023,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">24 pages, board book, NZ$28<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 978-199000-389-9<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This is a board book with a difference. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>A First Book of New Zealand Backyard Birdsongs</b>
introduces young people to the CALLS of a dozen New Zealand birds. It’s a sound
guide. Each of the twelve backyard birds – morepork, kaka, kingfisher, grey
warbler, waxeye, bellbird, tui, fantail, chaffinch, blackbird, starling and
song thrush – has its own double page of colour photographs and descriptive
text. So far, so familiar.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDJu4LsjTIA694fS_v4XWY_-KJXeMrDo6o60aBa36UHDo88BLwCVVRFcL1hddPHkHtBXBni4V-voOjKu7_O10L5coKfLSriebtg75JmGGIv3H137FZl0-gdORZp2t3UvIQJ5QeH5YoQzacyuY1LSNffwO2qy1qnqaREGtbe5YpjjewuNFzQU8MFqGE1kk" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="625" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDJu4LsjTIA694fS_v4XWY_-KJXeMrDo6o60aBa36UHDo88BLwCVVRFcL1hddPHkHtBXBni4V-voOjKu7_O10L5coKfLSriebtg75JmGGIv3H137FZl0-gdORZp2t3UvIQJ5QeH5YoQzacyuY1LSNffwO2qy1qnqaREGtbe5YpjjewuNFzQU8MFqGE1kk" width="309" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Then comes the surprise. A side-mounted speaker – an extension
of the cover – has 12 colour-keyed buttons each with a bird portrait. Press the
morepork’s button and there is a clear cry of ‘more-pork’ or ‘ruru’. Each call
lasts about ten seconds, which is a good sample.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Fred van Gessel’s description of each bird includes the Māori
name, a brief description their appearance, preferred diet and usual habitat.
As one who has spent four decades recording birds, his main emphasis is,
sensibly, on the birdcalls. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The text may be a little difficult for young readers but it
provides a great chance for parents to interact with their youngsters and discuss
the various birds and their habits. Is this bird in your backyard? Does the
starling (tāringi) really produce ‘noisy chortling, whistling and singing’? Was
James Cook right about the bellbird (korimako) sounding ‘like small bells most
exquisitely tuned’?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Press the button and find out.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This book is a companion volume to the author’s A First
Book of New Zealand Bird Songs (2021) and A First Book of Australian Backyard
Bird Songs (2019).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The system uses two LR44 1.5 volt batteries, so if young
listeners prove too keen, anyone with a small philips screwdriver can replace
them. The batteries, I mean.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Trevor Agnew<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-45111108801142268622023-03-03T18:47:00.006-08:002023-03-03T19:00:47.884-08:00Trust Yourself First by Doris Sew Hoy<p></p><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Trust Yourself
First</b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">: Cultivating Self-Awareness, Confidence and Resilience <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Doris Sew Hoy<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">New Degree Press 2022<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">200 pages, paperback £12 (UK)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 979-8-88504-078-5 (pb)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The enforced isolation of the Covid lockdown forced many
of us to re-examine our lives. It also gave us time to complete projects we had
only dreamed of. Doris Sew Hoy did both.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFHdM6DjKzWKqAgAX0zadF42G-kHvK9MEt9mCdELrJJI4Xkjami5EB_kfbBA31xaw1ZERZE7KdJm4NbD8zsW6CZKE8x64sIUL7QHC2JrmoQF8wHaRyTMiWy3WQxy3meKhk9f10pxMdxM-LQl1acGR7XLG3dPI68KAhpeoYOrl4JTEzDswQfzqAsou/s1410/Book_Full_Cover%20Doris%20Sew%20Hoy.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1410" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFHdM6DjKzWKqAgAX0zadF42G-kHvK9MEt9mCdELrJJI4Xkjami5EB_kfbBA31xaw1ZERZE7KdJm4NbD8zsW6CZKE8x64sIUL7QHC2JrmoQF8wHaRyTMiWy3WQxy3meKhk9f10pxMdxM-LQl1acGR7XLG3dPI68KAhpeoYOrl4JTEzDswQfzqAsou/w272-h200/Book_Full_Cover%20Doris%20Sew%20Hoy.webp" width="272" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">She has written a book, </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Trust Yourself First</b>, </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">which incorporates what </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">she has learned in
her twin </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">careers as an economist </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">and as a freelance </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">executive coach.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Trust Yourself
First</b> is about cultivating healthy relationships through trust. It also
passes on what Doris has learned about clear thinking, thought-leadership,
connecting with yourself and harnessing your full personality. She also shares <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">the most useful tools, techniques
and models that have helped her coaching clients develop their potential, both professionally
and personally.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Doris
Sew Hoy is a direct descendant of the famous Otago Chinese merchant and gold
dredger, Choie Sew Hoy (1838-1901) – he was her grandfather’s grandfather. She was
born at Outram in New Zealand. There her father, Jun Yip Sew Hoy, and mother,
Lai Kum Hong, ran a market garden on the Taieri Plains and raised seven high-achieving
children.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Qualifying
for a year as a American Field Service Scholar in a St Louis, Missouri high
school, was the first step in a journey that led Doris to a degree in economics
at Otago University and post-graduate study at Durham University. She worked as
an economist for the London Stock Exchange from 1986. A new door opened for
Doris when she realised that many in the stock exchange lacked understanding of
how the business actually worked. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I was getting annoyed at the number of times
I had to correct people’s misinformation and misunderstandings</i>.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Appointed to a position where she was
responsible for educating, informing and motivating people, Doris developed her
ideas about the coaching of executives and undertook further study and research.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Trust Yourself
First</b><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <span lang="EN-US">is a clearly
written summary of what she has learned about human behaviours, emotions and interactions
in the two decades she has spent as a freelance executive coach. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Doris unpacks her professional toolbox and demonstrates the
various techniques, mind-maps <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and
exercises she has found most effective in enabling people to examine their lives.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each chapter offers readers a chance to examine
their own actions and feelings, ambitions and uncertainties, from a fresh
perspective.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The text is arranged in three main sections following her
ACB model of personal growth and change..<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Part 1, Awareness, invites readers to examine themselves
and look at who they are and how they got there<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Part 2, Choices, looks at the options facing us, our own
strengths and weaknesses, the values we hold and the outcomes we hope for. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Part 3, Behave, asks us what we intend to do when we have
finished reading the book. Are we going to learn from the exercises? Will we change
our attitudes and revise our priorities? How can we improve our communication
skills, gain a better understanding of our emotions and live a healthier life? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This is not a dull text-book. This may sound daunting in
summary but Doris keeps things clear and well-organised as she moves through the
various exercises. Doris intersperses her teaching points with her own
experiences so that her lively personality becomes an integral part of the
book. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Trust Yourself
First </b>is an interesting and challenging book with a readable style and a
big message. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Or as Doris, herself puts it, “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I hope my book inspires you to reflect on your own life and where you
want to go next, become your own best friend and cultivate the relationships
you would like in your life.</i>”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Website: <a href="https://www.dorissewhoy.com/trust-yourself-first-book">Trust Yourself
First Book | Doris Sew Hoy</a></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>ISBN 979-8-88504-078-5 (paperback)</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 979-8-88504-707-4 (Kindle Ebook)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 979-8-88504-186-7 (Digital Ebook)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-22744959326746908132023-03-03T15:31:00.001-08:002023-03-03T18:54:05.947-08:00<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivFi2Gng6hoP1poJO68XUGu3E-2z0bug7F0VOjDjAlidZ1t2yxHTjHipHn3c2hWDA9MtROFQG9fsBruw3Qd0s5sqDjCjXqG7R9Ii9s3EHI1WRBJke1gDef3LPPIV5Q1pyC-5yfY-iTQx9KGFvdilb5YuypAy82r0R3IGUo_QlVLw4pGY4rUjaSfOhf" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="469" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivFi2Gng6hoP1poJO68XUGu3E-2z0bug7F0VOjDjAlidZ1t2yxHTjHipHn3c2hWDA9MtROFQG9fsBruw3Qd0s5sqDjCjXqG7R9Ii9s3EHI1WRBJke1gDef3LPPIV5Q1pyC-5yfY-iTQx9KGFvdilb5YuypAy82r0R3IGUo_QlVLw4pGY4rUjaSfOhf" width="185" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>This is Farewell:
Readings and Meditiations on Death and
Dying<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Pinky Agnew (ed)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Mrs Black Books (2023)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Paperback, 196 pages, NZ$35 plus p&p<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 9-788-47365-826-7<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">We are all going to die. We are also all going to be
involved with funerals. Publishers, however, shy away from books about death,
so there is a definite lack of useful books for those who suddenly find themselves desperate for the right word to say
as they farewell a loved one.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">I was blessed with three enormously talented sisters. The
youngest – Pinky Agnew – has excelled as a writer, actor and comedian but her
true forte is as a celebrant. She has a flair for the right word at the right
time as she helps people mark the key moments in their lives. She was not only
aware of the dearth of anthologies dealing with death, but she did something about putting
matters right. <b>This is Farewell</b> is the result.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Drawing together material she has been gathering for
years Pinky has created an anthology of thoughts about our final farewell. In poetry
and prose people down the centuries have expressed their deepest feelings of grief,
anger, resignation and acceptance when someone they loved has died. The result
is timeless and moving. Their words speak to us as we encounter similar painful
situations, and they help us to order our own thoughts. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">While many of the selections are suitable for reading at
funerals, tangi and memorial services, this anthology will earn a much wider
readership, providing comfort and easing grief. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The arrangement of the collection is particularly useful.
The reflections and poems are grouped by theme, so that the readings support
and develop each other. Thus, Kelly Ana Morey’s poem about the death of her
mother faces Bub Bridger’s farewell to her father.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Difficult areas such as suicide or the death of a child
have strong collections with personal reflections and comforting perspectives.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The selection is wide-ranging in time and space. Many familiar
voices are here (W.H. Auden, the King James Bible, along with fresh voices (Light
a Candle by Paul Alexander) and surprising writers (Jo Jo Moyes, Joyce
Grenfell!) each with their special insights. There is a strong New Zealand presence,
as well, with Brian Turner, Lauris Edmond, Hone Tuwhare, Ruth Dallas, Glenn
Colquhoun, Joy Cowley, James K. Baxter, Ruth Gilbert, Barry Crump and Ursula
Bethell. Even Te Rangi Pai’s heart-stopping Hine E Hine is here, in both Maori
and English.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">This book’s production values are high. (Credit here to
Christine Cessford and Sophie Miller.) The pages are a comfortable size while
the print is clear and easy to read. The Acknowledgements section makes it
simple to locate the sources quoted. Best of all there is a triple index, so
you can search by title, first line or author’s name. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>This is Farewel</b>l is, as they say, available from all good
bookshops, or you can order it from Pinky Agnew herself. Her website is <a href="http://www.pinkyagnew.com/">www.pinkyagnew.com</a></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>And why should we read these poems? Lemn Sissay, the official
poet of the London Olympics, explains when he is given the honour of the last
word on page 175:</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">“<i>It’s incredibly
moving seeing poems being read at these times of great importance – weddings and
funerals. You walk around a graveyard and see poems engraved on tombstones. A
person’s last message to the world. And why is that? Poems are the bridge
between then and now. It’s around us all the time</i>.”<o:p></o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-86159216625903267732023-01-19T19:35:00.004-08:002023-03-23T00:48:01.694-07:00The New Zealand Seashore Guide (2022) by Sally Carson and Rod Morris<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXgwt_A-8uihbda2rDDeYgCv0hlPEgsnKIIctcm83iwJLSQ9gbqnghQ076teIq6K2luNpZowL7PSCnTkUDQ19SBf9VwwMz2iit5FLRY4ux3eNFLbQzp_NKiwqJ8THOf0XYW3rM31UQ7lddCGvKHsMnyAtMumtTLEzX363aLacrX5D7tiw3I9WYzrfR/s742/SEASHORE-GUIDE-cover-600px-wide-72dpi.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="600" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXgwt_A-8uihbda2rDDeYgCv0hlPEgsnKIIctcm83iwJLSQ9gbqnghQ076teIq6K2luNpZowL7PSCnTkUDQ19SBf9VwwMz2iit5FLRY4ux3eNFLbQzp_NKiwqJ8THOf0XYW3rM31UQ7lddCGvKHsMnyAtMumtTLEzX363aLacrX5D7tiw3I9WYzrfR/w236-h291/SEASHORE-GUIDE-cover-600px-wide-72dpi.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>The New Zealand
Seashore Guide </b>(2022)<o:p></o:p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Sally Carson Photos:
Rod Morris <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Potton & Burton
NZ$49.99 <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 978-1-98855-042-8<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>I’ve discovered the perfect present for young and old. Because
nearly every New Zealander visits a seashore at some time, <b>The New Zealand Seashore Guide</b> offers them an ideal introduction to
everything that lives at the beach. And not only the beach but also the nearby
estuaries, lagoons, mudflats, rockpools and sandhills.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The text is bang up-to-date with modern research but is
written in a friendly and easily understood way. The arrangement is logical, user-friendly
and well-designed. As a bonus it’s an enjoyable read. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Sally Carson has the ability to put words together so skilfully
that they reach out from the page and drag the reader in. Who can resist a
section beginning, ‘<i>For many coastal
birds, the seashore is like a restaurant with limited opening hours</i>.’? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Many of her sentences create remarkable, often
unforgettable, mental images. Of the Common octopus (Wheke) she writes, ‘<i>As long as an opening is big enough to fit
their beak, they will be able to squeeze their body through</i>.’<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">This book also passes the curious items test, where facts
are so unexpected and surprising that people feel obliged to read them out
aloud. Did you know that ‘<i>New Zealand is
famous the world over as a place to study living brachiopods</i>’? That’s
because elsewhere they have been extinct for up to 260 million years. Once you
have read up on Brachiopods you’ll also know that there are 38 species of this
shellfish (lamp shells) tucked away in our rocky shores. They come in two
colours (red and black) and they haven’t changed much in the last 550 million
years. Sumptuous colour photos show just why washed-up shells are called
mermaids’ toenails.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Amazing! We’re five paragraphs into a review of a Potton
and Burton book and this is the first mention of the illustrations! They are,
of course, superb. Even by the already high standards of Rod Morris’s photography,
they are magnificent. Every picture, whether underwater or above, is sharp,
clear and – given the subject matter – surprisingly colourful. The Shortsnout pipefish
displays its red gill cover, while the Red striped anemone, Orange clingfish and
Olive rockfish show just why they got their names. The Jingle shell (Poro) is ‘<i>a beautiful golden yellow, orange or silver
colour’ </i>so Rod Morris has shown it three times, the third as a beachcomber’s
jingling wind-chime. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The cover picture, an atmospheric shot of Motukiekie
Beach’s rock pools at low tide with starfish tightly draped over the rocks,
looks like an alien planet. Even more alien are some of the creatures photographed
including the various sea squirts, the nudibranchs and the chitons. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The Sacoglassan sea slug, a sap-sucker with club-like
outgrowths, is straight out of Dr Who, as is the Ten tentacle worm.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The various coastal images come from all over New Zealand
but Otago Peninsula’s beloved Harbour Cone, which has become an icon in Rob
Morris’s work, appears satisfyingly often. Nearby Portobello is the home of the ‘Fish
Hatcheries’ better known as the NZ Marine Studies Centre, Department of Marine
Science of the University of Otago, where Sally Carson is the director.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Her book invites young would-be scientists to try unusual
seashore experiments. ‘<i>Whelks … are well
known for their predatory lifestyle and keen sense of smell’ </i>is a sentence
we might not agree with. Is it really well-known? But then we are told exactly
how to carry out our own smell and speed tests on whelks. ‘<i>Being
curious and making observations are key skills that contribute towards being a
good scientist</i>.’<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The Seven-armed sea star (Papatangaroa) is known to
consume at least 60 prey species, ranging from snails to paua. To aid in this
task it has pedicellaria, little pincers. Sally Carson’s enthusiasm for sea
creatures bubbles up in her suggestion: ‘<i>If
you put the hairy part of your arm near the upper surface of this sea star, you
may feel its tiny pincers grabbing these fine hairs</i>.’ This book is certain
to spawn a generation of young naturalists (most with smooth arms).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Sections on every subject from Sponge Secrets to Beachcombing
are truly illuminating. The one-page essay on Mussel Anchor Lines begins with describing
the byssal threads extruded by mussels to use as climbing ropes and anchors.
