The Margaret Mahy Treasury, Puffin/Penguin, 256 pp, hb, NZ$45
The Call of the Kokako, Maria Gill, Heather Arnold, New Holland, 36pp, hb, NZ$29.99
501 Great Kiwi Jokes ill. Donovan Bixley, Scholastic, 112 pages, pb NZ$10
Old MacDonald’s Farm ill. Donovan Bixley, Hodder Moa [Hachett], 24 pp, pb, NZ$19.99
There’s a Hole in my Bucket ill. Jenny Cooper, Scholastic, 32pp, pb, [includes Topp Twins CD] NZ$26
Mind Your Gramma! Yvonne Morrison, ill. Nikki Slade Robinson, Scholastic, 24pp, hb, NZ$21
Rahui Chris Szekely, ill Malcolm Ross, Huia, 36pp, hb, $20
Battle of the Birds, Lee Murray, Taramea Publishing, Coromandel, 155 pages, pb, NZ$19.99
The Best New Zealand children’s books of 2011
It may be heresy but even though I have been a judge of the NZ Post Children’s Book Awards, I don’t believe there is such a thing as a best book. Every reader is different and their judgement of what is best won’t agree with mine. The seven books I have selected certainly all meet high standards of writing, illustration and design. I think they are all marvellous books but the proof of ‘best’ remains in the reading.
Take The Margaret Mahy Treasury, for example. With eleven stories, and seven artists, it would take a brave reviewer to pick the best. A Lion in the Meadow came first, which makes it special and The Witch in the Cherry Tree fires the imagination. I love Jam because Margaret drew a crocodile in my daughter’s copy, while everyone who has ever worked in a library adores The Librarian and the Robbers. The Boy Who Was Followed Home has that perfect ending, and who can resist the rhythm and rumpus of A Summery Saturday Morning?
‘Bad dogs, bad dogs chase the cat,
Chase the cat, chase the cat.
One dog’s thin and the other dog’s fat
On a summery Saturday morning.’
The Call of the Kokako is not only 2011’s most beautiful non-fiction book for young people, it is also the most informative. Writer Maria Gill and artist Heather Arnold, who produced the award-winning Rangitoto (2009), have developed a unique style of combining appealing artwork and imaginative text. Their fresh approach has been classily supported by their publishers with a high quality hard-covered book, which captures every aspect of the Kokako. This endangered bird, with its striking blue wattles, “clinging to existence with just one claw,” is superbly presented in eye-catching colour portraits, along with its forest habitat, natural enemies, maps, Maori legend, and a ripping (true) yarn about how conservationist Geordie Murman saved ten kokako from the loggers.
Let’s be honest. The jokes in 501 Great Kiwi Jokes are not great. Instead they’re those awful gags and puns that kids adore. (‘Which months have 28 days? All of them.’) You buy this one because it helps a good cause – Cure Kids – and endure the jokes as your youngster tries them all out. Take time, however, to look at Donovan Bixley’s (donated) illustrations which are brilliant.
Donovan Bixley’s work is seen at its best in his picture book Old MacDonald’s Farm, where he has used the traditional song as a framework for a display of Kiwi culture. In one exciting day on the farm, every familiar Kiwi object from a turkey in gumboots to Buzzy Bee appears. The double page colour spreads are striking (and witty) but so is the careful detailing which allows the reader to follow each animal’s preparations for the Show, from pig’s mud-pack to the dog’s baking. (ANZAC biscuits of course.) If you look very carefully at MacDonald’s sheep trailer, you’ll see ‘DB rules’ carved on the side planks. Donovan Bixley rules indeed.
Jenny Cooper is a talented and under-appreciated illustrator, who has been creating crazy animals for years. Her pictorial version of There’s a Hole in My Bucket has an irascible duck and a passive-aggressive billygoat engaged in a never-ending duel of wits. The accompanying CD features the Topp twins, and the combination is hilarious.
A picture book that adults laugh at? A picture book about grammar? A funny book about grammar? Yvonne Martin has pulled off the hat-trick with Mind Your Gramma!, an amusing book which will make grandparents laugh as much as the grandchildren they’re reading it to. Yvonne Morrison has created some delightful moments of mutual misunderstanding between the generations, as Gramma tries to correct her granddaughter’s grammar.
‘Gramma asks me about my day, and I say, “Me and my friend played soccer.” She says, “My friend and I played soccer.” I say, “At your age?” Gramma sighs…’
Nikki Slade Robinson’s illustrations capture the warm relationship between the pair and help make this the year’s best example of good book design.
