Slow Mo Mark Sommerset

 Slow Mo Mark Sommerset              

 Slow Mo
Mark Sommerset
Ill. Carla Martell
Scholastic (2026)
Picture book
24 pages, Paperback
ISBN 978 1 77543 973 8

 

‘Slow Down! You’re approaching Snuggle Town.’ 

The sign at the beginning of Slow Mo is impressive but it is also funny. As readers follow the wordless opening illustrations, they see snails and insects creeping slowly along a vine. Turn the page and they see a fuzzy russet creature hanging upside down from the vine. Another turned page makes all clear.  Snuggle Town is a community of sloths! Dozens of sloths.

 Dangling from vines, the dozing sloths are introduced with their euphonious names, including Relaxed Max, Steady Eddie, Dozey Rosie and Inert Bert. As their names suggest these sloths are slow-moving but there is general agreement that the slowest-moving sloth is Mo.

‘No-one was slower than Mo.
Not Lazy Daisy or Weary Gerry or even Bored Claude.’

 Since most of the residents of Snuggle Town are semi-comatose, readers might expect nothing to happen in this book. Instead, tension rises, as the inhabitants of Snuggle Town learn something shocking:

‘Sloths like slow
And Mo was as slow
as a sloth can go.
Except for Bill.’

 Except for Bill? Who is Bill? The curious (and active) young sloths are fascinated by the large blue sloth who beats Mo at slowness. Mo climbs, eats and blinks v-e-r-y slowly.

Young sloth Busy Lizzie (who is easily distinguished by the red flower she wears behind her ear) brings this news back down the vine. Her report, passed slowly among the sloths, is that Bill doesn’t climb, and never eats or blinks at all! Bill is so still that the young sloths now call him Still Bill.

 ‘Sloths love still
and no one
was stiller than Bill’

 Then one day Busy Lizzy has an accident with a vine and makes an amazing discovery that brings surprises to all the sloths. The surprise and its revelation within a revelation is perfectly keyed to the story and is very funny as well.  It also creates a wonderfully warm conclusion to this s-l-o-w- -m-o-v-i-n-g tale.

 Carla Martell’s charming illustrations create an amazing range of sloths. Whether young and lively or adult and dozing they are hilarious.   Her pictures are a perfect match for Mark Sommerset’s witty wordplay.  Mark Sommerset’s picture books are always fun to read aloud and Slow Mo is no exception.

 

Trevor Agnew
7 Oct 2026  [Review 3869.]

 

 

 Photo ©Mark Sommerset: Author’s Blog: https://www.marksommerset.com/

 

 

 

The Little Vampire Who Lost a TOOTH!        

 

The Little Vampire Who Lost a TOOTH!
Elaine Bickell
Ill. Raymond McGrath
Scholastic (2026)
Picture book
32 pages, Paperback
ISBN 978 1 77543 996 7

 

‘Little Vampire went out early one night,
excited about all the things he would bite.’

 With the deserved success of The Little Ghost Who Lost Her BOO! (2019) and The Little Witch Who Lost her BROOM! (2024), Elaine Bickell has now produced a third volume in the series, The Little Vampire Who Lost a TOOTH! The common factor is not that the characters are supernatural beings but rather they are supernatural beings who are children. (They might even be children who have dressed up for Halloween.)

 Elaine Bickell’s verses are cheerful, witty and readable, with enjoyable rhythms:

‘He opened his mouth, got ready to nibble…
but, oh no! His tooth had a wobbly wibble!’

 Look at how artist Raymond McGrath has depicted Little Vampire. His traditional evening dress with swirling cape creates lovely curves, which are reflected in his gracefully-curved shirt, trousers, waistcoat, shoes, fingers, ears and kiss-curl. Only his fangs are pointed. Whoops! Fang. His fang is pointed. What a calamity! Little Vampire has lost a wiggly tooth. Fortunately, his supernatural friends are quick to comfort him.

 Little Ghost offers him an ice cream:

‘Try eating something you don’t need to bite.

Have my ice scream, it’ll do the trick.
No need to bite -just give it a lick.’

 Flying by, Little Witch, has toffees to offer. The bats enjoy them but Little Vampire cannot be consoled:  

“Yum,” said Vampire,“but chewing’s not right.
I am a vampire and vampires bite!”

 Further attempts at aiding Little Vampire fail but then comes the funniest part of this story. The readers (and their listeners) are invited to take part in reassuring the Little Vampire. And the best part is that all young readers do have the knowledge which will bring him joy. It’s no spoiler to say that young readers can take full credit for the gloriously happy ending which ensues.