Then Sally Carson speculates on how these threads offer potential for man-made
medical adhesives and stretchy sutures. Oh, and more acidic conditions in the
sea are weakening these threads and thus pose a possible threat to mussel
communities and the aquaculture industry. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Essays about A Changing Ocean and Other Coastal Concerns
offer up-to-date research on the degradation of our seas and seashores. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">For foodies, the Edible Seaweed section includes serving
suggestions for seaweed salad and kelp chips. Speaking of kelp, there are reminders
of bags to carry shellfish being fashioned from the blades of kelp. I had thought
we also carved kelp stalks to make bouncy balls for beach cricket but I see now
that we were carving the stipes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">All the terms used are clearly defined, often with carefully-labelled
photographs (such as Tidal Zonation) to assist. Common names, Maori names and scientific
names for species are given along with the description, habitat, lifestyle,
size, tidal zone and distribution. For critters that live regionally rather
than nationally, there are even maps which show their distribution. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>The New Zealand
Seashore Guide</b> comes in a handsome easy-to-hold format, with a sewn binding
that allows the book to opened flat without damage. It has literally been designed to take to the
beach, where it will be the ideal companion.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Trevor Agnew</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">20 Jan 2023<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /> <p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-69473072898387354012022-07-21T22:48:00.003-07:002022-07-21T22:49:20.946-07:00Marlene Bennetts Whakaaetanga: Acceptance<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Whakaaetanga:
Acceptance<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Marlene Bennetts (2022)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Emjay Publishing, 2/B Lascelles St, Christchurch 8022<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Paperback 206 pages, NZ$40<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Has Mum had the
baby? Is it a girl?’<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grandma shook her
head sadly. ‘No. The baby’s dead and your mother’s dying. You’re not to tell
your brothers though, hear?’<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Award-winning author Marlene J. Bennetts (Te Āti Awa) has
written her autobiography Whakaaetanga:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgDtA0_APuEpFEj6LYMPGNuXIKG2Ma0icLyB9ATuebrimatqUUPagWfek1hMeO8KMdAGk68j-UR0nML9G0oee-J_QXScMQTxlQqvh6r2kqTmq4_56wqDz1Epmix_lOsBZ956H96zEHvg2Az7nU4M3vYV50r3bVi8ZDRtbXvMtxSO643--eGDnzwr_/s600/marlene%20bennetts%204jwlku5oz7amkk1r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwgDtA0_APuEpFEj6LYMPGNuXIKG2Ma0icLyB9ATuebrimatqUUPagWfek1hMeO8KMdAGk68j-UR0nML9G0oee-J_QXScMQTxlQqvh6r2kqTmq4_56wqDz1Epmix_lOsBZ956H96zEHvg2Az7nU4M3vYV50r3bVi8ZDRtbXvMtxSO643--eGDnzwr_/w200-h133/marlene%20bennetts%204jwlku5oz7amkk1r.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /> Acceptance. It begins with a vivid
picture of backblocks childhood in the 1940s and 50s. Marlene had a
semi-nomadic life because her father worked in sawmills. Born in Westport in
1938, Marlene attended fifteen different schools. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘You certainly have
changed schools a lot, Marlene,</i>’ said her Standard Five teacher. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Despite this, Marlene did well at school, especially
Maths because of her father getting her to check his timber tallies. She also
discovered that she was good at telling stories, because of making up yarns
that persuaded her lively younger brothers to do what they were told. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Marlene had to face adversity from an early age. Because
of a congenital hip condition, she was in Christchurch Hospital from 18 months
until she was three. She spent a year of that time in bed with her leg in
traction. Not unnaturally she decided that the Matron was her mother, which
caused difficulty when her real mother arrived to take her back home.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Marlene’s story contains vivid accounts of childhood
activities including games of bullrush, marching girl competitions and swimming
in the river. At Endeans sawmill camp in the King Country, she and her brother
had to sleep with their clothes on in the winter; their father heated stones in
a fire, then wrapped them in sugar bags to keep his children warm on their
morning bus ride. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We cuddled them all
the way to school</i>.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">This book brings back the world of the copper, the
meatsafe, the party line, house-cows, long-drops, sledges, treadle sewing
machines and ‘Portia Faces life’ on the wireless. Marlene’s account of her
adult life is equally entertaining. The first young man to invite her to the
pictures irritated her so much that their evening out ended with her giving him
a black eye. Married with three children, she developed her interest in
writing. Her first published work was a 1985 item, Just Mum, in the NZ Women’s
Weekly, for which she received $3.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Marlene gives her husband, Hec Bennetts, credit for encouraging
her writing interest and giving her the</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdw1CiT8U5UvmdRIU9Mdyj5aZ4x3LG2zzlIxXbkTNyp5PqVqjmyS2DRWhN_PPx59RZESJ0-J6UdfRscGNnQqT-Gm2LDUgzmPitJVEj05qtPB_9IX-SHfM_OlrYoFb8v7Hx5EDcSC2UoMhqAkucwWm40o19D_M8snT68VzF83FdFGGd4NMPFOeiYJrg/s750/Marlene%20Bennetts%20Book+mock-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdw1CiT8U5UvmdRIU9Mdyj5aZ4x3LG2zzlIxXbkTNyp5PqVqjmyS2DRWhN_PPx59RZESJ0-J6UdfRscGNnQqT-Gm2LDUgzmPitJVEj05qtPB_9IX-SHfM_OlrYoFb8v7Hx5EDcSC2UoMhqAkucwWm40o19D_M8snT68VzF83FdFGGd4NMPFOeiYJrg/w320-h213/Marlene%20Bennetts%20Book+mock-up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> confidence to persevere.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The most intriguing part of her life story comes when she
and Hec abandoned their plans to retire in Auckland and decided, on impulse, to
buy a house in Blackball. Their account of travelling to the West Coast and
re-adjusting to a different speed of life provides a fascinating slice of New
Zealand social history. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">They also found that the West Coast weather gave Marlene
plenty of ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wet hours</i>’ for writing,
and the ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">majestic atmosphere</i>’
inspired her to write more, especially her poetry.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Marlene Bennett’s books for young readers include the
moving YA novel The Aroha Pendant (1999) and picture books such as No Ordinary
Flowergirl (2006)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Marlene has also produced a series of books about aspects
of wildlife conservation, all illustrated by Trish Bowles. These books
introduced young readers to such endangered wildlife as the godwits (Yolaska
the Godwit, Skalaska’s New Home), Archey’s frog (No Ordinary Frog) and
Canterbury’s own mudfish (Waikaka Grows Up).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the
Dambusters (2008) a picture book illustrated by Trish Bowles tells the story of
her Uncle Len (who also appears in Whakaaetanga: Acceptance). She told his
story in more detail in The Forgotten Dambuster (2016). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">In 2003 Marlene was made a Member of the New Zealand
Order of Merit (MNZM) in recognition of her services to literature. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">95% of the proceeds of this book go to support disabled
Māori through Whānau Ora initiative Hei Whakapiki Mauri.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Trevor Agnew <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">22 July 2022<o:p></o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-73473399363834369122022-06-23T22:19:00.034-07:002022-07-30T17:06:12.355-07:00Books about Matariki<br /><br /><b> 15 books about Matariki</b><br /><br />Chosen and described by Trevor Agnew, 24th June 2022 <br /><br /><b>1. Matariki, Melanie Drewery, Bruce Potter (ill) Reed (2003) Puffin (2016)</b> <div><br /><div>The whole family go down to the beach for a bonfire before dawn. They cook kumara (sweet potato) and wait for the Matariki star-cluster to rise over the horizon. Nanny tells the children several stories and legends of Matariki. ’<i>Some people say that Matariki is made up </i></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqVEyhay8-redZUwi0iTOAmucuEKtochdYKEsZzoSeDkhVS5C7DiXIxGODtt7jfrSBtbLJONKlxZ6k8X5H1drAwVhXagy3iCNzp92JWnxDld7lmstT39xVsJ54BTsaWuUQ12WTQmBAPeWSGBv_kI9pRp5xtUAtjpICyrd9igJnQlQ5eFtnC6h1eJu/s400/Drewery%20Matariki%209780143503866.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjqVEyhay8-redZUwi0iTOAmucuEKtochdYKEsZzoSeDkhVS5C7DiXIxGODtt7jfrSBtbLJONKlxZ6k8X5H1drAwVhXagy3iCNzp92JWnxDld7lmstT39xVsJ54BTsaWuUQ12WTQmBAPeWSGBv_kI9pRp5xtUAtjpICyrd9igJnQlQ5eFtnC6h1eJu/w185-h200/Drewery%20Matariki%209780143503866.jpg" width="185" /></a><i>of the seven houses of the gods, </i><i><br /><br /> and that people’s spirits go there when they die’ said Nanny, wiping tears from her face.</i> They eat their kumara and bread by the fire on the first morning of the Maori New Year. <br /><br />This is a good story for showing celebrations within different cultures. The children ask their mother which of the many Matariki legends they should believe. <i>‘Well,’ said Mum, ‘Think of the story that feels right in your heart. That is the story for you.’ </i><br /><br />Bruce Potter’s pictures of the stars and the family on the beach are dramatic. <br /><br />Note: Matariki is also known as the Pleaides, a small cluster of stars. From a New Zealand viewpoint, Matariki vanishes in the east about mid-April, then reappears about the end of May or later, above the north-east horizon, before dawn. The return of Matariki marks the beginning of the Maori New Year. Traditionally the Maori counted seven stars, sometimes described as Matariki and her six daughters. The smell of the food prepared by the watching people was said to revive Matariki, who was weak and hungry after her journey in the darkness. <br /><br /> <br /><br /><b>2. Celebrating Matariki Libby Hakaria, Reed (2006) </b><br /><br />This splendidly readable book uses the Matariki constellation as a framework for a range of information about the stars, Maori seasons, fishing, hunting, gardening and legends. <br /><br />Matariki, known to the Greeks as the Pleiades, marks the beginning</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoG1tNZynN-ko8FD3R_Z5U0oSjkpBWxbLmqDbcq9akNOfdh5VlagrEk2v1jrO6GoKEW_Wh5_-sZEzJ_5alhNH6fznaasBVB05mCYIcmSuiv0bqmpXMoykXLkVR-Kf1aYbnDcswnEJTiGVE6mJWoRYxZu--JKISlBXqezFhyqzSODQFMM2glrE60eJE/s400/Celebrating%20Matariki%20Hakaraia%209781869484439.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="400" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoG1tNZynN-ko8FD3R_Z5U0oSjkpBWxbLmqDbcq9akNOfdh5VlagrEk2v1jrO6GoKEW_Wh5_-sZEzJ_5alhNH6fznaasBVB05mCYIcmSuiv0bqmpXMoykXLkVR-Kf1aYbnDcswnEJTiGVE6mJWoRYxZu--JKISlBXqezFhyqzSODQFMM2glrE60eJE/w200-h165/Celebrating%20Matariki%20Hakaraia%209781869484439.jpg" width="200" /></a> of the Maori year, when it rises above the horizon in early June. Traditionally the first full moon after the rising of Matariki was a time for feasts and celebrations and the hunting and preserving of birds. A wide range of activities, including telescope-making, kite-flying and cooking are included. (The recipe for Kumara Chowder is excellent.) The book’s design is attractive, with clear double-page spreads, and good use of colour and fact-boxes. The text is well laid-out and very readable. <br /><br />In a nice touch, the Japanese name for Matariki, Subaru, is noted with a picture of a New Zealand rally team in their Subaru. Several songs about Matariki are included in an accompanying CD, and the lyrics are printed in the book in both English and Maori. <br /><br />This book fills a gap in libraries and schools, providing background material for fictional books on Matariki. At the same time Celebrating Matariki is so attractively presented that it can be read for simple enjoyment. <br /><br /> <br /><br /><b>3. Glow Worm Night Don Long, Tracy Duncan (ill.) Reed (2004) </b><br /><br />This book is about a family observing the Maori traditional New Year, marked by the first appearance of the group of stars, Matariki. A young girl tells how she goes with her father and brother into the nearby bush late at night. They switch off their torches and look at the stars. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZKjwHY3pLBo7Gtbm-WVovpg_Ws91v8c7WtZCUf8kSd3UZsKaHqmNfkncxf5vvCPgMWRx8zf3Y-WgTfHoOOX01QcYb8-vOpwGyDv5NYryz100GtPiMkQGBmUnuXA6uYEt7aL6mbLSKUyoxbSkgG3fMLXbnlyio3HYrMsFewHjuX2kffkx49IfbfOS/s232/Glow%20worm%20night%20download.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="217" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZKjwHY3pLBo7Gtbm-WVovpg_Ws91v8c7WtZCUf8kSd3UZsKaHqmNfkncxf5vvCPgMWRx8zf3Y-WgTfHoOOX01QcYb8-vOpwGyDv5NYryz100GtPiMkQGBmUnuXA6uYEt7aL6mbLSKUyoxbSkgG3fMLXbnlyio3HYrMsFewHjuX2kffkx49IfbfOS/w187-h200/Glow%20worm%20night%20download.jpg" width="187" /></a>Dad points out Matariki the Pleaides).<br /><br />After that, everyone looks for glow-worms. </div><div>Then, there they are – glowing along the stream. <i>Glow-worms! Puratoke. </i>They see some nocturnal creatures, such as the morepork (native owl) and freshwater crayfish. <br />Later Mum gives everyone Milo and tucks them into bed. <i>‘Sweet glow-worm dreams,’ she whispers as she switches off the light.</i><br />As Tracy Duncan’s handsome colour illustrations make clear, Dad is Maori and Mum is Pakeha (non-Maori). Some of the dialogue is in Maori, as when Dad says, <i>Tino makariri</i> before everyone puts coats on to keep out the cold (makariri). The context and the illustrations always make the meaning clear to non-Maori speakers. <br />Tracy Duncan’s illustrations always reward careful study. There are creatures, such as the Puriri moth to be spotted in the bush scenes, and books in the house. The young girl is reading Taniwha, by Robyn Kahukiwa. <br /><br />Note: Matariki, also known as the Pleaides, is a small cluster of stars. From a New Zealand viewpoint, Matariki vanishes in the east about mid-April, and then reappears about the end of May or in June, above the north-east horizon, before dawn. The return of Matariki marks the beginning of the Maori New Year. Traditionally the Maori counted seven stars, sometimes described as Matariki and her six daughters. <br /><br /><br /><br /><b>4. Scoop and Scribe Search for the Seven Stars of Matariki </b><br /><b>Tommy Kapai Wilson, Rob Turvey (ill) Random House (2009) </b><br /><br />Tommy Kapai Wilson was a newspaper columnist and children’s author who, in 2008, wrote a children’s action serial for the NiE (Newspapers in Education) newspaper educational supplement. It was revised and reprinted as a book in 2009. <b>Scoop and Scribe search for the Seven Stars of Matariki</b> is slim on characterisation but is certainly a fast-moving fantasy adventure. </div><div>After a tip-off by a mysterious tohunga named Koro Whetu, ace junior reporters </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3APkOe9ubbkISkmTBSEaTZQZQmB311f7lmd_-5pzsm56uSBmKyhdIVFSJaMPhz4fUcxyNClLVeS84CihN6WBirZDqYfP_po6RZXFyMLAq5zNMb2ud_bV-xhhqdP2PSDgcBfHEdnL6irOwMxWLDpjGhuq4nqIJb-Exj4EyVaQnPvvEj1Hgaa8C5R5/s280/download%20scoop%20and%20scribe.