“Sometimes in the holidays, we go and stay with our relations. They live in the country. I love it there.” Chris Szekely’s Rahui begins with a richly evocative description of long summer holidays in a small coastal Maori community. “But best of all we go to the beach! I love it at the beach.” Malcolm Ross’s magnificent paintings show children playing on the sand, fishing, swimming and boating. Then the story’s mood changes. Tragedy strikes the community when a cousin, Thomas, drowns. We see the surviving children at the tangi. “A rahui was put on the beach. We couldn’t play there any more. Or fish. Or eat kina. Or swim.” When a year has passed, Thomas’s headstone is unveiled. “The rahui was over. But our love remains.” The combination of the child’s simple voice and Ross’s richly evocative paintings produce a moving acceptance of life’s joys and sadness.
Some of the most important fiction works in the world are the ‘bridge-books’, the junior novels that introduce young readers to the joys of longer fiction. Without young novels like Battle of the Birds, the future of reading is grim. Lee Murray has taken a strikingly fresh approach to an over-familiar topic. Her jaunty heroine, Annie, carried back in time by a giant eagle, finds herself in an ancient Maori society where she can speak to and understand both the birds and the people. The conflict among the birds, stirred up by the evil Haast eagle, Te Hokioi, and his fellow birds of prey, threatens the very survival of humans in Aotearoa. Annie, whose arrival has been foretold in tribal legend, now has to battle to unite the rest of the birds to resist Te Hokioi.
The appeal of this story is that nobody speaks in the high language of traditional fantasy. The birds, in particular are cheerfully conversational, “Why not join me for lunch? I’ve got some huhu grubs in.” Annie and her young Maori friends show great initiative, even inventing balloon flight, as they try to save the gentle moa and the other birds. Books as lively and exciting as Battle of the Birds reward young readers with a lifelong passion for books. And that is certainly the function of the best books.
Trevor Agnew Dec 2011
FULL PUBLISHING DETAILS:The Margaret Mahy Treasury, Puffin/Penguin, 256 pp, hb, NZ$45
ISBN 978-0-14330627-6
501 Great Kiwi Jokes ill. Donovan Bixley, Scholastic, 112 pages, pb NZ$10
ISBN 978-1-77543-035-3
Old MacDonald’s Farm ill. Donovan Bixley, Hodder Moa [Hachette NZ], 24 pp, pb, NZ$19.99
ISBN 978-1-86971-230-3
There’s a Hole in my Bucket ill. Jenny Cooper, Scholastic, 32pp, pb, NZ$26 [includes Topp Twins CD]
ISBN 978-1-77543-046-9
Mind Your Gramma! Yvonne Morrison, Nikki Slade Robinson, Scholastic, 24p, hb, NZ$21
ISBN 978-1-77543-041-4
Rahui Chris Szekely, ill Malcolm Ross, Huia, 36pp, hb, $20 ISBN 978-1-86969-470-8
[Maori language ed. ISBN 978-1-86969-471-5]
Battle of the Birds, Lee Murray, Taramea Publishing, Coromandel, 155 pages, pb, NZ$19.99
ISBN 978 0 473 18928 0
Showing posts with label 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2011. Show all posts
Saturday, 28 April 2012
Christmas Picture Books
Christmas Picture Books for Young Readers:
A Kiwi Jingle Bells Yvonne Morrison, ill. Deborah Hinde, Scholastic, 30pp, board book, NZ$13.50
My Alfie Collection Shirley Hughes, Bodley Head/Random House, boxed set of four hbs, NZ$19.99
Marmaduke Duck and Bernadette Bear Juliette McIver & Sarah Davis, Scholastic, 32 pp, pb, $NZ19.50
Baa Baa Smart Sheep Mark Sommerset, ill. Rowan Sommerset, Dreamboat Books, , 24 pp, hb, $29.99
All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth by Don Gardner, ill. Katz Cowley, CD by Craig Smith, 24 pages, pb, NZ $26 [inc. CD]
Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig and the Christmas Baby by Diana Neild, ill. Philip Webb, Scholastic, 32pp, pb, NZ$19.50
Kiwi Corkers: The Elves and the Cloakmaker by Chris Gurney, ill. John Bennett, Scholastic, 24 pp, hb, NZ$18.50
I have always argued that books make the best Christmas present because they are easy to wrap. (A cynic would say it’s because they are easy to exchange.) The best books for Christmas giving are ones that will be read and treasured; kept and enjoyed down the generations.
Each of this month’s volumes is a treasure, ideal for Christmas purchase by parents or grandparents, who will then have the added pleasure of sharing in their gift’s enjoyment. Reading aloud is not only desirable; at this season it is compulsory.
A Kiwi Jingle Bells has been re-issued as a board book, to give babies something to get their teeth into over Christmas. Yvonne Morrison has converted James Pierpont’s much-loved song into a celebration of the Kiwi Christmas holiday while Deborah Hinde provides pictures of camping holidays, family picnics and beach barbecues. Baby won’t be able to read the words, which will give the whole family an excuse to sing:
“Christmas in New Zealand on a sunny summer’s day, ay.”
