Picture Books: Summer Holiday Reading 2012
By Trevor Agnew
[ First published in Your Weekend Magazine, The Press, Christchurch, New Zealand]
This memoir of Bishop’s early
years in Kingston , on the southern shores of Lake Wakatipu Pixie Town
Kiwi Moon (2005) is the
most perfect blending of Bishop’s
story-telling skills and his artistic talent.
On one level it is a beautiful tale of Little Kiwi, a rare white kiwi, and his relationship with Te Marama, the moon. The brave bird not only saves his mother from hunters’ dogs but also guides a little lost girl, a Pakeha settler, to safety. Because Little Kiwi only comes out at night, all the illustrations show night scenes, with mono-prints of plants, insects and trees. Interspersed among these are beautifully detailed ink and watercolour pictures of Māori life which tell another story without words. Fighting between Māori and Pakeha has led to destruction and loss of life. The trees are cut down and fire rages through the bush. Bishop’s intertwined stories reach a connected and hopeful conclusion, making it a beautiful parable of New
Peter Gossage has retold fifteen Māori legends in his long picture book career but The Giant of Lake Wakatipu is the first one to be set in the
Mokena Reedy’s popular Timo and the Kingfish (2000) has been revised, and given handsome new colour illustrations by Jim Byrt. Timo ignores both safety rules and Māori protocol when he goes fishing out at sea, thus endangering the life of his dog Pou. Fortunately, Tangaroa is impressed by Timo’s courage, and Pou has a life-saving talent, so all ends well. This book will be a lively springboard for discussions of the issues involved.
(An identical Māori language edition is also available.)
Remember that November began life as New Zealand 
to an
international anthology of peace stories. Jennifer Beck uses the framing
narrative of a young girl’s contribution to a speech contest, reminding her
listeners that, on November the 5th 1881, an armed advance on the village of Parihaka
Kiwi Play With Me is a magnificently illustrated counting book created by Lyttelton artist, Helen Taylor. “I’m a little kiwi. Will you play with me?” A kiwi chick, who invites friends to come and play, is
joined by one kea, two bats, three frogs and, so on, up to ten kauri snails. Taylor has managed the difficult feat of bringing all 56 examples of New Zealand fauna together in one glorious picture at the conclusion. The elegant shapes and dramatic colours of Taylor ’s illustrations are skilfully complemented by her bouncy verse narrative.
The Best-Dressed Bear (2002) is another re-issued classic,
featuring
Diana Noonan’s well-loved teddy bear and his owner Tim. Tim is a little concerned that he is
outgrowing his favourite clothes and he doesn’t want Mother to give them away.
Luckily Tim thinks of a solution: his teddy bear can wear them. “But just until
he gets too big for them!”
Trevor Agnew, Summer 2012
Full Publishing
Details:
Katarina, Gavin Bishop , Random House (NZ Classic), 30pp, pb, NZ$19.99
ISBN 978-1-86979-064-6
Counting the Stars:
Four Maori Myths, Gavin Bishop , Random House, 48pp, pb, NZ $19.99 ISBN 978-1-77553-017-6
Kiwi Moon, Gavin Bishop , Random House, 32 pp, pb, NZ$16.99
ISBN 978-1-86979-074-5
Piano Rock: a 1950s
Childhood, Gavin Bishop , Random
House, pb, 120 pages, NZ$24.99 ISBN
978-1-77553-257-6
Kiwi Play With Me: A
Kiwi Count-Along Book, Helen Taylor, Puffin, 32pp, pb, NZ$19.99 ISBN 978-0-143-5049-5
Remember that
November, Jennifer Beck, ill. Lindy Fisher, Huia, 32 pp, pb, NZ$20
ISBN 978-1-77550-010-0
The Giant of Lake
Wakatipu, Peter Gossage, Puffin, 32pp, pb, NZ$19.99
ISBN 978-0-143-50560-0
Timo and the Kingfish,
Mokena Potae Reedy, ill. Jim Byrt, 32pp, pb, NZ$20
ISBN 978-1-77550-046-9
The Best-Dressed Bear,
Diana Noonan, Elizabeth Fuller, Scholastic, 24pp, pb, NZ$19.50
ISBN 978-1-77543-139-8|
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