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="180" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT3APkOe9ubbkISkmTBSEaTZQZQmB311f7lmd_-5pzsm56uSBmKyhdIVFSJaMPhz4fUcxyNClLVeS84CihN6WBirZDqYfP_po6RZXFyMLAq5zNMb2ud_bV-xhhqdP2PSDgcBfHEdnL6irOwMxWLDpjGhuq4nqIJb-Exj4EyVaQnPvvEj1Hgaa8C5R5/w129-h200/download%20scoop%20and%20scribe.jpg" width="129" /></a>Scoop and Scribe are commissioned to seek the seven lost stars which form the constellation Matariki (also known as the Pleiades or Subaru). <br /><br />Whetu guides the intrepid news-crew as they travel around New Zealand collecting the stars, which have been stolen by a kea (mountain parrot). A prominent local feature plays an important part in each chapter, so that the stolen statue of Pania of the Reef is recovered in Tauranga, while at Katikati, Donald Paterson’s sculpture Barry, (the only NZ statue to feature a newspaper) assists in the search. <br />With its many Maori characters and references, the story is accompanied by a Maori-English glossary and some factual material about Matariki and the Maori New Year. <br /><br />Rob Turvey’s colour illustrations help make this an attractive presentation of a light-hearted fantasy quest, with an appeal for young male readers. <br /><br /> <br /><br /><b>5. The Seven Stars of Matariki Toni Rolleston-Cummins Nikki Slade-Robinson (ill.) Huia (2008)</b><br /><br />The Maori New Year is traditionally marked by the rising of the star cluster Matariki (also known as Subaru and the Pleiades). There are many Maori legends about Matariki. <br />This picture book retells a Maori tradition of Matariki’s origins, from the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island, and introduces some associated customs and rituals. <br /><br />Mitai, who lived at Maketu (near modern Whakatane) had the power</div><div> to change himself into a bird.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLZZUCkuFzbyOyfchCZoOlzjJBHnZOKCgFGPjiSn0Z1zeIPtLLplSOpc3SPbTY47Ga0krQiNKF54YeWMFENcAcjAXvGnDkrwn9nghw4N6AvNmH25dLSlF1UO6jBcezqKI0b2FRqakY7XB-TlfXnRIMaCdlvPrI9p8lyG5WFASmh9ka1NZEFqig5SZ/s267/Toni%20download%20Seven%20stars.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="189" data-original-width="267" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLZZUCkuFzbyOyfchCZoOlzjJBHnZOKCgFGPjiSn0Z1zeIPtLLplSOpc3SPbTY47Ga0krQiNKF54YeWMFENcAcjAXvGnDkrwn9nghw4N6AvNmH25dLSlF1UO6jBcezqKI0b2FRqakY7XB-TlfXnRIMaCdlvPrI9p8lyG5WFASmh9ka1NZEFqig5SZ/w320-h227/Toni%20download%20Seven%20stars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> When his seven elder brothers were entranced by seven beautiful golden-haired women, they ignored Mitai’s warning that the seven women were really patuparaeihe (fairy folk). <br />Mitai overheard these women (who could turn themselves into fantails) plotting to starve their new husbands to death. He persuaded his brothers – now gaunt with hunger – to weave nets so they could capture their seven murderous wives while they were still in fantail form. Then Mitai flew up and handed the captive fairies over to Urutengangana, god of the stars, who placed them far from Earth. Once a year, the god allows their golden beauty to shine out. So at each winter solstice, the seven stars of Matariki appear above the horizon. <br /><br /> <br /><br /><b> 6. Little Kiwi’s Matariki <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Nikki Slade Robinson (text and ill) Duck Creek Press (2016)</b><br /><br />The little Kiwi and her friends discover the joy of Matariki in this charming picture book. A beam of moonlight wakens little kiwi. The tiny kiwi realises the time has come and runs through the bush in the darkness. One by one, she wakens her sleeping friends and tells them to come and see something exciting. <i>‘Can you feel it coming?’ </i><br /><br />Before long she has a procession of creatures (including </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFmW5h3o7MyM17kKssMZ0drzcALbh0Z3FotHwskkFF55n-MufUSXckAz4MytJjdEaz9LPvaX-gG4X_Z8uQPwShMmfqUZe2ASlT_N4yZzQauRVwJN2bfDA078jRfOPgicTLBINbfcuPyPpbwMOLkBXcGGlVDglBVuKo6LfptUS5ny08daIqeB7h1zC/s246/download%20Little%20Kiwis%20Matariki.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="246" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFmW5h3o7MyM17kKssMZ0drzcALbh0Z3FotHwskkFF55n-MufUSXckAz4MytJjdEaz9LPvaX-gG4X_Z8uQPwShMmfqUZe2ASlT_N4yZzQauRVwJN2bfDA078jRfOPgicTLBINbfcuPyPpbwMOLkBXcGGlVDglBVuKo6LfptUS5ny08daIqeB7h1zC/s1600/download%20Little%20Kiwis%20Matariki.jpg" width="246" /></a>katipo spider, tui, weka and a family of ruru (owls)) trailing<br />behind her. Young readers will enjoy the parallel to Chicken-Licken. <br />Finally they all arrive at the beach and stand in the moonlight, as Matariki rises. They celebrate the New Year in the traditional Maori ways. For example, the katipo weaves a silken kite and flies it as part of the fun and games. <br /><i>‘Matariki?’ said Tui, ‘Time for music and dance!’ He sang to the stars. </i><br />The author’s illustrations are stylised and streamlined representations of New Zealand plants and birds. They are also witty. The tiny owlets are all eyes and the weka (woodhen) is a speedster. <br /><br />Little Kiwi’s Matariki also includes an explanation of Matariki – it's origins, traditions and how it is celebrated today. The constellation is shown, with the Māori names for each star. The story also offers what Nikki Slade Robinson describes as ‘<i>a gentle introduction to te reo within the English text.</i>’ <br /><br />Winner Best Picture Book of 2016 in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shayne's reading of Little Kiwi’s Matariki is available on YouTube <br /><br /> <br /><br /><b>7. The Seven Kites Of Matariki Calico McClintock, Dominique Ford (ill.) Scholastic (2016)</b><br /><br />The Seven Kites of Matariki is a modern tale about Matariki. It explains why the star cluster known as Matariki can be seen in an early morning winter sky, low on the eastern horizon. <br /><br />In a Maori village, seven sisters are making kites to celebrate the arrival of the new year, just as their mothers and grandmothers had before them.<br />Each girl makes a different kite using local materials; </div><div>the youngest sister, Ururangi makes ‘a many-<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv4j0EUw9w-MiSLuEozFqfk_U1sJa8hIMgV1SSYkiyuHrJSlRkd59LolEycP71XIWD-qNk06VqDAm1owq_mZHNH-IlBsvKA5tXyGeH-fDNEQ8IZ_9hi_0nMAhWl3JBp7WvfhZBz5H1t9JnTMd9mp6CUdvAE1OjbIecwwNzpPJkIPvd0t_q6yNPtcE/s310/download%20Seven%20Kites.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="310" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv4j0EUw9w-MiSLuEozFqfk_U1sJa8hIMgV1SSYkiyuHrJSlRkd59LolEycP71XIWD-qNk06VqDAm1owq_mZHNH-IlBsvKA5tXyGeH-fDNEQ8IZ_9hi_0nMAhWl3JBp7WvfhZBz5H1t9JnTMd9mp6CUdvAE1OjbIecwwNzpPJkIPvd0t_q6yNPtcE/w320-h168/download%20Seven%20Kites.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>coloured kite with eyes of paua shell’. <br />The seven girls climb a hill to fly their kites and argue with each other about whose kite will fly highest. <br /><i>‘My kite is the best.’ </i><br />Unfortuately there is no wind on the hilltop and so the seven girls wrap themselves in their cloaks and wait beneath a giant puriri tree. Exhausted, they soon fall asleep. When the wind blows from the east, crying ‘<i>Wake up. Wake up’</i> they don’t hear it. But their kites lift up in the wind, which carries them fluttering up into the sky. <br /><br />Much later, Ururangi wakes up, sees her kite gone and awakens her sisters to tell them of their loss. Her six sisters look out into the morning sky and see their six kites flying there like the new year stars. The six head back to the village for kai (food). <br />Ururangi remains behind searching the skies for her kite. She is rewarded by being the first to see the seven stars of Matariki appear. <br /><br />Dominique Ford’s beautiful illustrations capture the symbolism of the story well. Each kite is based on a traditional design and the colours are matched to the appropriate plants and shells used in making them.<br /><br />Note: Ururangi is the Matariki star traditionally associated with the wind. <br /><br />Shayne's reading of The Seven Kites of Matariki is on YouTube. <br /><br /> <br /><br /><b>8. Tawhirimatea: A Song for Matariki June Pitman-Hayes, Kay Merewether (ill.) Scholastic (2017)</b></div><div><br /><i>''Tāwhirimātea, blow winds, blow.’</i><br />This picture book (which doubles as a song book) shows the world through the eyes of a Maori family. As they gather shellfish, plant a tree, and have a family picnic, their words are reminders of the importance of the natural world about them. The seasons pass by, until the rising of the stars of Matariki signal the beginning of a new year. <br /><i>‘Our universe is an amazing nature show.’</i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlzHapXX3PSNOeKMjo3cQA5JeUeo0HwzX-z8owg8volZWsQw_IgurPVkFykxtJPs0huSaqFlTChnlmIU_nox0mIuCPh0VXY4kfkrJsuQ5QPiPm4zW9cgRj_MxQEWc7hUKiNV0Y-TaUisSbDWtacoDhnCk8EP_sgx82wDa1wvgkiv4iDVxLdPUKhID/s235/Tawhirimatea%20shopping.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="228" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXlzHapXX3PSNOeKMjo3cQA5JeUeo0HwzX-z8owg8volZWsQw_IgurPVkFykxtJPs0huSaqFlTChnlmIU_nox0mIuCPh0VXY4kfkrJsuQ5QPiPm4zW9cgRj_MxQEWc7hUKiNV0Y-TaUisSbDWtacoDhnCk8EP_sgx82wDa1wvgkiv4iDVxLdPUKhID/s1600/Tawhirimatea%20shopping.webp" width="228" /></a></div></div><div><i><br /></i>The second part of the book consists of the same lyrics, this time in Maori. </div><div>‘<i>Now, let’s sing it in Maori</i>.’ </div><div>The Maori words are by Ngaere Roberts. <br /><i>‘Ko te ao nui, he Whakaari, miharo.’ </i><br /><br />The watercolour illustrations by Kat Merewether perform a double service. They show the family along with the birds, fish and plants in their natural surroundings but they also illustrate the traditional Maori pantheon of supernatural beings. Tāwhirimātea is the god of the winds, and his face appears, cheeks puffed, among the clouds, while Ra provides the sunshine and Ua the rain. <br /><br />Each picture has its secret for young readers to spot. <br /><br />On an accompanying CD, both versions of the song are performed by June Pitman-Hayes with her own ukulele accompaniment. There is also an instrumental track for young vocalists to sing along to. <br /><br /> <br /><br /><b>9. Stolen Stars of Matariki Miriama Kamo, Zac Waipara (ill.) Scholastic (2018)</b><br /><br />Stolen Stars of Matariki is a splendid picture book bringing some of the Māori traditions associated with Matariki into a 21st Century context. <br />Young Te Rerehua and Sam are visiting their grandparents at one of Canterbury’s important Maori traditional sites, Te Mata Hapuku (Birdlings Flat), a massive shingle spit and traditional eeling site. It is “<i>a magical wild, windy place</i>,” where they can gather agates on the beach. While Poua (grandfather) is gaffing eels at night, the children lie on the shingle with Grandma, looking up at the stars. One night Grandma spots something strange; there are two stars missing from the Matariki cluster. The patupaiarehe (fairy folk) have been stealing stars again. </div><div>Their plan is to hide the stars beneath the<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ctjmguAiWVgemqvDHy1wSHpIXTCCPuYDgXZp5DiPdnfXfu9stF3V6N_EjVlId2vDGatSKKTPr6SVjdnd_m7_6jbkAhlwoP2zolEY_60yvYloTF5CiGh5HFv-87OlqsWTu1dTdbWYiQixVktJ0vT2FVhzqVP87IaxMPO5mEO3XPkjoJ6xQLAPpo7q/s192/download%20Stolen%20Stars%20Kamo.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="183" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ctjmguAiWVgemqvDHy1wSHpIXTCCPuYDgXZp5DiPdnfXfu9stF3V6N_EjVlId2vDGatSKKTPr6SVjdnd_m7_6jbkAhlwoP2zolEY_60yvYloTF5CiGh5HFv-87OlqsWTu1dTdbWYiQixVktJ0vT2FVhzqVP87IaxMPO5mEO3XPkjoJ6xQLAPpo7q/w305-h320/download%20Stolen%20Stars%20Kamo.webp" width="305" /></a></div>shingle, to be smashed to pieces, so they can wear the fragments on their clothing. <br />Using Grandma’s knowledge (and Poua’s gaff) Te Rerehua and Sam manage to infiltrate and outwit the mischievous patupaiarehe, and restore the kidnapped stars to their rightful place in the heavens. <br />Miriama Kamo has written a beautifully-styled story which has the simplicity and power of traditional folk tales. <br /><br />Zak Waipara has produced magnificently atmospheric illustrations, with richly patterned and coloured backgrounds. He has successfully achieved the difficult task of mixing human and supernatural characters, as well as the technically difficult feat of portraying night-time activities. The result is a handsome and appealing picture book. <br /><br />Stolen Stars of Matariki now joins a select mini-library of celebrations of Matariki. <br />These include Matariki (2003), Glow-Worm Night (2004), The Seven Stars of Matariki (2008), and Tawhirimatea: A Song for Matariki (2017). <br /><br />In 2018 Scholastic also published a Maori language edition, Nga Whetu Matariki Whanakotia, with the Maori translation by Ngaere Roberts. <br /><br />Note: The rising above the N.E. horizon (in May-June) of the star cluster Matariki marks the Maori New Year. While it is common to count seven stars forming the cluster known as Matariki (or Subaru or Pleaides) some Maori identify nine. Their names are Matariki, Pōhutukawa, Waitī, Waitā, Waipuna-ā-rangi, Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, Ururangi, and Hiwa-i-te-rangi. - info from Christchurch Library Website: The Nine Stars of Matariki <br /><br />During the 2020 Covid-19 Lockdown, musicians from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra provided a musical background, as Miriama Kamo read The Stolen stars of Matariki aloud. The composer of the original music is Claire Cowan. <br />Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWWcM0BWwwc</div><div><br /><br /><b>10. Together in Love: a Legend of Matariki Xoë Hall (text & ill.) Teacher Talk (2018)</b><br /><br />This picture book is a brief retelling of the Māori creation legend telling how the children of the gods Ranginui and Papatūānuku force them apart to let in the light and allow the world to flourish. Tāwhirimātea, god of the wind, angered by this action of his sibling gods, tears out his lightning-bolt eyes and throws them up into the sky. They explode to become </div><div>the star cluster of the Matariki constellation, which </div><div>is now the harbinger of the Māori New Year.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQDfyrM-f3kJQLwPaWo6elOoLKLh1DFJTEQLhFfkB_CdIJdNJAo_JpsCVUj_KpZ2Soji_FG0IH3_2qbJIuOTBSBWHZ4kJHatmqbnlDppmlAwmw5tnD5s_heXHXKCg3ZSchXp4-NChcNkNNreVuUihG9U7KsiJ6SBE_SqIMhLHMZ_zXOFRK5TLXw3h/s225/download%20Together%20in%20Love%20Matariki.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQDfyrM-f3kJQLwPaWo6elOoLKLh1DFJTEQLhFfkB_CdIJdNJAo_JpsCVUj_KpZ2Soji_FG0IH3_2qbJIuOTBSBWHZ4kJHatmqbnlDppmlAwmw5tnD5s_heXHXKCg3ZSchXp4-NChcNkNNreVuUihG9U7KsiJ6SBE_SqIMhLHMZ_zXOFRK5TLXw3h/w227-h227/download%20Together%20in%20Love%20Matariki.