Shirley Hughes not only paints pictures of children who look like real children – wispy hair, rumpled clothes and a tendency towards chaos – but she also writes stories about children who behave like real children. Her four Alfie picture books – now brought together in a boxed set as My Alfie Collection – follow the adventures of a very recognisable three-year old. Alfie is the one who puts his new boots on the wrong feet, takes his security blanket to a friend’s birthday party and knows why his baby sister is crying. Best of all – in the classic Alfie Gets in First – it is irrepressible Alfie who gets locked on the wrong side of the front door, with everyone else locked out. These four warm, funny books may be 30 years old but Alfie’s exploits, and the emotions they generate, are as up-to-date as a new child. This is a set to treasure.
The most dramatic scene in Marmaduke Duck and Bernadette Bear shows an enraged bull rampaging in a honey shop. In the Marmaduke Duck picture book series, Sarah Davis has shown that she can paint any animal but she has never done better than her illustrations of the heart-broken Bernadette Bear looking at her smashed honey jars. (A Christchurch artist, Davis has dedicated this book to the memory of Johnson Brothers’ grocery shop in Colombo St – a quake victim.) Fortunately Marmaduke Duck is not only skilled at making marmalade but also at repairing friendships and restoring business confidence. Juliette MacIver’s cheerful rhymes and bouncy rhythms keep the sticky story light-hearted, making this a perfect book to read aloud.
Everyone should own an improper book, and Baa Baa Smart Sheep is a gleefully improper fable that won the Children’s Choice at the NZ Post Children’s Book Awards. Mark Sommerset’s picture book about a shrewd sheep and a gullible turkey has a cover warning: ‘Contains Mischief.’
Adults of a certain age will flinch at the memory of sentimental recordings of All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth but fear not. Craig ‘Wonky Donkey’ Smith has recorded an unsentimental version of Don Gardner’s lyrics that children can sing along to. There is also a monkey version, with ‘ook-ook’ sounds replacing the lyrics. This CD ties in nicely to the accompanying picture book, in which Katz Cowley has created the world’s cutest monkey - minus, of course, its two front incisors. Young readers will enjoy joining the Tooth Police in their search for the missing choppers and sharing in the happy ending of the final picture. Craig’s CD also includes a lively performance of Craig’s own dental-care ballad, Toothless, with its unforgettable lyrics: ‘It’s good to brush your teeth; it’s bad to shave your cat.’ Percussion by Craig’s teeth.
Picture books have two ways of approaching Christmas; one is to treat it as a secular festival, the other is to acknowledge its Christian significance (like Piggitty below). Lindy Kelly’s Christmas in the Bush follows the former template. Like so many children, Josh has parents who have separated. Spending Christmas with Dad on his back-country farm worries Josh; there is no sign of presents or Santa, and Dad keeps handing out tasks. Then, while he’s picking peaches, Josh spots a note, ‘If of surprises you are fond, you will find one in the pond.’ A series of notes take Josh into the bush, gathering little gifts – barley sugar, pocket knife, compass – until finally he discovers that his father has arranged the perfect Christmas present. This is a delightful story where Josh’s tensions are built up then quietly released as he realises just how much his father loves him. Lyn Kriegler’s illustrations of the bush setting have never been more brilliantly coloured.
Diana Nield’s bouncy verse tales of the Jig pig family from Karori have become an annual event; her sense of rhythm makes them a delight to read aloud. The fifth instalment, Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig and the Christmas Baby, has the family staging a Christmas nativity play. Bossy sister Emma is the director and young Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity is naïve enough to believe her promise of acting glory:
‘“Piggity, you have the leadity-role!”
She announced in a manner exuding control.’
Dreaming of being a prince or a pirate, Piggity is appalled to find that as baby Jesus, he will be wrapped in swaddling clothes and stuffed into his old baby cot (with holes drilled in the footboard for his hocks). Theatrical disasters, familiar to directors of nativity plays, ensue but – since this is Christmas – there’s a happy ending, captured in Philip Webb’s splendid water colour illustrations.
‘Then accolades poured with a standing ovation
For nine special pigs, and their fine adaptation.’
There are now 12 titles in the Kiwi Corker series of re-told classics, with their popular motto of ‘Hardbacks at paperback prices.’ Chris Gurney has re-cast the Brothers Grimm tale of the poor cobbler as The Elves and the Cloakmaker, as a New Zealand tale told in verse tale. A pair of over-worked Maori cloak-weavers is visited late at night by a helpful band of patupaiarehe – the fairy folk of Maori legend – who finish some incomplete cloaks, ‘weaving in feathers of red, green and blue.’ John Bennett’s colourful illustrations match the fun and help give a modern twist to the old tale. Finally the happy (and now prosperous) couple reciprocate with gifts of tiny clothes.