 Dawn McMillan describes The Little Vampire Who Lost a TOOTH! as a not-too-scary story, and her jolly verse certainly keeps the mood light. The pictures also add to the fun. Who expected spider monsters to wear baseball caps, or the Little Mummy to sport a smiley-face T-shirt over his wrappings?

A squadron of pink-eared vampire bats fly in formation with Little Vampire (and walk in formation with him when he walks). When he hangs upside-down from a bridge (to lick a lollipop) the bats hang beside Little Vampire in a neat curve.

 The witty detail in the charming illustrations create a droll child’s-eye-view of Halloween. As Little Vampire flies over the park, young readers will spot that the ice cream stall is being operated by a genial Abominable Snowman. An amiable tentacled monster is walking his pet rat on a lead and an even more amiable and even more tentacled octopus is running the soup van. Looking at the pictures is as rewarding as reading the words

 Ideal for shared reading – of both the words and the pictures.

 

Trevor Agnew
19 Oct 2026  [Review 3868.]

Talking Tukutuku

 

Talking Tukutuku
Kirsty Wadsworth with Doreen Bennett
Ill. Zak Ātea 
Scholastic (2026)
Picture book
40 pages, Paperback
ISBN 978 1 77543 957 8

 

 

Talking Tukutuku is a special book. Kirsty Wadsworth is the writer and Zak Ātea is the illustrator. Doreen Bennett is the Tukutuku Weaver cultural consultant. These three have combined their knowledge and talents to create an enjoyable and informative picture book

 Hīnātore enjoys her visits to the marae and being with her lively cousins Ariki and Māra. Inside the meeting house, however, Hīnātore is embarrassed that she cannot remember the names and patterns of the woven tukutuku panels that line the walls. Her cousins seem to know them all.

Arki rattles off the details, ‘This panel is the Pātiki, and this grand one is the Poutama …’

 ‘I’ll never remember all those names,’ interrupts Hīnātore, ‘I can’t even remember the names of all our aunties and uncles.’

 Left alone before the panels, Hīnātore is amazed when the diamond-shaped woven patterns begin to light up and move about. Then she realises that they are swimming like fish.

‘Ae,’ they replied. ‘We are Pātiki – flounder – and this is our tukutuku.’

 As Hīnātore loks around other panels begin lighting up, then moving and speaking to her. Tiny figures seem to be climbing up a set of steps. ‘We are the Poutama, representing the growth of knowledge – always learning, always gathering new skills.’

 As she goes around the panels, Hīnātore begins to understand the various symbols that the weavers have used. The sharp triangles remind her of teeth.

‘This one must be Niho Taniwha – the Taniwha’s teeth.’

‘Ae, tika,’ the tukutuku replied. ‘We symbolise strength, resilience and leadership – the things you might expect from a taniwha.’

 As each tukutuku tells its story and explains the significance of its pattern, Hīnātore learns that ‘everything is connected and everything has a purpose.’ She touches the building’s carvings, the woven panels and the photographs of ancestors, feeling a new sense of connection.

 The story concludes on a triumphant note, with Hīnātore surprising her family with her knowledge of tukutuku and her whanau’s legacy. Nanny Ihi has a special revelation for her.

 Zak Ātea has done well in capturing the various aspects of the tukutuku panels and also suggesting their broader symbolism. The weaving patterns can be seen in the sky and landscape in many of the pictures, so that readers can appreciate the skill of the detail work. She has also created convincing children of the three main characters, especially the bouncy Ariki who shows his amazement at his cousin’s achievement. The scene with Hīnātore and her Nanny Ihi clasping hands is particularly moving.

A fact section, Weaving Stories, at the end of the book contains key facts and ideas about tukutuku weaving. It includes a photo of one of Doreen Bennett’s panels, with an explanation of the symbols used.

 This book has its place in homes, of course, but it will be even more important for it to be in libraries and classrooms. Doreen Bennet’s final comment explains why, ‘When we learn traditional arts and stories, we become responsible knowledge holders, passing it on to future generations. It is our pride, identity and legacy.’

Talking Tukutuku passes it on.

 

Trevor Agnew

20 Oct 2026  [Review 3866.]

 

Pacific Myths and legends                 

Retold by A.W. Reed
Illustrated by Jenny Cooper
Oratia (2026)
Moana Oceania series
Picture book, Retellings
120 pages, Paperback
ISBN 978 1 99 004284 3

 

‘When a big storm comes to the island of Nauru, the people who live there say to each other, “Oh dear, Young Spider has stolen the fire again!”’