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><br /> <br /><br />When Māori come together at new year, to celebrate, they tell this story to their children as their parents did before them. <br /><br />Xoë Hall’s simple retelling is nicely matched by her colour illustrations. She uses bright colours and traditional Maori designs to make the various gods distinctive figures. <br /><br />Shayne’s reading of Together in Love is available on YouTube: <br /> <br /><br /><br /><b>11. Twinkle, Twinkle, Matariki Rebecca Larsen (text and ill.) Imagination Press (2019)</b><br /><i>Whistle like the windy sky, <br />Sprinkle showers passing by. </i><br /><br />This charming picture book is both simple and useful. Within an over-arching story format of three native birds (Hoiho, Pukeko and Kiwi) touring outer space in a rocket, it presents a series of simple songs (with a familiar tune) about such things as our food, how it is grown, the seasons, the weather,<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5cAN-T8Ta-D1eGo_-smvRA2LlrxiZ5_d2HFAmHEozDlyfZ2rf2Hf6Fx526QIfSdy0XN8mmOZKsQPUFQRETuXmDO1B9QAgEQbRnA_4CFpgWkqijFvjf7PiCdROdo5Db4EF66t17zCx16q4XTAxT7qfvce5IOJiiX5PgcKFGJYi7v3M7hcoMtGr9XM/s231/download%20Twinkle.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="218" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5cAN-T8Ta-D1eGo_-smvRA2LlrxiZ5_d2HFAmHEozDlyfZ2rf2Hf6Fx526QIfSdy0XN8mmOZKsQPUFQRETuXmDO1B9QAgEQbRnA_4CFpgWkqijFvjf7PiCdROdo5Db4EF66t17zCx16q4XTAxT7qfvce5IOJiiX5PgcKFGJYi7v3M7hcoMtGr9XM/s1600/download%20Twinkle.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br /> and of course the stars that act as markers. <br /><br /><i>Rub your puku round and round <br />Food we’ve grown, caught or found. </i><br /><br />Bright colourful illustrations by the author match the simple songs, which are provided in both Maori and English. Particularly pleasing is the spaceship which is decorated with Maori motifs, an inspiration for young kiwi astronauts. <br />A pictorial Glossary ensures that all is explained. <br />These songs scan well and provide young people with useful vocabulary. The words are provided in both English and Maori. (Translators: Tania Solomon, Justin Kereama). <br /><br />A bonus CD has the songs sung in both English and Maori by Paul Inia. (Music by Richard Larsen.) <br /><br />Twinkle, Twinkle, Matariki is the perfect book for a kindergarten or kura kaupapa sing-along in English or Te Reo. <br /><br /> <br /><br /><b>12. The Promise of Puanga: A Story for Matariki Kirsty Wadsworth, Munro Te Whata (ill), Scholastic (2019)</b><br /><br /><i> ‘Hana and Puanga did everything together.’ </i><br />The Promise of Puanga is a picture book about two friends, and the fun they have together, watching new-born animals in spring, swimming in summer and riding their bikes through the leaves in autumn. <br />A problem in their area is that winter comes without warning, killing the un-gathered crops. When Hana speaks to Puanga about this problem and the need for a warning about the approach of winter, she gets an astonishing confession.</div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iBbCi2v9g5WGIu6C4z946CgNTyV-jTATUDYwz0Wwk4JbFBurEPP76GKYKcuCrMt0SPdwgoBIm3Jk_v5WqLhlIhZU5H_S8_eebhpwN4O1TD8t0T_obzVnZnhkXTfn6stJNcrYMRn3l1keJdCOGjGCy_muWXbFgWbTU0GJQvwGfTNvrrv8Q8njV2RX/s229/download%20Promise%20of%20Puanga.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iBbCi2v9g5WGIu6C4z946CgNTyV-jTATUDYwz0Wwk4JbFBurEPP76GKYKcuCrMt0SPdwgoBIm3Jk_v5WqLhlIhZU5H_S8_eebhpwN4O1TD8t0T_obzVnZnhkXTfn6stJNcrYMRn3l1keJdCOGjGCy_muWXbFgWbTU0GJQvwGfTNvrrv8Q8njV2RX/w192-h200/download%20Promise%20of%20Puanga.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><i>‘I’m really a star,’ Puanga explained. </i><br />She has left her Matariki cousins in order to ‘explore and go on adventures.’ <br />Hana has never seen the stars of Matariki because of the nearby hills and mountains. <br />Puanga summons Tāwhirimātea, the guardian of the wind, to take her back up into the sky to be a guardian for Hana’s village. <br />Tāwhirimātea promises that when Hana sees Puanga shining brightly in the sky, she will know it is time for the people to gather their crops. ‘She is our own special sign,’ says Hana. And so it happens. <br /><br />Munro Te Whata’s splendid illustrations convey the friendship of the two girls in several charming scenes. His portrayal of Tawhirimatea is equally skilful, bringing together the colour of the night sky, the shape of the nearby mountain and the suggestion of clouds as his hair and beard. <br />The result is a lovely modern story based on traditional Maori elements. <br /><br />This picture book, The Promise of Puanga, fills an unusual gap. In recent years some half-dozen New Zealand picture books have been published with stories about the cluster of stars Matariki, the rising of which signals the coming of winter and marks the traditional Maori New Year. What none of these books has mentioned is that in some areas along our western coasts, mountainous terrain prevents sighting of these stars (also known as the Pleiades, Mao or Subaru). The Promise of Puanga tells in story form how this astronomical difficulty was solved for the Maori people living in these western areas by the rising of Puanga (also known as Rigel). <br /><br />There are Teaching Notes for this book at: The Promise of Puanga <br /><br />A diagram showing Matariki and Puanga is at: https://teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/14080/puanga <br /><br />In 2019 Scholastic also published an identical Maori language edition, He Purakau Matariki, Te Ki Taurangi a Puanga. <br /><br /> <br /><br /><b>13. Flit the Fantail and the Matariki Map Kat Quinn (text and ill.) Scholastic (2021)</b><br /><br />This third picture book in the Flit the Fantail series is written and illustrated by Kat Quin (formerly Kat Mereweather). <br /><i>We’re lost! Flit and Keri cry. </i><br />Lured by the moonlight and unable to sleep, Flit has left the safety of his nest and ventured down to the dark forest floor. Flit hopes to capture the moonlight (in order to illuminate his nest). Through the trees, he can see the star cluster known as Matariki. <br /><i>Tahi, rua, toru, whā, rima, ono, whitu, waru, iwa, he counts.</i></div><div><i> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegjwKT1Sbt3BjeX_nrxzHWXjd9v0skF11OEX4SW8eyCxN0g_9xg0THhaxUgNUEoLH967B1LTRx55ux7vbtGUNmztQ0C1zwtLJa5OTdtiJr5fUwdlPbJvgEdig8sKevfLDGsgQKTOtfaNUKComPpAGPP7SbSfbxqCZh_dR9yVlDrDdPLIK-WWUuqCt/s229/download%20Flit.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="220" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegjwKT1Sbt3BjeX_nrxzHWXjd9v0skF11OEX4SW8eyCxN0g_9xg0THhaxUgNUEoLH967B1LTRx55ux7vbtGUNmztQ0C1zwtLJa5OTdtiJr5fUwdlPbJvgEdig8sKevfLDGsgQKTOtfaNUKComPpAGPP7SbSfbxqCZh_dR9yVlDrDdPLIK-WWUuqCt/s1600/download%20Flit.jpg" width="220" /></a></div></i>Keri the young kiwi, out foraging, offers to help Flit in his quest. They struggle through the bush and scrub and climb up high but are still unable to reach the moon. The pair realise that they are lost. How can they find their way home? <br />Ruru the owl sees them huddled together and points to the stars above. <br /><i>Sometimes those special stars can even guide us home. </i><br /><br />Flit spots the cluster of nine stars he saw earlier above his home. He carefully pecks nine holes into a kawakawa leaf in the shape of Matariki. Then the two birds make their way home, using the leaf map to follow the Matariki stars. They reach home just before the sun rises. Flit then has a bright idea. Perhaps he can capture the sun and use it to light his nest at night? <br /><br />The charming colour illustrations are by the author, Kat Quin. <br /><br />An identical Maori language edition of Flit the Fantail and the Matariki Map was also published by Scholastic NZ in 2021, as Ko Flit te Tirairaka te Mahere Matariki. <br /><br /> <br /><br /><b>14. Daniel’s Matariki Feast Linley Wellington & Rebecca Beyer (text) <br />Christine Ross (ill) Duck Creek Press. </b>English ed (2014); Māori ed (2015) and combined English Māori and Chinese pinyin ed (2021).</div><div><br />On his first day at kindergarten, Daniel is shy. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLKDE-2XucEwIYl71vY795WdBwGqbs2fqkGRX_BwSXT5JAGd-ZyVllOxth9M-8YR1PjTsBU-f4cK2Cclo_grtDNBuhs3E2-N-NJD0iAKW1cjLxWDtngFTx3cJoD8Q4wv7SY2-QrbQW0bvXnQ-uInEWOEqSOFKFDThv3FcwYSB1YuIhgUwmOODUB_L/s248/download%20Daniels%20M%20Feast%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="248" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLKDE-2XucEwIYl71vY795WdBwGqbs2fqkGRX_BwSXT5JAGd-ZyVllOxth9M-8YR1PjTsBU-f4cK2Cclo_grtDNBuhs3E2-N-NJD0iAKW1cjLxWDtngFTx3cJoD8Q4wv7SY2-QrbQW0bvXnQ-uInEWOEqSOFKFDThv3FcwYSB1YuIhgUwmOODUB_L/s1600/download%20Daniels%20M%20Feast%201.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><br /></div><div>He is puzzled that they will be having a feast </div><div>because of the stars. </div><div>Then he listens to some of the other children </div><div>telling stories of the Māori New Year. <br /><br />At home Daniel tells his mother about the feast and she makes a spicy pumpkin soup using her late mother’s recipe. (This is a subtle reminder that Matariki is also a time for remembering those who have died.) Daniel has fun working in the garden with his new friends and afterwards he enjoys his Matariki feast. <br /><br />Christine Ross’s illustrations really capture the world of small boys and also give a good idea of how to greet the Māori new year. <br /><br /><br /><b>15. Matariki Around the World Rangi Matamua & Miriama Kamo <br />Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (ill.) 82 pages, hardback, Scholastic (2022) </b><br /><br />The subtitle tells it all: A Cluster of Stars, A Cluster of Stories. <br />Miriama Kamo and Rangi Matamua have gathered stories from around the world that are linked to the distinctive group of stars known to Maori as Matariki. ‘<i>All around the world, the star cluster has different names, different stories, different mahi (jobs), and even different numbers of stars</i>.’ The result is the best book ever written about Matariki. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAyiNFdwbsXnZSDLqNnRIBWPzf_kAHj8m7xQf7ryXtCJzJjloZZeAFd1Kjre9S_2_U4JFCYkQ4TAQyu_gdsVWYeJ3Yr2v0mawyeAPi8QELsghtUP76x7MeXTaAplG29bXvzPS14ZMaFkqZO86L4xe0lg2uzJScbbdVagzo-gWdW5PHudE3Of3xUaC/s276/Matariki%20around%20the%20world%20shopping.webp" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="228" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAyiNFdwbsXnZSDLqNnRIBWPzf_kAHj8m7xQf7ryXtCJzJjloZZeAFd1Kjre9S_2_U4JFCYkQ4TAQyu_gdsVWYeJ3Yr2v0mawyeAPi8QELsghtUP76x7MeXTaAplG29bXvzPS14ZMaFkqZO86L4xe0lg2uzJScbbdVagzo-gWdW5PHudE3Of3xUaC/w274-h332/Matariki%20around%20the%20world%20shopping.webp" width="274" /></a><br /><br />The first part of Matariki Around the World describes the Māori traditional creation of the </div><div>world and has handsome double-page descriptions of the Maori gods and the lunar calendar. There are similar double-page retellings of some Māori traditions concerning the attributes of each of the stars Matariki and her eight children (Pōhutukawa, Tipuānuku, Tipuārangi, Waiti, Waitā, Waipunarangi, Ururangi and Hiwa-i-te-rangi). For example Tipuānuku cares for food grown in the earth, and her brightness gives an indication of how kumara crops will fare in the year ahead.</div><div><i>‘Anā! Te paki o Matariki. Behold! The wonders of Matariki.’ </i><br /><br />The second part of the book offers some retellings of Matariki stories from other cultures around the world. Not only the well-known Pleiades (Greece) and Subaru (Japan) legends are offered but also a range of stories from Africa, Australia, China, India, Scandinavia and North and South America. All are fascinating but the most interesting are the ones from the Pacific, with the similarities and differences sympathetically examined. <br /><br />The writing style of this book is remarkable. The text is well researched and culturally sensitive but it is also written in a relaxed and witty style. Here the authors are revealing the Viking name for Matariki: ‘<i>So you would think they’d have a pretty tough-guy name for the Matariki cluster, wouldn’t you? Nope. They called it…ahem…Freya’s Hens. Hens? What? Are hens hardy, battle-scarred warriors?</i>’ (We also learn that some Vikings preferred to think of Matariki as a ladybird because of the insect’s seven spots.) Either way, Freya was the goddess who cared for the spirits of dead warriors. ‘<i>So Freya is pretty cool</i>.’<br />Writing like this makes for enjoyable reading. <br /><br />Each story is beautifully illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White. <br />Best of all, this handsomely designed book has an excellent index and glossary. <br />It is a picture book which every home should have.<br /><br /> Trevor Agnew </div><div>24 June 2022</div><div>The first celebration of Matariki as a New Zealand public holiday.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKspE-ro8zI5kztqWFuxhtPBzYVPxnMyWIn0OAS34qSQEvdq1CBt6S7xSTXFmvYihLDGr4XJ1NkhJuRJy2qLh7zKgveZwrztf_neIkS9WDSdRyzMVwNAuuFqVu708Cruc4wr--YAorffiljXOT00ur_Pq2hTR1en6ikSOkFjWvl_j9RvuIV-oslpp/s299/download%20Matariki%20ALL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKspE-ro8zI5kztqWFuxhtPBzYVPxnMyWIn0OAS34qSQEvdq1CBt6S7xSTXFmvYihLDGr4XJ1NkhJuRJy2qLh7zKgveZwrztf_neIkS9WDSdRyzMVwNAuuFqVu708Cruc4wr--YAorffiljXOT00ur_Pq2hTR1en6ikSOkFjWvl_j9RvuIV-oslpp/w400-h225/download%20Matariki%20ALL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-23038838275008497512022-06-20T20:55:00.001-07:002022-06-20T21:04:37.628-07:00The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own
Making</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">by Catherynne M. Valente (2011)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>I was reading John Scalzi’s <b>Head On</b>, when I came across a
scene where an FBI agent was questioning a suspect in her massive mind palace,
a virtual reality site where their disembodied personalities could meet. It
contains a library of painstakingly detailed books.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The agent picks up a volume.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">‘<i>Catherynne M. Valente. My favourite author.</i>’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">‘<i>Mine too</i>,’ is the reply.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">That cryptic exchange sent me to the library and a copy
of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Space Opera</b>, the funniest science
fiction novel I’ve read. John Scalzi summed-up Catherynne Valente's Space Opera best, when he wrote that it was,
‘As if Ziggy Stardust went on a blind date with <b>The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy</b>, then they</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnNttZb0JoE_x7Gi59Rz239VTc1Q6oq5tl_zZxXj7cmQPliw1bqJC9gW-E6tDjgoVWg4OKDjzop6SLEMtpRHHZbVbNlgWEW4xg64fja9z7txw_loc4YcXKBK8QK2TyUiwhZ_dvUycA4CW0TjJRnBnvLsvAqkAsDP7JNCrPsgoQTN01VzZDbqw7fju/s430/Space%20Opera%209781481497497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="285" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnNttZb0JoE_x7Gi59Rz239VTc1Q6oq5tl_zZxXj7cmQPliw1bqJC9gW-E6tDjgoVWg4OKDjzop6SLEMtpRHHZbVbNlgWEW4xg64fja9z7txw_loc4YcXKBK8QK2TyUiwhZ_dvUycA4CW0TjJRnBnvLsvAqkAsDP7JNCrPsgoQTN01VzZDbqw7fju/w133-h200/Space%20Opera%209781481497497.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /> got smashed and sang karaoke all night.’ This is a novel
which everyone who loathes the Eurovision Song Contest should read just to
encounter the Metagalactic Grand Prix for song and dance.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The next Valente title I located was the first of her
Fairyland series, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.
At this point we should all remember what the great Diana Wynne Jones wrote in
Fire and Hemlock: ‘Only thin, weak thinkers despise fairy stories.’ <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>I’ll leave you to find a copy of <b>The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making</b>.
Catherynne M. Valente’s books are in all good libraries and bookshops.