‘Gifts were given, good deeds done.
Merry Christmas, everyone!’
- Trevor Agnew, Nov 2011
[This review was first published in The Press, Christchurch for Christmas 2011.]
FULL PUBLISHING DETAILS:
A Kiwi Jingle Bells Yvonne Morrison, ill. Deborah Hinde, Scholastic, 30pp, board book, NZ$13.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-045-2
My Alfie Collection Shirley Hughes, Bodley Head/Random House, boxed set of four hbs, NZ$19.99
ISBN 978-0-370-33209-3
Marmaduke Duck and Bernadette Bear Juliette McIver & Sarah Davis, Scholastic, 32 pp, pb, $NZ19.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-033-9
Baa Baa Smart Sheep Mark Sommerset, ill. Rowan Sommerset, Dreamboat Books, PO Box 700, Onerua, Waiheke Island, 24 pp, hb, $29.99
ISBN 978-9864668-1-6
All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth, by Don Gardner, ill. Katz Cowley, CD by Craig Smith, 24 pages, pb, NZ $26 [inc. CD]
ISBN 978-1-77543-058-2
Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig and the Christmas Baby, by Diana Neild, ill. Philip Webb, Scholastic, 32pp, pb, NZ$19.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-038-4
Kiwi Corkers: The Elves and the Cloakmaker, by Chris Gurney, ill. John Bennett, Scholastic, 24 pp, hb, NZ$18.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-004-9
A Kiwi Jingle Bells Yvonne Morrison, ill. Deborah Hinde, Scholastic, 30pp, board book, NZ$13.50
My Alfie Collection Shirley Hughes, Bodley Head/Random House, boxed set of four hbs, NZ$19.99
Marmaduke Duck and Bernadette Bear Juliette McIver & Sarah Davis, Scholastic, 32 pp, pb, $NZ19.50
Baa Baa Smart Sheep Mark Sommerset, ill. Rowan Sommerset, Dreamboat Books, , 24 pp, hb, $29.99
All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth by Don Gardner, ill. Katz Cowley, CD by Craig Smith, 24 pages, pb, NZ $26 [inc. CD]
Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig and the Christmas Baby by Diana Neild, ill. Philip Webb, Scholastic, 32pp, pb, NZ$19.50
Kiwi Corkers: The Elves and the Cloakmaker by Chris Gurney, ill. John Bennett, Scholastic, 24 pp, hb, NZ$18.50
I have always argued that books make the best Christmas present because they are easy to wrap. (A cynic would say it’s because they are easy to exchange.) The best books for Christmas giving are ones that will be read and treasured; kept and enjoyed down the generations.
Each of this month’s volumes is a treasure, ideal for Christmas purchase by parents or grandparents, who will then have the added pleasure of sharing in their gift’s enjoyment. Reading aloud is not only desirable; at this season it is compulsory.
A Kiwi Jingle Bells has been re-issued as a board book, to give babies something to get their teeth into over Christmas. Yvonne Morrison has converted James Pierpont’s much-loved song into a celebration of the Kiwi Christmas holiday while Deborah Hinde provides pictures of camping holidays, family picnics and beach barbecues. Baby won’t be able to read the words, which will give the whole family an excuse to sing:
“Christmas in New Zealand on a sunny summer’s day, ay.”
Shirley Hughes not only paints pictures of children who look like real children – wispy hair, rumpled clothes and a tendency towards chaos – but she also writes stories about children who behave like real children. Her four Alfie picture books – now brought together in a boxed set as My Alfie Collection – follow the adventures of a very recognisable three-year old. Alfie is the one who puts his new boots on the wrong feet, takes his security blanket to a friend’s birthday party and knows why his baby sister is crying. Best of all – in the classic Alfie Gets in First – it is irrepressible Alfie who gets locked on the wrong side of the front door, with everyone else locked out. These four warm, funny books may be 30 years old but Alfie’s exploits, and the emotions they generate, are as up-to-date as a new child. This is a set to treasure.
The most dramatic scene in Marmaduke Duck and Bernadette Bear shows an enraged bull rampaging in a honey shop. In the Marmaduke Duck picture book series, Sarah Davis has shown that she can paint any animal but she has never done better than her illustrations of the heart-broken Bernadette Bear looking at her smashed honey jars. (A Christchurch artist, Davis has dedicated this book to the memory of Johnson Brothers’ grocery shop in Colombo St – a quake victim.) Fortunately Marmaduke Duck is not only skilled at making marmalade but also at repairing friendships and restoring business confidence. Juliette MacIver’s cheerful rhymes and bouncy rhythms keep the sticky story light-hearted, making this a perfect book to read aloud.