Meanwhile here are a couple of quotations connected to her 12-year-old heroine,
September:</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">“…September read often and liked it best when words did
not pretend to be simple but put on their full armour and rode out with colours flying."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEVLW_swPTGDy9uQk_Vmv_Y70s1GC6kdlYwU-0X52nL86eHOzUUh2PwkigZ3nekl2eKCya5j6X_ESgG6poY6OGKMTyC2SsNthTIIaHBC0MnTM_1b2BIvbdU7jQB5FXfzfTdClnqrBgRXlKrqtoPd-lJ9c48SLADGHFzEBoLzY0P5QcyrKwojWNOht/s320/thegirlwhocircumnavigatedfairyland.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="214" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEVLW_swPTGDy9uQk_Vmv_Y70s1GC6kdlYwU-0X52nL86eHOzUUh2PwkigZ3nekl2eKCya5j6X_ESgG6poY6OGKMTyC2SsNthTIIaHBC0MnTM_1b2BIvbdU7jQB5FXfzfTdClnqrBgRXlKrqtoPd-lJ9c48SLADGHFzEBoLzY0P5QcyrKwojWNOht/s1600/thegirlwhocircumnavigatedfairyland.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>“The trouble was September didn’t know what sort of story
she was in. Was it a merry one or a serious one? How ought she to act?</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">If it were merry, she might dash after a Spoon and it
would all be a marvellous adventure, with funny rhymes and somersaults and a
grand party with red lanterns at the end. But if it were a serious tale, she
might have to do something important, something involving snow and arrows and
enemies. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Of course, we would like to tell her which. But no one
may know the shape of the tale in which they move. And, perhaps, we do not
truly know what sort of beast it is either. Stories have a way of changing
faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the
throwing of erasers. This is why we must close them up into thick solid books ,
so they cannot get out and cause trouble.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Trevor Agnew<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">21 June 2022<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-50253911330206160962022-01-29T23:03:00.002-08:002022-01-29T23:07:23.029-08:00Nature's Wildlife Weapons<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nature’s Wildlife
Weapons</b> (2022)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">James Ryan, Bateman<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbJsuFSDp_bLXHNgN_uaZUZs_L6JT0ldNJsK4W4diHwiOtoAx2wxqG-bno383-sAnrXApsm-WuQJ7F2Vgz0W6QP3es6_GIqzmwLUlml2u3mrfxKwezhgfA86CGpvHBJdOsIR0nsX6JjUrwcoSpTuaogs5iFSjygZcxq8F-CQum0GTpgPW8TmPJWqA0=s400" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbJsuFSDp_bLXHNgN_uaZUZs_L6JT0ldNJsK4W4diHwiOtoAx2wxqG-bno383-sAnrXApsm-WuQJ7F2Vgz0W6QP3es6_GIqzmwLUlml2u3mrfxKwezhgfA86CGpvHBJdOsIR0nsX6JjUrwcoSpTuaogs5iFSjygZcxq8F-CQum0GTpgPW8TmPJWqA0=w315-h400" width="315" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">32 pages, paperback, NZ $19.99<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 978-1-98-853877-8<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>James Ryan is twelve and he has created a book that twelve
year olds of all ages will enjoy.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Suddenly I’m twelve years old again, and this book is to
blame. Picture young James Ryan, intrigued by feathers and fossils, popping
into the Canterbury Museum and becoming fascinated. Now he’s written a book
about tusks and teeth, claws and horns. It’s called <b>Nature’s Wildlife Weapons</b>. It’s
excellent.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Picture young Anthony Wright, intrigued by ferns, popping
into the Auckland Museum and becoming fascinated. Now he’s Director of the Canterbury
Museum and he’s written the Introduction to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nature’s Wildlife Weapons. </b>It’s excellent.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Picture young Trevor Agnew, intrigued by skinks and
geckos, popping into the Otago Museum to get a lizard identified. Now I remain
fascinated by museums and I have to write a review of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nature’s Wildlife Weapons</b>. That’s simple. It’s excellent. </p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">James says he wrote this book for boys and girls like
himself. He has succeeded in writing a lively and interesting introduction to
the weapon systems used by animals. His writing style is clear and natural. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tusks, antlers, horns and claws are what
animals need to fight and hunt</i>.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tusks,
antlers, horns and claws are also what James enjoys collecting; several illustrations
show items from his private collection. His interest has led James to research
widely, from smilodon to coconut crab, sawfish to pouākai, megalodon to
therazinosaurus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The entertaining text is well laid out, with plenty of
intriguing section headings, such as ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What
were the biggest claws ever?</i>’ and ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deer
with tusks – weird right?</i>’. The paragraph ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gross Facts</i>’ lived up to its name by bringing together George
Washington’s dental problems and hippopotamus tusks. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">James delights in the remarkable ways some creatures have
developed for hunting, defence and impressing the opposite sex. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">They show us life close up and real</i>.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">It is no surprise that many of these well-armed creatures
are no longer with us, while many more, like the pangolin and the rhinoceros are
now threatened with extinction. It is ironic that protective features like
horns and tusks have made some creatures vulnerable to poaching. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">James has strong views on conservation and this comes
through naturally in his section on elephant tusks. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ivory was once used for all kinds of things – piano keys, knife handles
and buttons. …Today there is no reason to use ivory for anything. These things
can all be made from plastic or wood</i>.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I especially like the way he drops quiet little jokes
into his text. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My mum says that my dad
has mammoth meat at the bottom of our freezer</i>.’ <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">James also has a good feel for history. He was delighted
to find that the drays carrying moa bones from the swamp at Pyramid Valley to
the Canterbury Museum went right past his home. He adds, ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When the pouākai, Haast’s eagle, was alive, they circled the sky above
where I live today. And then, when they were gone, they came past one last time</i>.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Above all, this book radiates James’ enthusiasm for the
way our museums enable us to see some of the world’s wonders. Posing with the huge
jawbone of an extinct cave bear, he tells us that they were massive. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Standing on all fours this one could look a
tall man straight in the eyes. This skull has been in the Canterbury Museum
since 1874. And now we all get to see it.</i>’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyUmXNluxXo6gSbbZQzceeOAGCpESutgjHFTWUrU04rjcxbxQv2oOGxWLsuj_BsEXxAtC5_iTasLw23sAmXhSVs_rXsyD-mDVUdqI40iu6FTjJ8IHLPjYo-1wTBfbE5cCoV1aUvbyvw7hfeSWI81SkkH09aZTBcgJHvWZoZ7dSQ8Oe_8YGOoHQ5C6p=s1240" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="1240" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyUmXNluxXo6gSbbZQzceeOAGCpESutgjHFTWUrU04rjcxbxQv2oOGxWLsuj_BsEXxAtC5_iTasLw23sAmXhSVs_rXsyD-mDVUdqI40iu6FTjJ8IHLPjYo-1wTBfbE5cCoV1aUvbyvw7hfeSWI81SkkH09aZTBcgJHvWZoZ7dSQ8Oe_8YGOoHQ5C6p=s320" width="320" /></a></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nature’s Wildlife
Weapons</b> is well set out, with a good Glossary to help young readers. The colourful
illustrations have been carefully selected to catch the attention of browsers. Here
are mammoths fighting it out tusk to tusk, coconut crabs climbing trees and
narwhals admiring a 3-metre tusk. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">How appropriate it is that just as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nature’s Wildlife Weapons </b>is launched, the Canterbury Museum has
brought out ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a stampede of stuffed
specimens</i>’ for its <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fur Fangs and
Feathers</b> special exhibition, which runs until March 27<sup>th</sup>. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Imagine the effect it is having on all us twelve year
olds.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Trevor Agnew<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">30 January 2022<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-43002536698704406722021-11-16T17:23:00.001-08:002021-11-16T17:23:18.320-08:00Mina and the Whole Wide World Sherryl Clark<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mina and the Whole
Wide World</b> (2021)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Sherryl Clark, ill. Briony Stewart</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwf7y07ES0cvfZ-vsHcBt_qW5Sn560C1AVPXU3WmrPxXDKoJTuDi18_qnnftU6bDtlgUJQE5llllAT7QOwo4t3B1Cq5PqOMTip5Di1BOFEQPJzcw_pr4JLlrKz9doiVbgyVJsXF5HC8V8/s500/mina-and-the-whole-wide-world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwf7y07ES0cvfZ-vsHcBt_qW5Sn560C1AVPXU3WmrPxXDKoJTuDi18_qnnftU6bDtlgUJQE5llllAT7QOwo4t3B1Cq5PqOMTip5Di1BOFEQPJzcw_pr4JLlrKz9doiVbgyVJsXF5HC8V8/s320/mina-and-the-whole-wide-world.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">University of Queensland Press, 110 pages<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">978-0-07022-6323-1, paperback, AUS$14.99<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">I’ve never met an Australian I didn’t like but I confess
to a slight irritation at their habit of snaffling New Zealanders and claiming
them as their own. Pavlovas, Phar Lap, Split Enz, Russell Crowe – it’s a long
list. With my enthusiasm for New Zealand children’s and YA books, I was always
aware that Pamela Allen was a Kiwi. Then I was delighted to find that Bren
McDibble hailed from Whanganui. Imagine then the pleasure I gained from finding
that Sherryl Clark, winner of a zillion Australian awards for writing, hails
from Kawakawa. (As all Kiwis know, Kawakawa is the gateway to the Bay of
Islands and the home of the world-famous Hundertwasser public toilets.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Melbourne is my favourite city and I don’t
blame New Zealanders for wanting to live there; it’s just a shame they can’t
pop back at the moment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">To bridge the Tasman in a literary way, I’d like to sing
the praises of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mina and the Whole Wide
World</b>, written by Sherryl Clark and illustrated by Briony Stewart. I think
it’s the best children’s novel I’ve read this year. To pay the ultimate
compliment, this is a story that is perfect for reading aloud to a class. There
is no higher praise.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">When we meet Mina, the narrator of the story, she and her
exuberant little brother Georgie are at a garage sale with their dad. She buys
a globe, and takes it home holding the whole wide world in her arms. Mina is
excited that she is about to have her own room – mum’s old office - where she
can keep her possessions, like the globe and her purple glitter unicorn, safe
from little fingers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Then she sees her parents have serious faces. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I see their mouths opening and closing but
their words are like stones dropping into my stomach.</i>’ <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">They are taking in a refugee and he will have the room.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">it’s not my room
anymore</i>.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The new arrival, Azzami, is silent and withdrawn both at
home and in school. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is put in Mina’s
class and his silence draws the hostility of ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oliver the drongo</i>’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mina
finds that because Azzami makes no response to the bullies, they pick on her. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“your
mate is a moron.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">When Georgie
breaks her unicorn and she finds herself increasingly isolated at school, Mina
resents Azzami. Then, during a writing class, Azzami comes to life drawing a
picture. What Mina sees in that picture of his home in Afghanistan moves her to
give Azzami a gift of a sketchblock and pencils.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A visit to see
his mother in hospital has Azzami smiling. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">his
smile is like the sun coming out.</i>’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">After a crisis at
school Mina punches the bully Oliver and is punished with suspension. Azzami
draws a picture of Mina as her heroine Ninja Annie. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Azzami giggles.</i>’ The dramatic conclusion of the story comes as Mina
learns that Azzami’s mother is recovering and Azzami will be leaving soon. Azzami
draws dozens of pictures and his teacher – a thoughtful woman – gets Azzami to
tell the class his story using, not words, but pictures. The effect on the
class is beautifully described, as is the final scene where Azzami and Mila
achieve a moment of unity with the help of her globe.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The skilful illustrations throughout the text are by Briony
Stewart. As well as showing the characters and their interactions, she has
drawn attention to specific details. We are shown the importance of the pencils
to Azzami. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The screwdriver represents
Dad repairing the second-hand globe for Mina. A snail tucked into its shell portrays
Azzami’s withdrawn personality. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The pictures are particularly good at showing the expressions
and body language of the characters. When the class is admiring Azzami’s
pictures, the bully Oliver stands alone, baffled, his arms tightly folded. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a powerful visual metaphor.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The book’s design by Sally Soweol Han shows flair in its
layout. Each poem begins at the top of a new page and the pictures are gracefully
arranged so that they appear at exactly the right point in Mina’s narrative. The
reader is drawn into every page by the arrangement of word and image.<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mina and the Whole
Wide World</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> is a great story
beautifully told. Young readers probably won’t even notice but this is actually
a verse novel, a story told in a series of blank verse poems. Sherryl Clark
knows all about verse novels. Her earlier verse novel <b>Farm Kid</b> won the
NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Children’s Books. Sherryl gave her reason for
telling Mina and Azzami’s story in verse: ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I
find the gaps that poetry leaves for the reader are perfect for telling very
difficult, emotional stories where one can stop, reflect and imagine</i>.’ <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mina and the Whole
Wide World </b>is a story that will certainly invite readers to stop, reflect
and imagine. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">In my opinion this is the year’s best children’s novel by
a New Zealand author.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Trevor Agnew</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-81873973336588822592021-11-09T16:05:00.001-08:002021-11-09T16:05:17.549-08:00Across the Risen Sea, Bren MacDibble<p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CnTROn90omKwPnJekTr5X9PpeRDdTyWQZKQb4hhO2-dai-hQawIxRdujGMWLY8tnsgwS5eNrIqU7KgOZUct60_DYFUCRrR82NDlLQ2Ia4IkzT91tB_dt0EYG1fnA3pqMiQ1uLOw5FyM/s475/54431578._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CnTROn90omKwPnJekTr5X9PpeRDdTyWQZKQb4hhO2-dai-hQawIxRdujGMWLY8tnsgwS5eNrIqU7KgOZUct60_DYFUCRrR82NDlLQ2Ia4IkzT91tB_dt0EYG1fnA3pqMiQ1uLOw5FyM/w207-h320/54431578._SY475_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /><b>Across the Risen Sea<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Bren MacDibble <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Allen & Unwin (2020)<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Pb 978-1-76052-605-4</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This is my friend
Salesi and she’s a pirate and we’re rescuing you!<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This dystopian novel
must be unique; not only is it a rollicking adventure, it is also funny. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>Across the Risen Sea</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> has an engaging narrator, Neoma, a lively young inhabitant of the Ockery
Islands. Her best friend Jag (Jaguar) is more cautious than the impulsive
Neoma, who often leads him into trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are part of a community whose island home is Cottage Hill, part of
the Ockery Islands.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Old Marta, who was a young woman in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before times,</i> is able to give Neoma (and
the reader) hints of the catastrophic results of a combination of rising seas
and a summer of cyclones, followed by an outbreak of disease. [This seems to
have happened a decade earlier and Marta may not be as old as young Neoma
thinks she is.] The Ockery Islands are former hilltops at the entrance to what
has now become the Inland Sea. Other communities, such as Jacob’s Reach,
survive on these islands, living from their fishing, hen runs and vegetable
gardens. Sometimes the people also sail to the partly submerged tall buildings
of Surf Coast to scavenge and re-use equipment and goods.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Neoma’s world changes forever, with the sudden arrival by
boat of three strangers who, ignoring the villagers’ protests, chop down their
trees to erect a powered signalling device. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">[The parallel with flag-raising explorers of Australia,
New Zealand and the Pacific creates a subtle but powerful parable.]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marta recognises the gold headbands worn by
the trio. They are from the Valley of the Sun. Neoma is baffled because all the
valleys have been inundated; where can the Valley of the Sun be?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Neoma’s impulsive attempt to disconnect the device’s
power source has unexpected consequences. The people return and Jag is taken away
to work for six months as compensation. Worse follows. Neoma realises there has
been a tragic injustice involving a neighbouring community, Jacob’s Reach, and
she impulsively sets out in her mother’s fishing boat to rescue Jag. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m the doer. He’s the cautious one.</i> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">As she sails out from the Inland Sea to the edge of the
Main Sea, Neoma faces challenges from a persistent crocodile, a persistent
shark and – far worse – the grim female pirate known as Pirate Bradshaw, who
has all the persistence of a tax collector.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Helped by an unlikely ex-pirate, young Salesi, the
unsinkable Neoma finally learns the secret of the Valley of the Sun. But can
she rescue Jag? And is there any way to establish positive communication
between the two disparate groups?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">While a bald summary may sound grim, this is a lively and
amusing story, told with vim and flair. There are half a dozen strong female
characters in this novel - and that’s not counting the shark and the crocodile.
Neoma, however, is in a class of her own. I can’t wait to see who plays her in
the film.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Trevor Agnew<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">15 Jan 2021<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-17411018231147892002021-09-09T01:44:00.002-07:002021-09-09T01:44:14.940-07:00ATUA: Maori Gods and Heroes Gavin Bishop<p> <b>ATUA: M</b><b>āori
Gods and Heroes</b> (2021)</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Gavin Bishop<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Puffin (Penguin Random House)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">64 pages, hardback, NZ$40<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 978-0-14-377569-0<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDcsOwoFiZSt_89nQa12cdoTndD23fC1xkdBQq6hyG-6KKRdSmad3Z9eLbztWHNlmLp8pOQ2SSIYE-t_8j1GEZ1CdCkp4K3bKAM623rXGop1-2KYXzQjpAS73JvZ1Q3aIvx6cQtWQtd0/s2048/9780143775690+ATUA+cover.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1693" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDcsOwoFiZSt_89nQa12cdoTndD23fC1xkdBQq6hyG-6KKRdSmad3Z9eLbztWHNlmLp8pOQ2SSIYE-t_8j1GEZ1CdCkp4K3bKAM623rXGop1-2KYXzQjpAS73JvZ1Q3aIvx6cQtWQtd0/w266-h320/9780143775690+ATUA+cover.jpg" width="266" /></a><o:p> <br /><br /></o:p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"> Gavin Bishop isn’t
just a great artist, storyteller and speaker; he is also a great teacher. There
is no suggestion that ATUA is a textbook; it’s much too enjoyable for that. It’s
just that Gavin Bishop has woven a fascinating tapestry of Māori mythology and
legends, then carefully inserted tufts of knowledge into his smoothly-linked
patterns. The result is a splendid cloak of knowledge, to be worn proudly by
any New Zealander. Opening a page in ATUA is to learn something you didn’t know
and to have it firmly lodged into your memory by a well-chosen word or picture.
Or both.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In simple terms,
ATUA is a 64-page large format hardback; a companion picture book to Bishop’s
earlier AOTEAROA: the New Zealand Story (2017) and WILDLIFE of Aotearoa (2019).
In broader terms the three books can now be seen as a fully developed
masterwork.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ATUA is a magnificent retelling of some of the Maori
myths of Creation and the epic exploits of their gods, demi-gods and human heroes.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Myth is not a synonym for false. These
are tales that the first Polynesian settlers of Aotearoa brought with them and,
as Bishop gracefully puts it, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>found them
‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">recoloured</i>’ by their new
environment. They formed the basis for the rules and customs, religious
beliefs, manners and daily behaviour of M<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ā</span>ori tribal society. As such, they still have
relevance for us today, a point Bishop acknowledges frequently. Each tribe also
developed its own distinctive canoe legends and hero stories, and Bishop has
drawn widely from them as well.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book is an
elegant production, skilfully designed by Luke and Vida Kelly. We begin with
absolutely black endpapers. The next two pages are just as black. The text is
tiny, huddled in a corner.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Before the
beginning, there was nothing.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No sound, no air,
no colour – nothing.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Te Kore. Nothing</i>.’
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Out of the
darkness comes a sense of waiting, followed by hints of light, and a stirring.
Then a massive double-page illustration presents the great sky father, Ranginui
e T<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ū</span> Nei and the
mother earth, Papat<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ūā</span>nuku.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There they lay,
clutching one another tightly, madly in love</i>.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">And we still haven’t reached the title page! <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Gavin Bishop recites his mihi and begins his story. Rangi
and Papa have over seventy children: ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all
boys, all gods, all immortal</i>.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two awe-inspiring
double-page fold-outs provide a panorama of these gods, with seven of the most
significant ones dominating the scene and the story. These illustrations are created
in a range of traditional styles echoing tribal carvings and paintings. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the pictures show the Bishop firmness of
line and deft colouring that we have come to expect. (I have been lucky enough
to see some of the original paintings for this book and, believe me, every page
has an impact of its own.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Before long T<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ā</span>nemahuta
has succeeded in separating his parents. T<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ā</span>ne dresses and decorates his father with sun, stars and
moon, then covers his mother with ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a
garment of forests</i>’. The world as the Maori knew it begins to be created
and stocked with trees, birds, insects, fish, reptiles and people. People such
as Maui, Tawhaki and Kupe, each of whom gets worthy treatment. That’s Tawhaki
on the cover, storming heaven.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each
double-page is a story in itself, but the user-friendly prose is only part of
the pleasure of ATUA. The tale of Tawhaki’s revenge against the ponaturi (sea-spirits),
who killed his father, has three imaginative illustrations. The largest shows
the home of the evil ponaturi, with an articulated whale skeleton as its roof
beams. The effect is delightfully creepy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Whether they are deities, demi-gods or mortals, everyone in
ATUA speaks in a fresh, informal way. When T<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ū</span>matauenga tries to separate his parents, he boasts
to his brothers, ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Get out of my way,
weaklings! Let the god of war do the job.</i>’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hey, old fella,
come and carry these adzes for us</i>,’ says a woodworker to Tawhaki, ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We’re too tired.</i>’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hey! Cut that out</i>,’
calls Maui’s father.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every section also
carries small messages, amplifying and explaining, linking the past to the
present. The page depicting Te Marama (the moon) shows and names all 30 days of
the lunar cycle as well as indicating good days for fishing or planting. Neatly
tucked in by the picture of the full moon, in a space no bigger than a playing
card, is the story and picture of Rona and her ngaio tree. ATUA is full of tiny
gems like this.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The book that began with pages of dark nothingness ends
with pages showing a lively mixture of gods and well-laden voyaging canoes. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is truly a
book to treasure.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Trevor Agnew<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">31 August 2021<o:p></o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-1625099090604819342021-07-13T20:52:00.005-07:002021-11-09T16:10:22.468-08:00Betty Gilderdale 1923 – 2021<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Betty Gilderdale 1923 – 2021<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Betty Gilderdale, an important figure in New Zealand
children’s writing, died in Auckland on 9 July 2021, aged 97.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Betty was born in London in 1923. She and her husband,
Alan Gilderdale, immigrated to New Zealand with their young family, in 1967,
and she became a lecturer at the North Shore Teachers’ College. Her passionate
interest in books for young readers meant that before long Betty Gilderdale was
widely recognised as a reviewer, defender, commentator and historian of New
Zealand children’s literature. She also became a skilful and witty picture book
writer.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUunxyadb7ZQ3NKjpjNB5eFtm5TaIXt_Zly9ZrifC36gmy_M8qjkz1TPrsOhQDgoEriPLcPMdPpHLhcGGKhy6gAl-69aAn3cOTO97pUz3mAimS6QvgZFLvu5BNz5dXlJC9xOE3dRqYfU/s300/betty-gilderdale-225x300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="225" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUunxyadb7ZQ3NKjpjNB5eFtm5TaIXt_Zly9ZrifC36gmy_M8qjkz1TPrsOhQDgoEriPLcPMdPpHLhcGGKhy6gAl-69aAn3cOTO97pUz3mAimS6QvgZFLvu5BNz5dXlJC9xOE3dRqYfU/w152-h202/betty-gilderdale-225x300.jpg" width="152" /></a></div><o:p> </o:p>Using her expertise in children’s literature, she did
much to establish the importance of New Zealand writers and their work. Her
enthusiasm for locally-produced stories and picture books inspired generations
of teachers, librarians and parents. Her painstaking research work resulted in
her ground-breaking history <b>A Sea
Change: 145 Years of New Zealand Junior Fiction</b> (1982). For this remarkable
book, Betty Gilderdale set herself the task of reading and analysing every New
Zealand-linked children’s book published between 1833 and 1978. She succeeded
in this mammoth task, producing a well-ordered and readable survey, along with
an invaluable bibliography. Her judgements were clear and well balanced;
insightful but firm. ‘Few of the early books were literary masterpieces,’ she
noted.<p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p><b>Under the Rainbow</b>
(1990) was her collection of extracts from books read by New Zealand children
in the 19<sup>th</sup> and 20<sup>th</sup> Century. Betty Gilderdale was able
to use her deep knowledge of children’s literature to provide a wide range of
exciting and dramatic extracts, often with contemporary illustrations, as well
as a good selection of poems.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWxLkb8s00N_H7XxLlKkxtWaZghtuuyFykh-6Sty-I9a3IStD6AEu-EObte1KtHMjn99XP8fI5M0b1IJzDiLm4kivgDvHKfhuaCuLd42UjT8j5n9nEMBG8op3SGI-E157NTFQ-16WlfE/s616/9781742539034+Gilderdale+Mahy.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWxLkb8s00N_H7XxLlKkxtWaZghtuuyFykh-6Sty-I9a3IStD6AEu-EObte1KtHMjn99XP8fI5M0b1IJzDiLm4kivgDvHKfhuaCuLd42UjT8j5n9nEMBG8op3SGI-E157NTFQ-16WlfE/s320/9781742539034+Gilderdale+Mahy.jpg" /></a><o:p> </o:p><b>Introducing
Margaret Mahy</b> (1987) revised and updated as <b>Magical Margaret Mahy</b> (2013) was a lively account of Mahy’s life
and work. While it was aimed at students who were researching Mahy’s life, this
book’s appeal was universal. Every aspect of Mahy’s life was illustrated by
quotations from her stories. Thus a school visit, childhood memories,
unsympathetic teachers and the building of her house were all used as
springboards to the various facets of the Mahy imagination. Betty Gilderdale’s
carefully simplified writing style created a splendidly accessible celebration
of one of the world’s great writers for young people.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Betty Gilderdale also wrote a biography of Lady Barker
and published her own autobiography <b>My
Life in two Halves</b> in 2012. Her advice to young writers was succinct, ‘<i>Keep reading. Keep writing. Turn off the
telly!</i>’<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Elizabeth’s husband, the late Alan Gilderdale, often
provided the splendid artwork which accompanied her words, including the
immortal picture book, The Little Yellow Digger (1992) which, with its various
sequels, has sold over half a million copies. The ubiquitous little digger has
been to school, visited the zoo, dug up dinosaur bones and saved a whale. With
the assistance of son Peter and artist Fifi Colston, the digger lives on into
the 21<sup>st</sup> Century, and has introduced the alphabet and even saved
Christmas.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">In 2003 the Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Beloved Book
went to <b>The Little Yellow Digger</b>.
The book had just completed its first decade in print. ‘<i>The Little Yellow Digger has proved to be one of those satisfying books
that a child wants to read over and over again,</i>’ said Wayne Mills, chair of
the Children’s Literature Association (now Storylines) as he presented the award
to Betty and Alan.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">In 1994 Betty Gilderdale won the Margaret Mahy Medal and
Lecture Award. Ten years later she became a Member of the New Zealand Order of
Merit ‘<i>for services to children’s
literature</i>.’<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">The best honour of all, however, came when the Children’s
Literature Association chose to give her their Award for Services to Children’s
Literature in 1999. (She had been a committee member for over three decades.)
In the following year the award was renamed The Betty Gilderdale Award in
honour of her lifelong advocacy. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>It is hard to imagine a person who has made such a major
contribution to every aspect of children’s literature in New Zealand.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Trevor Agnew</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">(Winner, Betty Gilderdale Award, 2013)</p><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-11700209726716078772021-07-12T16:52:00.001-07:002021-07-12T17:03:17.893-07:00Faking It Kyle Mewburn <p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Faking It: My Life in Transition: A Memoir (2021)</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Kyle Mewburn<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Penguin Books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">270 pages paperback NZ$38<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 978-0-14-377518-8<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I was strawberry
jam in a can marked spinach</i>.’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Kyle Mewburn is a storyteller and in this memoir she
tells the sometimes painful story of how she found herself a female in a male
body. By the end of her story she is at ease in her female body. This
transition was not an easy one, but Kyle’s narrative skill and sense of humour
sweep the reader along so</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjpE7314nlp9mR6t_SkbnR_Yv8FNQ42UfzTkmxpC3x2fVhJXWRONb9gOPhvCB-uD29eE1z8hyphenhyphenskp6xWIJsvwzQUf5UBhu0lwSWNlVfD-kgHscGwhUXwVUKP3T68hSSVUpfZrCqxsi3fA/s2048/9780143775188+Mewburn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjpE7314nlp9mR6t_SkbnR_Yv8FNQ42UfzTkmxpC3x2fVhJXWRONb9gOPhvCB-uD29eE1z8hyphenhyphenskp6xWIJsvwzQUf5UBhu0lwSWNlVfD-kgHscGwhUXwVUKP3T68hSSVUpfZrCqxsi3fA/s320/9780143775188+Mewburn.jpg" /></a></div><br /> that a sometimes painful story becomes a gripping and
almost painless read.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Kyle describes her childhood in 1960s suburban Brisbane
and lets us share some of the harrowing stresses she endured as ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a girl in a boy-shaped box</i>.’ She didn’t
have the world’s best parents, so family life would have been difficult anyway.
Kyle found solace in books but had to be careful to choose “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the boyest ‘boy books’ available</i>”. Bright
and bored, she played truant and – in a wittily described section - also turned
to shoplifting Viewmaster reels. Kyle’s policeman father was not impressed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">A short-lived career as a sports reporter followed. Kyle describes
covering one lacklustre football match, ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It
was the first time I was paid for writing fiction</i>.’ Later of course, Kyle
wrote many award-winning picture books and stories. Some of these tales feature
in Faking It, such as the award-winning Old Hu-Hu (2009) which has its origins
in the death of her grandfather. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">During a marathon OE cycling tour of Europe, Kyle met and
later married Marion, whose love and commitment shines throughout the book. They
made their home and careers in New Zealand. Writing success finally allowed
Kyle to have the treatment which would enable her to say goodbye to ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">boy Kyle’</i>. Taking one last glance in the
mirror, she muses, ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I made a pretty good
fist of being Kyle. … I’m going to miss him</i>.’ <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The surgical operation which feminised Kyle’s features is
described in detail in Faking It. In fact, in the course of her memoir, Kyle answers
every question you might want to ask. And a few you never even thought of. Again
her descriptions are both vivid and amusing. (And she has bravely included some
before-and-after photographs.) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Banned from touching her post-operation nose, she recalls,
‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">After five days without picking or
blowing, my nose felt like a family of gerbils had moved in and begun
renovating. If only they’d fix the leaky plumbing</i>!’ Despite this witty,
self-deprecating style, we are always aware of the underlying pain, both
physical and mental. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Kyle seems to have found it easier to accept the bodily
pain. However, the act of telling family members of the transition also created
a great deal of emotional pain. Some were accepting but she hasn’t spoken with
her father for a decade. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather more
disheartening were the comments of some of the boorish males she encountered as
she began her life as a woman. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It must
be said that the residents of Milton and Millers Flat come out of this story
well, as caring community members. And there are the many kindly souls who
couldn’t handle the pronouns but wished Kyle well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good on
him</i>,’ said one old farmer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">A bonus for male readers is that they can now find out
what women talk about when they’re together down at the creek (on page 235).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">As a storyteller, Kyle often creates a brief story rather
than use a simple metaphor. She compares her post-operative self to a newly-hatched
baby turtle digging its way out of its sandy nest and finding it still had a vast
dangerous beach to cross. Now that Kyle has published this book and received
sympathetic reviews and media coverage, she may be said to have reached the sea.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Lovers of children’s books will enjoy her references to
some of her reading and writing, especially her first encounter with The
Phantom Tollbooth and her satirical re-telling of Melu (2012) to a hui of
children’s writers and artists as Melu the Non-binary Mule. Better still her
next picture book is due out in 2022.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">If I can add a personal note, I have had the pleasure of
reviewing over forty of Kyle’s books for The Source website [https://www.magpies.net.au/]
and hearing her talk at library gatherings. Earlier this year Jenny and I were
at the Auckland Writers Festival, feeling a bad case of imposters’ syndrome in
the lounge set aside for speakers. One of the organisers invited us over to a
table to meet an author. A charming woman declared, ‘Trevor Agnew, how good to see
you,’ and shook my hand. Jenny was still admiring the woman’s beautiful painted
nails, when the penny dropped. Kyle Mewburn. She was happy, confident and at ease.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Perhaps the least noticed but best proof of the revised
Kyle’s acceptance is that the New Zealand School Journal has published her
brief, moving account of her boyhood and transition as Break-up Day. (Level 4 School
Journal, May 2021.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t get more
accepted than that.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Trevor Agnew</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">12 July 2021<o:p></o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-76176091012657807502021-07-09T19:46:00.001-07:002021-07-09T19:51:12.286-07:00The New Zealand Wars Matthew Wright<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>The New Zealand Wars</b> (2021)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hjKjekDg_cbeL7ZrWI2f2D_UfIuzuiiX5tunbnAMClONunBcnQjIKmCpEEJJ-78Wt5aD6YG8Bmu4DS-KOymXyLh9y7CO0AAxLWKCYiaBKt8aGYJ7TrtucxA9Q0AT2kiynabkk2nD-_o/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="941" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hjKjekDg_cbeL7ZrWI2f2D_UfIuzuiiX5tunbnAMClONunBcnQjIKmCpEEJJ-78Wt5aD6YG8Bmu4DS-KOymXyLh9y7CO0AAxLWKCYiaBKt8aGYJ7TrtucxA9Q0AT2kiynabkk2nD-_o/" width="159" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Matthew Wright<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Oratia, 100 pages<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Paperback, NZ$29.99<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 978-0-947506-93-3<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The New Zealand Wars is a good book. It is a well-written
and well-illustrated account which will be welcomed in schools and libraries. It
will be an important and useful text book for several reasons. First it
provides a clear account of the conflicts and their causes. Secondly it looks
at the various ways the wars have been (and continue to be) interpreted.
Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, it is readable. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">In the narrow space of 100 pages, Matthew Wright manages
to sketch in the main figures involved, both</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> Maori and Pakeha, and to show the
issues which brought them to open warfare. Matthew Wright’s introduction sets
the tone for his account. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Few people at
the time – and few historians since – have agreed on what the wars meant</i>.”
Not only does he describe the fighting, he also shows the ways in which it has
been interpreted. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Ranging from the 1840s to the 1870s, Wright’s account outlines
the origins and the events of the wars, as well as providing answers to contentious
questions. (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Did M</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ā</span>ori invent
anti-artillery bunkers? Did M</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ā</span>ori invent trench
warfare?</i>) There are also useful explanations of technical terms – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">redoubt, sap, mokomokai</i> - when they occur
in the text. Useful examples of eyewitness accounts are also included.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The descriptions of the main figures are brief but sharp.
As an exemplar for young historians, this sentence doesn’t waste a word: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Then von Tempsky – the popular commander,
New Zealand’s own action hero and a household name at the time – was shot dead.</i>”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The pictures are certainly well-chosen but, more
importantly, they also have well-written captions. In fact some captions are
tiny essays explaining the significance of what is shown. So young historians
are guided to take a searching look at how an event is depicted by an artist,
or the significance of a feature in a photo. (He points out that the <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ōmarunui battle monument wasn’t
erected until 1916</span> and was later damaged. Thus his photo of the topless edifice
demonstrates that “… <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the battle remained
controversial</i>.”) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The selection of the pictures is wide-ranging. There are
photos, such as the 1863 image of the construction of the Great South Road.
Well reproduced, it shows not only the amount of labour involved but also how
effective this road would be in moving troops and supplies. Then there are
contemporary paintings and sketches, some reproduced in colour. Hamley’s 1864
watercolour of pipe-</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYem87jWd0Zk4xPAqoir5R-C2GDuIgill0hpmr4QpkGuDx2bRjtRXrA6CvjaLsEXn1-U8KMIe0_m44nnK_USPA2m-MwyPWJ2vXaO4IcLk6MhA0l9HyAQstSF5KvlBsH2Rwb0G54BrCeSI/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="941" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYem87jWd0Zk4xPAqoir5R-C2GDuIgill0hpmr4QpkGuDx2bRjtRXrA6CvjaLsEXn1-U8KMIe0_m44nnK_USPA2m-MwyPWJ2vXaO4IcLk6MhA0l9HyAQstSF5KvlBsH2Rwb0G54BrCeSI/" width="159" /></a></div><br />smoking soldiers weaving gabions (protective baskets) is a double-page
delight.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">There is a useful index and booklist. This is an
open-ended resource encouraging readers to look further into each topic
mentioned. There are plenty of maps, as well as sketches and photos of the
terrain that was fought over, thus making, say, the importance of roads and
river in the Waikato campaign vividly clear. Fact boxes abound, several of them
giving guidance to some of the surviving battle sites.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The New Zealand Wars is a good book.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Trevor Agnew</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">8 July 2021<o:p></o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-42618119813796187052021-06-17T23:20:00.002-07:002021-06-17T23:20:51.019-07:00Inside Bubble Earth: Climate Change<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Inside Bubble Earth: Climate Change<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Des Hunt (2021)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">One Tree House<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">56 pages, paperback NZ$40<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 978-0-9951176-8-6<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">‘By now it should be obvious that holding your breath
until your face turns blue isn’t going to save you or Bubble Earth. But there
are other things we can do …’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Des Hunt is a writer who needs no introduction. His
novels and non-fiction books are in every school</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqITVkqKeMxas1kv1miYYmyvaYGAVSKyX9gpQpCDMmm8uCPTDMaonKpvC4DGqenLGXI3dYzduDnbKsSPLhvmDJ-R7z2xWBPXdWZ0BWFsd7CzzyxW_RAUYgB5F3t_7X2XPG1Vo4bWgSsdM/s255/download+author+des+hunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqITVkqKeMxas1kv1miYYmyvaYGAVSKyX9gpQpCDMmm8uCPTDMaonKpvC4DGqenLGXI3dYzduDnbKsSPLhvmDJ-R7z2xWBPXdWZ0BWFsd7CzzyxW_RAUYgB5F3t_7X2XPG1Vo4bWgSsdM/s0/download+author+des+hunt.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /> library. Inside Bubble Earth:
Climate Change is his explanation of climate and climate change for young
readers.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">He begins by summoning up a tuatara’s-eye view of the
history of climate patterns on earth and the possibility that the tuatara may
face mass extinction as a very early victim of our current climate crisis.