Everyone should own an improper book, and Baa Baa Smart Sheep is a gleefully improper fable that won the Children’s Choice at the NZ Post Children’s Book Awards. Mark Sommerset’s picture book about a shrewd sheep and a gullible turkey has a cover warning: ‘Contains Mischief.’
Adults of a certain age will flinch at the memory of sentimental recordings of All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth but fear not. Craig ‘Wonky Donkey’ Smith has recorded an unsentimental version of Don Gardner’s lyrics that children can sing along to. There is also a monkey version, with ‘ook-ook’ sounds replacing the lyrics. This CD ties in nicely to the accompanying picture book, in which Katz Cowley has created the world’s cutest monkey - minus, of course, its two front incisors. Young readers will enjoy joining the Tooth Police in their search for the missing choppers and sharing in the happy ending of the final picture. Craig’s CD also includes a lively performance of Craig’s own dental-care ballad, Toothless, with its unforgettable lyrics: ‘It’s good to brush your teeth; it’s bad to shave your cat.’ Percussion by Craig’s teeth.
Picture books have two ways of approaching Christmas; one is to treat it as a secular festival, the other is to acknowledge its Christian significance (like Piggitty below). Lindy Kelly’s Christmas in the Bush follows the former template. Like so many children, Josh has parents who have separated. Spending Christmas with Dad on his back-country farm worries Josh; there is no sign of presents or Santa, and Dad keeps handing out tasks. Then, while he’s picking peaches, Josh spots a note, ‘If of surprises you are fond, you will find one in the pond.’ A series of notes take Josh into the bush, gathering little gifts – barley sugar, pocket knife, compass – until finally he discovers that his father has arranged the perfect Christmas present. This is a delightful story where Josh’s tensions are built up then quietly released as he realises just how much his father loves him. Lyn Kriegler’s illustrations of the bush setting have never been more brilliantly coloured.
Diana Nield’s bouncy verse tales of the Jig pig family from Karori have become an annual event; her sense of rhythm makes them a delight to read aloud. The fifth instalment, Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig and the Christmas Baby, has the family staging a Christmas nativity play. Bossy sister Emma is the director and young Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity is naïve enough to believe her promise of acting glory:
‘“Piggity, you have the leadity-role!”
She announced in a manner exuding control.’
Dreaming of being a prince or a pirate, Piggity is appalled to find that as baby Jesus, he will be wrapped in swaddling clothes and stuffed into his old baby cot (with holes drilled in the footboard for his hocks). Theatrical disasters, familiar to directors of nativity plays, ensue but – since this is Christmas – there’s a happy ending, captured in Philip Webb’s splendid water colour illustrations.
‘Then accolades poured with a standing ovation
For nine special pigs, and their fine adaptation.’
There are now 12 titles in the Kiwi Corker series of re-told classics, with their popular motto of ‘Hardbacks at paperback prices.’ Chris Gurney has re-cast the Brothers Grimm tale of the poor cobbler as The Elves and the Cloakmaker, as a New Zealand tale told in verse tale. A pair of over-worked Maori cloak-weavers is visited late at night by a helpful band of patupaiarehe – the fairy folk of Maori legend – who finish some incomplete cloaks, ‘weaving in feathers of red, green and blue.’ John Bennett’s colourful illustrations match the fun and help give a modern twist to the old tale. Finally the happy (and now prosperous) couple reciprocate with gifts of tiny clothes.
‘Gifts were given, good deeds done.
Merry Christmas, everyone!’
- Trevor Agnew, Nov 2011
[This review was first published in The Press, Christchurch for Christmas 2011.]
FULL PUBLISHING DETAILS:
A Kiwi Jingle Bells Yvonne Morrison, ill. Deborah Hinde, Scholastic, 30pp, board book, NZ$13.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-045-2
My Alfie Collection Shirley Hughes, Bodley Head/Random House, boxed set of four hbs, NZ$19.99
ISBN 978-0-370-33209-3
Marmaduke Duck and Bernadette Bear Juliette McIver & Sarah Davis, Scholastic, 32 pp, pb, $NZ19.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-033-9
Baa Baa Smart Sheep Mark Sommerset, ill. Rowan Sommerset, Dreamboat Books, PO Box 700, Onerua, Waiheke Island, 24 pp, hb, $29.99
ISBN 978-9864668-1-6
All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth, by Don Gardner, ill. Katz Cowley, CD by Craig Smith, 24 pages, pb, NZ $26 [inc. CD]
ISBN 978-1-77543-058-2
Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig and the Christmas Baby, by Diana Neild, ill. Philip Webb, Scholastic, 32pp, pb, NZ$19.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-038-4
Kiwi Corkers: The Elves and the Cloakmaker, by Chris Gurney, ill. John Bennett, Scholastic, 24 pp, hb, NZ$18.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-004-9
Monday, 2 January 2012
Why did the Tiger eat the Dental Nurse?