Along the way readers will be fascinated by his account of how the sex of tuatara
eggs is determined by the temperature as eggs incubate. If the temperature three
months after laying is above 22.5<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">℃
all eggs will hatch as males! Hunt takes this possibility and uses it to
explain the importance of variation in survval. Colourful diagrams and
illustrations help to make his points.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As a
former teacher and a full-time science explainer, Des Hunt does a good job of
explaining the scientific method and applying it to climate change and its
significance for ‘Bubble Earth’. Starting with the basic building blocks of
life – atoms – he works through photosynthesis (how plants get energy) and respiration
(how we breathe) to describing the nature of light and the perils of the greenhouse
effect. This brings the reader to carbon dioxide, fossil fuels and the part
played by our farms. There is also a simple analysis of six renewable energy
sources. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0zeoZp3C7xrl_IX5P5wkJo2lVvFNk7KUSvBuIUg80_Q32Fv4aN1CV0iMTRbWt1enRK7exm0aiAilYhyPeY8lWK2r5XQ9NurLp1s1giMlVJHzrT6AD_N_jVunUgqeoR77vgGit3ro0HQ/s999/3a1bc4_a7038b9dfa9a4a598cc8b2caec057571_mv2.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0zeoZp3C7xrl_IX5P5wkJo2lVvFNk7KUSvBuIUg80_Q32Fv4aN1CV0iMTRbWt1enRK7exm0aiAilYhyPeY8lWK2r5XQ9NurLp1s1giMlVJHzrT6AD_N_jVunUgqeoR77vgGit3ro0HQ/s320/3a1bc4_a7038b9dfa9a4a598cc8b2caec057571_mv2.webp" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Des Hunt always has a lovely conversational writing style.
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Now is the time to talk about the scary
stuff,’ he warns before listing the consequences if we do nothing, Some grim
examples of extreme weather events follow, although many of us have already had
a mild taste of these lately. The dangers threatening our oceans and our
environment are sketched in. Will we allow the human race to be the next
example of mass extinction?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
won’t be Des Hunt’s fault if we do. He also offers young readers a couple of
pages of actions they can take personal responsibility for to help save Bubble
Earth. These are: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rethink.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There
are two pages of Activities, four pages of Glossary and two pages of suggested
Websites, as well as a solid index. The book design is by Vasanti Unka.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Trevor
Agnew<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">18
June 2021<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-6480895514945808352021-06-15T02:10:00.004-07:002022-12-31T04:24:27.014-08:00Aotearoa: Lost Worlds Dave Gunson<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Aotearoa: Lost Worlds (2021)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Dave Gunson<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Bateman Books<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">48 pages, paperback, NZ$19.99<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN 978 1 98 853866 2<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">‘Roar with the dinosaurs!’<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Dave Gunson is a gifted artist who over the years has caused
me to change my attitudes to owls, bees, weta and – now – dinosaurs. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">In recent decades there has been a spectacular change in
what we know about the prehistoric life-forms</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozwcmB2qOw66hrfT2yYwFqTDX7gWPvZewOcnBtf_0qHibz_4PRpzRrotZ68dbzCbBa8l6TH6XKaKwAPpNFBHCljOs8ZMMWEISjqv_FGEw7Zad5mFSk5V0bqJf6kB8OmGKOLTkjjjsL10/s600/9781988538662+GUNSON.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozwcmB2qOw66hrfT2yYwFqTDX7gWPvZewOcnBtf_0qHibz_4PRpzRrotZ68dbzCbBa8l6TH6XKaKwAPpNFBHCljOs8ZMMWEISjqv_FGEw7Zad5mFSk5V0bqJf6kB8OmGKOLTkjjjsL10/s320/9781988538662+GUNSON.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Researchers have found evidence of everything from huge dinosaurs (Sauropods)
to tiny dinosaurs (Compsognathus), giant snails to tiny mammals, giant penguins
to crocodiles. One result of this continuous flood of fossils is that Dave
Gunson has rewritten his earlier book on the subject, Lost Worlds of Aotearoa
(2005). <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The new updated version, Aotearoa: Lost Worlds (2021),
has all the merits of the previous edition with the bonus of the fruits of a
couple of decades of exciting research. That recently-found, long-dead mammal
which joins the bats as our only known land mammal is so new that it hasn’t
even got a name yet. It looks like a rat with pretensions to being a squirrel
with fangs. Even stranger is Kaikoura’s giant snail, Perissoptera, with its
75mm ‘skirted’ shell covered in racing stripes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Forming the backbone of this book are the ten magnificent
double-page panoramas of our long departed flora and fauna. Each set of
portraits is accompanied by a well-organised and researched descriptive key. My
favourite picture re-creates some of the inhabitants of a long-gone swamp: a
crocodile, a grayling, a Waitomo frog, a Giant Gecko and a Giant crab. It is a
splendid scene, which is bound to inspire more enthusiastic fossil hunters. As Dave
Gunson temptingly puts it, ‘For all we know, Aotearoa might well have seen some
of the most interesting and unusual species that have existed, but to find out
more, we have to wait for the rocks to give up their evidence.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Coupled with the descriptions of the amazing creatures
that used to roam our land is a continual reminder that they are no longer with
us. Gunson has provided short and punchy narrative segments which sum up the
various causes of extinction. At first these are satisfyingly remote: a
possible asteroid strike 65 million years ago, violent volcanic activity and
recurring ice ages. They seem to have killed off our native examples of corals,
dinosaurs, freshwater turtles, crocodiles and coconut palms. As we reach more
recent times, we humans begin to feel qualms of guilt. Hmm. The New Zealand
Goose were all eaten by early Maori, just like the Adzebill and the Small Moa. The
New Zealand Quail were all gone by 1879; one Canterbury sport shot 120 quail
before breakfast. Various types of Wrens were wiped out by ferrets, rats and
the resident Stephens Island cat. What about the Laughing Owl? ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">By the early twentieth century, it had its
last laugh and was gone.</i>’ Gunson writes as well as he paints and the book
concludes with the Notornis and a message of hope for tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Written in a clear style, with skilfully detailed colour
illustrations, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aotearoa: Lost Worlds</b>
is easily accessible to 8 to 12 year olds, but will prove fascinating to
browsers of any age.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Trevor Agnew</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">10 June 2021<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-3936194449020964822021-03-09T17:22:00.009-08:002022-02-11T00:00:28.254-08:00North & South: A Tale of Two Hemispheres<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b>North
& South: A Tale of Two Hemispheres</b> (2021)</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sandra
Morris Walker Books<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Hardback
36 pages, NZ$30<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ISBN
978-1-925381-80-1<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> Paperback 36 pages, NZ$19</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p>ISBN: 978-1-76065-385-9</o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It is no
accident that Sandra Morris has produced some of the most beautiful children’s
books about our plants and birds. Her enthusiasm for wildlife and her skill in
presenting it in both words and pictures is obvious in such titles as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Discovering New Zealand Birds</b> (1994) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pohutukawa</b>
(2000) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Welcome to New Zealand: A
Nature Journal</b> (2015).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Her
latest title <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">North and South: A Tale of
Two Hemispheres</b> is both exquisite and original. Sandra Morris says she has “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">always been intrigued with the fact that the
two hemispheres undergo opposite seasons at the same time of the year</i>.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I remember as a child being fascinated that
Dutch and British immigrant families in our school had skipped winter and experienced
three summers.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The book
is carefully organised to show how important the seasons are to wild creatures
and thus the</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_bnmOVxYa1r4AYmAPMZZGigYMWtJ971hGQK_-RNgplpUtnJ6NzNIRB_p9jEpnDXMbqiVTSLJHJr_lxOm8EAAYXernL442muVCcrSialiOoo7M_3dJ5ytLQo0SNjlSlA3AP-U8L9heQA/s450/9781536204599+North+and+South.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_bnmOVxYa1r4AYmAPMZZGigYMWtJ971hGQK_-RNgplpUtnJ6NzNIRB_p9jEpnDXMbqiVTSLJHJr_lxOm8EAAYXernL442muVCcrSialiOoo7M_3dJ5ytLQo0SNjlSlA3AP-U8L9heQA/s320/9781536204599+North+and+South.jpg" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> threat posed to many of them by climate change. (Some creatures
originally selected, such as the Golden Toad of Costa Rica, are now extinct.)
As well as the four seasons so familiar to us in the temperate zones, she also
includes the Wet Seasons and Dry Seasons so crucial to the tropic regions. A
series of coloured dots draw attention to the conservation status of the
creatures shown. The scale ranges from ‘Least concern’ (green tree python) to ‘Endangered’
(African elephant). None of the species illustrated in this book are in the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Critically Endangered’ category, but many of
them (including the bar-tailed godwit and brown kiwi) are listed as ‘Vulnerable’.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Threats are listed for each creature.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">There
are twelve double-page spreads, one for each month of the year, with each
displaying two species, one from the northern and the other from the southern
hemisphere. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each month has a unifying
theme, such as Cunning Camouflage or Extreme Environment. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, November’s category is ‘Save it
for later’. This has the hazel dormouse eating-up in preparation for
hibernation while the honeypot ants are storing away the nectar of spring
flowers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coloured strips down the edge
of each page show the month chosen and its local season. Small world maps show each
creature's location, with the dormouse in Europe and the ants in northern
Australia. The endpapers have a large-scale world map showing the seasonal
locations of all the creatures in the book. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The
pictures, done in water colours, with sprinklings of salt for texture, are always
appealing. Even the Saltwater crocodile, caring for her young, has a benignly
maternal appearance. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the creatures shown are a surprise
such as the stag beetle and the portuguese man-of-war. The section on Tasmania’s
eastern quoll is amazing reading and worth the price of the book by itself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I was
impressed by the care taken over the labelling and the detail made available to
young readers. The educational value is greatly increased by the one-page index
and two-page glossary.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">North
and South is an imaginative and user-friendly resource for a new generation of environmentally-aware
young readers. It is also readable and enjoyable.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Trevor
Agnew 10 Mar 2021<o:p></o:p></span></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-39270557103742664202020-12-23T20:05:00.003-08:002020-12-23T20:06:41.840-08:00<p> Some
Books to Give in 2021</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span>The only
reason that the Magi brought baby Jesus gold, myrrh and frankincense was that
children’s books hadn’t been invented then. Books make ideal Christmas presents
but they are also excellent gifts all year round. Here are
a few enjoyable and interesting titles from 2020 that you might want to give to
young readers in 2021. They are arranged roughly in age order.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Counting Creatures</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (2020)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Julia
Donaldson<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sharon King-Chai (ill)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Macmillan,
Hardback, NZ$30<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ISBN
978-1-5290-4051-7 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Julia
Donaldson, author of <b>The Gruffalo</b>, has created an awe-inspiring counting book
with remarkable fold-out, flop-over, peep-through and lift-up delights. This clever
paper-engineering does not detract </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19uJ4aApCqxmvUWYgrb9bahgXYbSMDsoYMGcaiAkNaAZ1VMgdIHAu9H2RXzgchbJBWnXigP8pnHRkulJq_B8Wv2mKFJmoIWiKHmP5_PwHP4Dr5EZH17Wqx2e3nQXEgT6kMZ6G1HSH1Eg/s177/shopping+%25281%2529+Counting+Creatures.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19uJ4aApCqxmvUWYgrb9bahgXYbSMDsoYMGcaiAkNaAZ1VMgdIHAu9H2RXzgchbJBWnXigP8pnHRkulJq_B8Wv2mKFJmoIWiKHmP5_PwHP4Dr5EZH17Wqx2e3nQXEgT6kMZ6G1HSH1Eg/s0/shopping+%25281%2529+Counting+Creatures.jpg" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />from the inspired illustrations of Sharon
King-Chai.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who has more babies than that?</i>’ is the
recurring question. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The
first creature we meet is a mother bat flitting through a midnight scene. Lift
her wing and we find a baby but tucked securely away.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This bat has <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1 </b>baby holding on tight<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">as they fly through the night</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">.’ <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The
revelation of the baby bat is a genuine surprise. Further surprises follow as
each picture reveals its secret. The numbers build up as the question is repeated,
‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who has more babies than that?</i>’ Leopard,
fox, owl, pig and turkey all have their offspring in crafty concealment. The
text is ideal for reading aloud. (Three cubs are ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tottering, swaying, pouncing and playing</i>.’) The freshness of the
words is matched by the sheer originality of the paper engineering, which makes
every page a puzzle to be solved. The illustrations are equally imaginative and
stunning. The young arctic hares are hidden by snowflakes, while the vibrant
colours of the butterfly’s children explode into splendid colour. And who has
the most babies? The answer is a funny one, which will have young readers
leafing through the book to find what they’ve missed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Will You Be My Friend?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (2020)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sam
McBratney, ill. Anita Jeram<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Walker
Books, hardback, NZ$18<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ISBN
978-1-4063-5160-6<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJS3Gv4fXm4b-3v2p7ZDswDPjt09rkM5hl9YtyczYztV562jm2ODeh0oQvhorUnnH0rtLxItWiPu8lvTyGLmZ3x6q6aUKNAtkSeJCiFTJBqAeIhgbQo8bZFLz7qKqGOXjv6htwL4OS_Es/s500/51BFZwfbThL._SX455_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_+FRIEND.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="457" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJS3Gv4fXm4b-3v2p7ZDswDPjt09rkM5hl9YtyczYztV562jm2ODeh0oQvhorUnnH0rtLxItWiPu8lvTyGLmZ3x6q6aUKNAtkSeJCiFTJBqAeIhgbQo8bZFLz7qKqGOXjv6htwL4OS_Es/w183-h200/51BFZwfbThL._SX455_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_+FRIEND.jpg" width="183" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It is a
quarter of a century since the picture book <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Guess How Much I Love You</b> became an international best-seller. Now
author Sam McBratney and illustrator Anita Jeram return with a sequel as
charming as the original. Little Nutbrown Hare goes off to amuse himself. After
playing with his <br />reflection and his shadow, he meets someone real – another young
hare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My name is Tipps,</i>’said the Cloudy Mountain Hare. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Will you be my friend?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you want to play?</i>’<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">What
follows is a charming sketch of childhood friendship, activity and anxiety. The
conclusion is sweet. Anita Jeram’s water colour illustrations are a splendid
portrayal of the exuberance of young friends. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A
charming parable continues.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">What We’ll Build: Plan for our Together Future</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(2020)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Oliver
Jeffers<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">HarperCollins,
hardback, NZ$20<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ISBN
978-0-00-838220-9<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Oliver
Jeffer’s picture books are always an invitation to young readers to use their
imagination <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What </b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5xVhxxam59kei-9KlWQLhMEEAIogaxXYhrUh-STIUk5EsGNPiAKI-NjPFCy-s5yKPswVH2Duxo6-JLpH9vfswu_EiS7CITpzSADIIagzjxgXA866uSPxQS1GzNrry8FFcEwkveL1FhE/s450/9780593206751.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="386" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5xVhxxam59kei-9KlWQLhMEEAIogaxXYhrUh-STIUk5EsGNPiAKI-NjPFCy-s5yKPswVH2Duxo6-JLpH9vfswu_EiS7CITpzSADIIagzjxgXA866uSPxQS1GzNrry8FFcEwkveL1FhE/w171-h200/9780593206751.jpg" width="171" /></a></b></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br />We’ll Build</b> is
dedicated to his daughter, Mari, and shows a father and daughter working together
to plan and create their future world. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What shall we build, you and I?</i>’ In a
surreal landscape, they gather their tools and ‘build a house to be our home.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In a
lovely metaphor, they build a fortress to keep their enemies out. And, in a
lovelier metaphor, they then build a gate to let them in, build a table to
drink tea with them, and say ‘Sorry’. Typically, in Jefferson’s imaginative
style, the enemies turn out to be such stock figures as a pirate, a witch and a
giant. Imagination is given full rein. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let’s
build a road up to the moon</i>!’ Then they decide to build somewhere to rest ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for we’ll be tired soon</i>.’ A whimsical
illustration shows the pair in a hammock strung between two trees – on the
moon! (Even the birds are wearing space helmets.) After other planets are
explored, father and daughter build a fire – to bring warmth and comfort. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">These are the things we’ll build, you and I</i>’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">What We’ll Build </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">is a lively brainstorm of freewheeling imagination
and love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The 130-Storey Treehouse</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (2020)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Andy
Griffiths, ill Terry Denton<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Pan
Macmillan, paperback, NZ$18<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hi, my name is Andy. This is my friend,
Terry. We live in a tree. Well, when I say ‘tree’ I mean treehouse</i>.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Andy and
Terry need no introduction, as their treehouse has been regularly rebuilt from
13 stories through 26, 39, 52, 65, 78, 91, 104, 117 to the dizzying height of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The 130-Storey Treehouse</b>. This tenth
volume of the saga has everything to delight loyal Treehouse readers. There is
a time-wasting </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFY5Xwo60R_LzIOjoaYG-3sUvmGv0tkWpY0W48-SbjUj3tdKHxZz5ahPG8LXFHlsUDFQB_4c6lQy2AyEw2KYFxWHRNoiBDvr1lw_C5rh9l0AnPLugtPJyygApS3ELRDNhmbAgqJosw_60/s204/shopping+Treehouse.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="204" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFY5Xwo60R_LzIOjoaYG-3sUvmGv0tkWpY0W48-SbjUj3tdKHxZz5ahPG8LXFHlsUDFQB_4c6lQy2AyEw2KYFxWHRNoiBDvr1lw_C5rh9l0AnPLugtPJyygApS3ELRDNhmbAgqJosw_60/w163-h200/shopping+Treehouse.png" width="163" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />level, a people-eating plant called Petal, and a giant flying
eyeball from outer space. Pretty much an ordinary day at the Treehouse, except
that this one has a built-in bookshop. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My favourite
part of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The 130-Storey Treehouse</b> is Andy’s
battle with a pesky fly, which expands into an epic saga where the fly becomes
a warrior hero with its own anthem (to the tune of Food).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fly, glorious fly! Black, speedy and fuzzy!<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Fly, glorious fly! Brave, heroic and buzzy!</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Mr Big
Nose the publisher won’t like his appearance on page 310 but he will sell lots
of copies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-73803470163712387582020-12-23T15:15:00.004-08:002020-12-23T15:32:42.945-08:00<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>The Rio P<span lang="EN-US">ē</span><span lang="EN-US">pi boardbooks: Set Three: Boardbooks in Maori [and English]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Here are
the latest in the Rio P</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ē</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">pi boardbooks, the ideal gift for every Kiwi chick.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kupu Tauaro:
Opposites<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mahi: Actions<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kare ā-roto:
Feelings<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kitty Brown<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kirsten Parkinson (ill)</b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Allen
& Unwin, (2020) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">$18 individually
or $50 box set.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US">The early
boardbooks in this charming bi-lingual series offered the Maori (and English) terms for
colours, shapes, numbers, and animals. These three –the <b>Reo P</b></span><b><span lang="EN-US">ēpi–Toru</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> series </span><span lang="EN-US">- offer an introduction</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQcBKuM3YTHRvr-OK8lz_0Ch1OzL2FtsPn0DMFunJCGpj1N6-V403DO-mPwk6As8gM7h0nkixiZ90X_in6mmH6D7FYiCXEY8l6AbdrNSzx1Z74uFAiG6E1Pvszlz6MfW_CYyWSBjAUHY/s431/9780995117938+Reo+Pepi.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="345" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQcBKuM3YTHRvr-OK8lz_0Ch1OzL2FtsPn0DMFunJCGpj1N6-V403DO-mPwk6As8gM7h0nkixiZ90X_in6mmH6D7FYiCXEY8l6AbdrNSzx1Z74uFAiG6E1Pvszlz6MfW_CYyWSBjAUHY/s320/9780995117938+Reo+Pepi.jpg" /></a></div><br /> to concepts that are sometimes trickier for
young minds to grasp.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kupu
Tauaro: Opposites </b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">we see a
nest. Two just-hatching birds are roto [inside], while an adventurous fledgling
is waho [outside]. A nui [big] whale eyes an iti [small] shrimp. Any parent can
make a mini-story out of pictures and concepts like these. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The same
applies to </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mahi: Actions </b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">where once again Kirsten Parkinson’s
charmingly realistic <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>animal pictures
convey ideas of action in vivid ways. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘Ko
patiki ahau. Kei te huna ahau.’ [I am Flounder. I am hiding.] The picture shows
a school of flounder blending into their sandy surroundings – a lovely reminder
that many of the illustrations are based on Otago Peninsula creatures. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kare
ā-roto: Feelings </b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">deals with
the trickier topic of feeling sad, confused, happy hungry and so on. My favourite
exchange is illustrated by a group of nest-building fantails:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘Kei te
p</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ē</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">hea koutou, e hoa m</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ā</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">?’ [How are you, friends?]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘Kei te
pukumahi m</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ātou!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">’ [We are busy.]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Lato, serif;">The pages of these user-friendly boardbooks are not only pleasant to hold; they also wipe clean. At the end of each book, there is a simple Maori pronunciation guide and a well-organised glossary. Each one is a welcome way to build up vocabulary in both languages.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Lato, serif;">The pride of Portobello, Kitty Brown and Kirsten Parkinson are brave entrepreneurs whose work is truly valuable. </span></p><div><br /></div>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Trevor
Agnew<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">December
2020<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-48824229172014868472020-11-29T22:10:00.002-08:002020-11-29T22:12:28.779-08:00Lizard’s Tale, Wang Wai Chen<p> <b><span lang="EN-US">Lizard’s Tale</span></b><span lang="EN-US">, Wang Wai Chen</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Text (2019) 256 pages, paperback, NZ$21</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">ISBN: 978 192560 391 0<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>‘<i>Your eyes are green,’ she said, ‘and shaped
like a cat’s. Your hair is black and your skin is golden.’ He flinched when she
patted his face. ‘You’re very pretty for a boy.’</i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Poor
Lizard doesn’t appreciate the scrutiny he receives from Georgina Whitford Jones.