Winter reading for young readers: Why did the Tiger eat the Dental Nurse?
The Kuia and the Spider, Robyn Kahukiwa, Puffin/Penguin, paperback
Just One More: stories by Joy Cowley ill. Gavin Bishop, Gecko Press, paperback
Waiting For Later, Tina Matthew, Walker, hardback
The Kiwi Kid’s ABC, Rebekah Holguin, HarperCollins, paperback
At the Lake, Jill Harris, HarperCollins, paperback
The Lost Tohunga, David Hair, HarperCollins, paperback
The Loblolly Boy and the Sorcerer, James Norcliffe, Longacre/Random House, paperback
Sacrifice Joanna Orwin, HarperCollins, paperback
Since the 1980s, New Zealand publishing for young readers has been in a golden age, with self-assured writers, confident illustrators and knowledgeable publishers and booksellers. A quick glance at some of the titles available for this winter’s reading shows just how far books for Kiwi kids have come. (The gender bias in favour of males appears to be a seasonal oddity.)
It is incredible that thirty years have passed since that classic New Zealand picture book The Kuia and the Spider first appeared. The children who read it in 1981 are now middle-aged but Patricia Grace’s tale has remained timeless. An old Maori lady sits by her stove, peeling kumara and arguing with a spider about which of them is the best weaver. When their grandchildren visit, the unlikely pair argue about whose descendants are the best.
‘My grandchildren are much better than yours.’
Robyn Kahukiwa’s pictures may be a little simple but the central figure, the old kuia, is as solid and powerful as a statue. She and her spider adversary are the stuff that myths are made of. ‘And they argued and argued and argued for the rest of their lives.’
There weren’t many locally-produced books around for Kiwi kids in the 1980s but there were some magnificent stories in school journals and readers. Gecko Press have raided the archives for some of Joy Cowley’s liveliest stories. Just One More makes 17 of these wonderful read-aloud stories available to a new generation. What was the dragon doing in the library? Can a pirate become a bus-driver? Best of all, why did the tiger eat the dental nurse? Gavin Bishop’s witty colour illustrations add to the fun
Tina Matthew has used a delicate Japanese technique of woodcut and stencil to create Later, a charming picture book about Nancy, a small overlooked girl. ‘Will you tell me a story?’ ‘Later.’ When Nancy finds that nobody in her family has time to spare for her, she climbs a tree and waits till later comes. As the moon rises, Nancy listens to the tree and watches her family, who are soon waiting for her return. ‘I know I’m small, but tonight I feel big,’ she says, having gained a better idea of herself.
Alphabet books are now as much cultural indicators as guides to the 26 letters, so The Kiwi Kid’s ABC is as likely to be purchased by a Swedish tourist as a doting grandparent. Neither will be disappointed. Rebekah Holguin’s sharp-edged illustrations depict Kiwi life, from jandals to rugby, aroha to sausage sizzle, by way of lambs and tuatara.
Brothers sharing a summer holiday at their grandfather’s lakeside home sounds like a Kiwi idyll, in At the Lake by Jill Harris, but relations between brothers Simon (14) and Jem (11) have been scratchy since their father left home to work in Australia. The discovery that their holiday spot now includes a paddock full of relocated houses, with a truculent security guard, only makes matters worse. As well as being an exciting adventure, this well-written novel has a convincing picture of young people coming to understand their emotions, and reaching out to help others.
With The Lost Tohunga David Hair concludes the fantasy-thriller trilogy begun in 2009 with The Bone Tiki and The Taniwha’s Tears. Once again young Mat finds the worlds of New Zealand’s myth and history, past and present, are flowing together, so that a visit to Taupo catapults him into a violent (and sometimes blood-drenched) adventure. The skilful interweaving of legend and reality makes for fascinating reading. As rival magicians struggle for total control, Mat has only his skill with a taiaha to depend on, when the climactic battle erupts in the Rotorua Bath House.
Another book that cried out for a sequel was James Norcliffe’s The Loblolly Boy (2009). Now, in The Loblolly Boy and the Sorcerer, we have an even more intriguing tale. The loblolly boy – a green-winged flying boy invisible to almost everyone – is currently Ben, who is desperate to return to his original body. The swapping of bodies can be done with a simple handshake but the interloper, now calling himself Benjy, is enjoying life in his borrowed body, making trouble at home and risking expulsion at school. When Benjy refuses to exchange, Ben is trapped as the loblolly boy in ‘an in-between world’. His dream has become a nightmare. Ben’s only ally is Mel, a schoolgirl he rescued from bullies in a very funny encounter. Can they use the services offered by the sinister Sorcerer, or is he manipulating them? The only advice Ben has comes from a supernatural sea captain and a singing gorilla. This is a richly detailed fantasy, one which cries out for another sequel.