The daughter of a wealthy British businessman, Georgina has interrupted Lizard while
he is stealing a box from her father’s suite in Raffle’s Hotel, Singapore.
Georgina has the ruthless bluntness of power and privilege.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You’re not Indian, though. What are you?’</i>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Lizard
doesn’t know the answer to that one. Nor can he say where he lives or what he
does. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He was very good at climbing and
hiding and, he was ashamed to admit, stealing</i>.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Lizard’s
Tale has to be the best young adult novel of the year. Set in Singapore in the
tense months </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XXkaam2HcRCiVMNdqc5sjNAh6KJZQ0BrYV6IaIgQlIYPfQqwCrArf9AVzB7QV2Sq00Dr4vt-oypOeMF7OLj9N9UfzE9d7VoHRCwTEQTd3o38zYp4e_oHIGTJQ_6bm2JBYe1rZov7eM4/s600/9781925603910+Lizards+Tale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="389" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XXkaam2HcRCiVMNdqc5sjNAh6KJZQ0BrYV6IaIgQlIYPfQqwCrArf9AVzB7QV2Sq00Dr4vt-oypOeMF7OLj9N9UfzE9d7VoHRCwTEQTd3o38zYp4e_oHIGTJQ_6bm2JBYe1rZov7eM4/s320/9781925603910+Lizards+Tale.jpg" /></a></div><br />before the Japanese invasion, it is a page-turning account of
Lizard’s accidental involvement in international intrigue and espionage. Despite
this somber setting, it is also pleasantly amusing.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Lizard’s
climbing, hiding and stealing, skills are useful for a Chinese-English orphan
boy who scratches a living in Chinatown by running errands for a small-time
crook. What Lizard soon discovers is that the contents of the box he has purloined
are of international importance. So important, in fact, that people are ready
to kill to obtain them. Various spies and diplomatic and military figures are soon
chasing the box (and Lizard). Luckily Lizard is friends with Lili Mak, who has skills
that he is unaware of. She is training as a spy! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">An
inspired aspect of this story is that several of the key spies (and would-be
spies) are young people, chosen because they are not usually noticed by adults.
As soon as Lili picks up a watering can, for example, she is mistaken for a
gardener and ignored. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I enjoyed
the way that Wang Wai Chen has given Lizard characteristics which reflect his
dual British and Chinese heritage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes he’s marching briskly like his ex-Royal Navy Uncle Archibald,
while at other times he’s carefully packing a kitchen cleaver away, because <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a
Chinese chopper always got respect</i>.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">There is
a great deal of humour in this story, especially when Lili and Lizard carefully
(and independently) plan schemes which accidentally de-rail each other. Lizard
is also blissfully unaware of Lili’s romantic interest in him, which produces
some gently humorous writing of a high order. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Lizard’s
Tale is a great Young Adult novel. It has a well-evoked setting, a fast-moving
narrative, some sharply-sketched characters and plenty of cliff-hangers. The
conclusion is also nicely set up for a wartime sequel. Enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US">Trevor Agnew </span>30 Nov 2020</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Note: I
normally review NZ children’s and young adults’ books for The Source [magpies.net.au],
(a website run by the creators of Magpies magazine), which is a searchable
database of young people’s novels, picture books, short stories and poems. I
had read Lizard’s Tale, enjoyed it but found that because it has an Australian
publisher, it had already been entered on The Source.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the Christchurch Word Festival in Spring
2020, I met the author and found that she lived in Auckland. So here’s my
belated review, a reminder that yet another talented young Kiwi writer is on
the scene.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Trevor
Agnew </span>30 Nov
2020</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-77440791067445399012020-10-19T21:08:00.002-07:002021-04-12T18:08:13.664-07:00<p>October 2020 has been a great month for our book, <b>Merchant Miner Mandarin</b>, about Choie Sew Hoy and his life among his fellow miners and merchants in Victorian Otago. </p><p>The splendid review (reproduced below) written by Michele Ayers, Librarian at Motueka High School, went up on <b>The School Library</b> website on the same day that the book was shortlisted in the New Zealand Heritage Book Awards. </p><p>The Heritage winner will be revealed by the <b>NZ Society of Authors</b> on Thursday 29th October, at St Michael and All Angels Church, 95 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch, at 7pm. (That's 7pm, not 7.30pm. The time has been changed but is definitely 7pm.) </p><p>As part of the Word Festival, Jenny and I will be giving an illustrated talk on researching Choie Sew Hoy's life on Friday 30 October, at 3pm, at The Piano, 156 Armagh Street, Christchurch. Admission is free. See you there.</p><header class="popup-modal__heading news__heading content-blocks__heading row" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row wrap; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 73.5rem; padding: 0px 0.75rem 1.5rem;"><h1 class="news__h1 content-blocks__h1 col-xs-12" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; flex-direction: column; flex: 0 0 100%; font-family: "Proxima Nova W02", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 3.75rem; margin: 1.25rem 0px 1.5rem; max-width: 100%; padding: 1.4375rem 0.75rem 0.875rem; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-size: small;">Merchant, Miner, Mandarin: The life and times of the remarkable Choie Sew Hoy</span></h1></header><div class="new__book-imagery row" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row wrap; margin: 0px auto 1.5rem; max-width: 73.5rem; padding-left: 0.75rem; padding-right: 0.75rem; text-align: center;"><div class="new__book-img col-xs-12" style="box-sizing: border-box; flex-direction: column; flex: 0 0 100%; max-width: 100%; padding-left: 0.75rem; padding-right: 0.75rem;"><img alt="" src="https://www.read-nz.org/Images/Assets/61808/5/" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: auto;" /></div></div><div class="popup-modal__content news__content row" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row wrap; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 73.5rem; padding-left: 0.75rem; padding-right: 0.75rem;"><time class="news__date col-xs-12 col-md-2" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; flex-direction: column; flex: 0 0 16.6667%; font-family: "Proxima Nova W02", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; line-height: 1rem; max-width: 16.6667%; opacity: 0.4; padding: 0.75rem 0.75rem 1.5rem; text-align: right;">19 October 2020</time><div class="news__copy content-block col-xs-12 col-md-8" style="box-sizing: border-box; flex-direction: column; flex: 0 0 66.6667%; margin-bottom: 3rem; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 66.6667%; padding-left: 0.75rem; padding-right: 0.75rem;"><p style="background-color: #fafafa; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; font-family: "Proxima Nova W02", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 2rem; margin: auto auto 1.5rem; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem;"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">What really happened in
Aotearoa during the 1860s onwards?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Well
known author Trevor Agnew and his partner Jenny Sew Hoy Agnew – a direct
descendant of Choie Sew Hoy – have crafted a culturally relevant biography that
secondary students and adults alike will find informative. Sew Hoy’s biography
is woven together with aspects of entrepreneurism, trade, racism, social
aspects, political bias, and employment discrepancy in New Zealand.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">This
nonfiction work will contribute significantly to school library collections and
inform students of lesser known Aotearoa history. Year 13 History students
undertaking independent research will have a comprehensive resource at their
fingertips.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Sidebars
throughout the book offer quick access to social conditions. In 1870 where even
though the miners were barely surviving the harsh conditions in the Lake
District they were quoted by the Otago Witness paper as having “… plenty wood,
plenty fire, plenty tucker”. The inclusion of maps, photos and cartoons further
reveal the flavour of New Zealand’s social history and attitudes towards Chinese
then. A 1910 NZ Truth cartoon depicts a Chinese King with the caption ‘Long
live the Chow now’ – it was a very public, racist attack on Chinese industry
and success in NZ.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Gold was
a get rich quick but unreliable income. Chinese were not only challenged by
conditions, but often by violent opposition. Chinese miners proved industrious
in mining and diversified into other industries including tree fungus trade,
market gardens, scrap metal trade and new gold extraction designs (the Sew Hoy
dredge).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Choie Sew
Hoy’s life discloses the energy and entrepreneurship required to survive in a
foreign land. There is no doubt that, additionally, negotiating and helping to
improve the conditions for Chinese workers’ also contributed to Sew Hoy’s
status. These aspects and many more in Sew Hoy’s biography offer a fascinating
read of Aotearoa history.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Title: </span></b>Merchant, Miner, Mandarin: The life and times of the
remarkable Choie Sew Hoy<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Author:</b></span> Jenny
Sew Hoy Agnew and Trevor Agnew<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Illustrator:</b></span> Gavin Bishop (Cover)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Publisher:</b></span> Canterbury University Press<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>ISBN:</b></span> 9781988503097<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>RRP: </b></span>$49.99<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Format:</b></span> Paperback<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Date of Publication: </b></span>June 2020<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Ages: </b></span>Secondary students upwards<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Do you have any advisory warnings for this book? </b></span>No<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>Reviewer:</b></span> Michele Ayres, Librarian, Motueka High School, Tasman<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>How are you recommending this book? </b></span>Highly recommended<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 2rem; margin: 1.5rem; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0.3125rem; padding-top: 0.1875rem; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>What’s the book’s opening sentence? </b></span>It is late in the 19<span style="box-sizing: border-box;">th</span> century.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p></div></div>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241309709325459631.post-69027956697473928582020-09-29T00:37:00.000-07:002020-09-29T00:37:13.878-07:00WHITI: Colossal Squid of the Deep (2020)<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-US">WHITI: Colossal Squid of the Deep</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> (2020)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Victoria
Cleal, ill. Isobel Joy Te Aho-White<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Te Papa
Press, 40 pages, hardback<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ISBN 978
0 9951338 0 8<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span>Three
cheers for the crew of the trawler San Aspiring!</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In 2007
they found a colossal squid had attached itself to a toothfish which they were
hauling up from </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTN_PuupA9gdqEuzcLc5tjSs4NF6zHMsCIK74GkWJAXEjDXw1am1NZmfHwSOXUd_4IVDCZgrw3BoxaHdFZByglkIDf8-6ZZRQSd1FjX3RveTL_21GkUSL4VonzGQAgC2LQY62E_u79t3s/s800/whiti_9780995133808_lr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTN_PuupA9gdqEuzcLc5tjSs4NF6zHMsCIK74GkWJAXEjDXw1am1NZmfHwSOXUd_4IVDCZgrw3BoxaHdFZByglkIDf8-6ZZRQSd1FjX3RveTL_21GkUSL4VonzGQAgC2LQY62E_u79t3s/s320/whiti_9780995133808_lr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />the inky depths of the Ross Sea. The obvious response would be
to dump the squid but, instead. the crew packed its enormous corpse into their
freezer and delivered a monster ice cube – a 495 kilogram squidblock - to Te
Papa Museum in Wellington.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span>That fascinating
word ‘squidblock’ was coined by Victoria Cleal, who is an editor and writer at
Te Papa. She has written this stunning picture book which tells the story of Whiti,
another colossal squid who was lucky enough to let go of her toothfish. Cleal
has an engaging prose style, ideally suited for capturing the interest of
younger readers.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The
description of Whiti’s first appearance is typical: ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">These bulgy-eyed babies hatched from ant-sized eggs. Cute! Now they’re
as big as your thumb</i>.’ Whiti narrowly escapes being eaten by a toothfish.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You turn
a couple of colourful pages and Whiti has grown. She’s now the world’s largest
invertebrate and is using her eight arms and two tentacles to ensnare a
toothfish. At a depth of 1,000 metres, Whiti’s red colour makes her invisible,
while her eyes are ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the size of soccer
balls. They let in 144 times more light than your pupils.’<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is so much in this book that is fresh
and exciting that young readers are inspired to read bits out loud. Thanks to
Whiti, a generation of hapless parents are now going to have their offspring tell
them that octopuses have arms not tentacles. Did you know a squid’s brain is doughnut-shaped?
Don’t ask about hooks!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">To show
Whiti and the other denizens of the inky depths that she dominates, Isobel Joy
Te Aho-White has created some stunning colour illustrations. To say that this
handsome book is 40 pages long would be misleading. There are several dramatic
fold-outs, which means that the differences between a giant squid and a colossal
squid can be admired across four whole pages. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Along
the way readers also find out about Antarctic sea-life, squid beaks, icefish, sperm
whales, lanternfish, sea-pigs and king crabs. All this is a reminder that there
is still a great deal that we haven’t discovered about the sea.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We don’t even know what a male colossal
squid looks like! Nobody’s ever found a fully grown one</i>.’ <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Just as
the text has M</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ā</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ori terms gracefully inserted, so the illustrations have subtle koru in
the background. This is a truly Kiwi book and an exemplar of what can be
achieved with good book design. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Every so
often a book turns up that impresses the socks off me. Whiti is one of those.
It’s not just the skillful writing or the dramatic illustrations. It’s the way every
page conveys the excitement of discovery. To read it is genuinely thrilling.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The
glossary is appropriately labelled, ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Words
for colossal squid fans</i>.’ Te Papa’s colossal squid (in its steel tank ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the size of ten bathtubs</i>’) is now its
most popular exhibit. This book is just what the squid’s colossal fans will
want to take home with them after a visit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span>Trevor
Agnew 29 Sep 2020</p>Trevor Agnewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10449054918619943742noreply@blogger.com0