Older teenagers (and adults) will find Joanna Orwin’s Sacrifice rewarding reading. Generations after a volcanic cataclysm has destroyed New Zealand, a gathering of the survivors’ descendants agrees on a mission of sacrifice. Five young men will be sent out into the Great Ocean on a double-hulled reed canoe in search of the legendary kum, a vegetable that may be able to raise the people above their grim struggle for subsistence in the swamps. Taka (16) would rather dance but as he learns how to build and navigate the great canoe, he and his four unlikely comrades become a team. They also become aware of the sacrifice that is demanded of them. What they find, when they undertake their voyage, challenges each of them to the utmost. Although Sacrifice is a lively adventure story, it is also a mature, thought-provoking novel.
Would a publisher have had the courage to produce such a book thirty years ago? Would the reading public for such a volume have existed? Books for New Zealand’s young readers have come a long way in three decades.
Trevor Agnew
Publisher details:
The Kuia and the Spider, Robyn Kahukiwa, Puffin/Penguin NZ, 32 pages, paperback NZ$19.99
ISBN 978-014050387-6
Just One More: stories by Joy Cowley ill. Gavin Bishop, Gecko Press, 91 pages, paperback, NZ$22.99
ISBN 978-1-877467-67-7
Waiting For Later, Tina Matthew, Walker, 32 pages, hardback, NZ$27.99 ISBN 978-1-921720-05-5
The Kiwi Kid’s ABC, Rebekah Holguin, HarperCollins NZ, 32 pages, paperback NZ$19.99
ISBN 978-1-86950-895-1
At the Lake, Jill Harris, HarperCollins, 192 pages, paperback, NZ$19.99 ISBN 978-1-86950-884-5
The Lost Tohunga, David Hair, HarperCollins NZ, paperback, 368 pages, NZ$24.99
ISBN 978-1-86950-827-2
The Loblolly Boy and the Sorcerer, James Norcliffe, Longacre/Random House NZ, 297 pages, paperback, NZ$19.99 ISBN 978-1-877460-69-2
Sacrifice Joanna Orwin, HarperCollins NZ, 368 pages, paperback, NZ$26.99
ISBN 978-1-86950-912-5
This review originally appeared in Winter 2011 in the Your Weekend supplement of The Press, Christchurch, New Zealand.
The Kuia and the Spider, Robyn Kahukiwa, Puffin/Penguin, paperback
Just One More: stories by Joy Cowley ill. Gavin Bishop, Gecko Press, paperback
Waiting For Later, Tina Matthew, Walker, hardback
The Kiwi Kid’s ABC, Rebekah Holguin, HarperCollins, paperback
At the Lake, Jill Harris, HarperCollins, paperback
The Lost Tohunga, David Hair, HarperCollins, paperback
The Loblolly Boy and the Sorcerer, James Norcliffe, Longacre/Random House, paperback
Sacrifice Joanna Orwin, HarperCollins, paperback
Since the 1980s, New Zealand publishing for young readers has been in a golden age, with self-assured writers, confident illustrators and knowledgeable publishers and booksellers. A quick glance at some of the titles available for this winter’s reading shows just how far books for Kiwi kids have come. (The gender bias in favour of males appears to be a seasonal oddity.)
It is incredible that thirty years have passed since that classic New Zealand picture book The Kuia and the Spider first appeared. The children who read it in 1981 are now middle-aged but Patricia Grace’s tale has remained timeless. An old Maori lady sits by her stove, peeling kumara and arguing with a spider about which of them is the best weaver. When their grandchildren visit, the unlikely pair argue about whose descendants are the best.
‘My grandchildren are much better than yours.’
Robyn Kahukiwa’s pictures may be a little simple but the central figure, the old kuia, is as solid and powerful as a statue. She and her spider adversary are the stuff that myths are made of. ‘And they argued and argued and argued for the rest of their lives.’
There weren’t many locally-produced books around for Kiwi kids in the 1980s but there were some magnificent stories in school journals and readers. Gecko Press have raided the archives for some of Joy Cowley’s liveliest stories. Just One More makes 17 of these wonderful read-aloud stories available to a new generation. What was the dragon doing in the library? Can a pirate become a bus-driver? Best of all, why did the tiger eat the dental nurse? Gavin Bishop’s witty colour illustrations add to the fun
Tina Matthew has used a delicate Japanese technique of woodcut and stencil to create Later, a charming picture book about Nancy, a small overlooked girl. ‘Will you tell me a story?’ ‘Later.’ When Nancy finds that nobody in her family has time to spare for her, she climbs a tree and waits till later comes. As the moon rises, Nancy listens to the tree and watches her family, who are soon waiting for her return. ‘I know I’m small, but tonight I feel big,’ she says, having gained a better idea of herself.
Alphabet books are now as much cultural indicators as guides to the 26 letters, so The Kiwi Kid’s ABC is as likely to be purchased by a Swedish tourist as a doting grandparent. Neither will be disappointed. Rebekah Holguin’s sharp-edged illustrations depict Kiwi life, from jandals to rugby, aroha to sausage sizzle, by way of lambs and tuatara.
Brothers sharing a summer holiday at their grandfather’s lakeside home sounds like a Kiwi idyll, in At the Lake by Jill Harris, but relations between brothers Simon (14) and Jem (11) have been scratchy since their father left home to work in Australia. The discovery that their holiday spot now includes a paddock full of relocated houses, with a truculent security guard, only makes matters worse. As well as being an exciting adventure, this well-written novel has a convincing picture of young people coming to understand their emotions, and reaching out to help others.
With The Lost Tohunga David Hair concludes the fantasy-thriller trilogy begun in 2009 with The Bone Tiki and The Taniwha’s Tears. Once again young Mat finds the worlds of New Zealand’s myth and history, past and present, are flowing together, so that a visit to Taupo catapults him into a violent (and sometimes blood-drenched) adventure. The skilful interweaving of legend and reality makes for fascinating reading. As rival magicians struggle for total control, Mat has only his skill with a taiaha to depend on, when the climactic battle erupts in the Rotorua Bath House.
Another book that cried out for a sequel was James Norcliffe’s The Loblolly Boy (2009). Now, in The Loblolly Boy and the Sorcerer, we have an even more intriguing tale. The loblolly boy – a green-winged flying boy invisible to almost everyone – is currently Ben, who is desperate to return to his original body. The swapping of bodies can be done with a simple handshake but the interloper, now calling himself Benjy, is enjoying life in his borrowed body, making trouble at home and risking expulsion at school. When Benjy refuses to exchange, Ben is trapped as the loblolly boy in ‘an in-between world’. His dream has become a nightmare. Ben’s only ally is Mel, a schoolgirl he rescued from bullies in a very funny encounter. Can they use the services offered by the sinister Sorcerer, or is he manipulating them? The only advice Ben has comes from a supernatural sea captain and a singing gorilla. This is a richly detailed fantasy, one which cries out for another sequel.
Older teenagers (and adults) will find Joanna Orwin’s Sacrifice rewarding reading. Generations after a volcanic cataclysm has destroyed New Zealand, a gathering of the survivors’ descendants agrees on a mission of sacrifice. Five young men will be sent out into the Great Ocean on a double-hulled reed canoe in search of the legendary kum, a vegetable that may be able to raise the people above their grim struggle for subsistence in the swamps. Taka (16) would rather dance but as he learns how to build and navigate the great canoe, he and his four unlikely comrades become a team. They also become aware of the sacrifice that is demanded of them. What they find, when they undertake their voyage, challenges each of them to the utmost. Although Sacrifice is a lively adventure story, it is also a mature, thought-provoking novel.
Would a publisher have had the courage to produce such a book thirty years ago? Would the reading public for such a volume have existed? Books for New Zealand’s young readers have come a long way in three decades.
Trevor Agnew
Publisher details:
The Kuia and the Spider, Robyn Kahukiwa, Puffin/Penguin NZ, 32 pages, paperback NZ$19.99
ISBN 978-014050387-6
Just One More: stories by Joy Cowley ill. Gavin Bishop, Gecko Press, 91 pages, paperback, NZ$22.99
ISBN 978-1-877467-67-7
Waiting For Later, Tina Matthew, Walker, 32 pages, hardback, NZ$27.99 ISBN 978-1-921720-05-5
The Kiwi Kid’s ABC, Rebekah Holguin, HarperCollins NZ, 32 pages, paperback NZ$19.99
ISBN 978-1-86950-895-1
At the Lake, Jill Harris, HarperCollins, 192 pages, paperback, NZ$19.99 ISBN 978-1-86950-884-5
The Lost Tohunga, David Hair, HarperCollins NZ, paperback, 368 pages, NZ$24.99
ISBN 978-1-86950-827-2
The Loblolly Boy and the Sorcerer, James Norcliffe, Longacre/Random House NZ, 297 pages, paperback, NZ$19.99 ISBN 978-1-877460-69-2
Sacrifice Joanna Orwin, HarperCollins NZ, 368 pages, paperback, NZ$26.99
ISBN 978-1-86950-912-5
This review originally appeared in Winter 2011 in the Your Weekend supplement of The Press, Christchurch, New Zealand.
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