 Pacific Myths and Legends is a collection of A.W. [Andrew Wyclif] Reed’s retellings of Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesian folktales and legends. This collection has a long history. It was first published as Fairy Tales from the Pacific Islands in 1969, with a second edition being retitled as Myths and Legends of the Pacific (2000). In the 21^st Century, new printing technology made possible the handsome third edition, Illustrated Myths and Legends of the Pacific (2007) with magnificent full-colour pictures and decorations by Jenny Cooper. (That edition has her alarming Chatham Islands sea monster on the cover.)

It is this edition which has now been re-issued with a different cover and the same words and pictures (although it is minus three stories; one from Tahiti and two from New Guinea.) To avoid confusion with those previous editions, the title has now become Pacific Myths and Legends. (This edition has Jenny Cooper’s equally alarming shark on the cover.)

 All that is bibliographic history, of course. What the reader wants to know is whether the retelling has dated over the last five decades. A.W. Reed’s 1969 text has actually worn very well. His style is an easy, storytelling voice, with a strong emphasis on the character of the people (and creatures) described. The stories are long, ranging from 4 to 7 pages in length, so the designer, Cheryl Smith, has done well to fit them into 120 pages.

 ‘Many years ago, thousands of menehune, or little elves, lived in the islands of Hawai’i. You would not expect to see them in a great city like Honolulu but sometimes, they say, you can see a little man out the corner of your eye. He has red cheeks and a big smile. If you turn to look at him, he disappears, but you know that he was there a moment ago.’

 

The re-told stories come from the Chatham Islands, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Hawai’i, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, Caroline Islands, Fiji, New Britain, Palau, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. As well as favourites such as ‘Hinemoa and Tūtānekai’, there are many less familiar stories about the peoples, gods and animals of the Pacific region.

 An enjoyable aspect of some of these legends is the gentle mocking of foolish or unwise people. Although a wise old man advises his chief, ‘This I have heard from my father who heard it from his father’s father,’ many of the stories sound as though they were passed from mother to mother. A Solomon Islands legend explaining ‘Why the Moon Has a Dirty face’ presents a chief who wants to use a fishing line to hook the moon, so it can be a permanent night-light in his house. His folly is matched by ‘The Foolish Canoe Paddlers’ who forget to raise their anchor and the ‘Six Men Who Tried to Catch a Sunbeam.’

From New Britain, in Papua New Guinea, comes the aptly titled ‘The Wise Brother and the Foolish Brother,’ with its subtle humour about a man who failed at housebuilding and fishing: ‘Kabinana was the foolish brother. He thought he was much cleverer than Karvuvu, so whatever Karvuvu did, Kabinana did it differently.’

Jennifer Cooper’s colour illustrations represent her best work, capturing the symbolic power and human interest of each of the legends. Her magnificent watercolour paintings of the stories’ Pacific Island people are complemented by the traditional Pacific patterns and symbols which help make this such a striking book.

 esigner Cheryl Smith has helpfully included each story’s title and place of origin in small type at the bottom of each page. There is also a handy map to show the location of the island territories represented.

 Trevor Agnew

2 Oct 2026  [Review 3872.]

There’s a Rainbow in my River: He Kōpere kei taku Awa

 

          

There's a Rainbow in my River:
He Kōpere kei taku Awa
Dawn McMillan
Ill. Nikki Slade Robinson
Oratia (2026)
Picture book
32 pages, Paperback
ISBN 978 1 991353 06 1

 ‘Diving Beetle is diving! I see him way down there.
He’s like a scuba diver, with his bubble full of air.
Ko Tātaka Ruku ko ruku! Kei raro ia, e kite ana au.
Ānō he kairuku whai tāka hāora, me tana miru kī pai i te hau.’

 Dawn McMillan is back with another of her bilingual celebrations of the natural environment. Readers of such favourites as There’s a Crab in my Castle and There’s a Tui in our Teapot will know what to expect. In There’s a Rainbow in my River, Nan is on a walk beside a bush stream with her granddaughter and both of them are interested in the inhabitants of the aquatic world at their feet. The mokopuna tells us what they are looking at in verse, both in English and Māori.

 While the pair are hoping to see a rainbow trout, their first observations are of a water spider (pūwerewere wai), followed by a water boatman (hoehoe tuarā), some diving beetles (tātaka ruku), a freshwater lobster (kōura), several freshwater shrimps (kōuraura nonohi), the long-finned eel (tuna kūwharuwharu) and the giant bush dragonfly (kapokapowai).  No wonder this book comes with a droll health warning which is very reassuring for sensitive readers:

‘And nobody gets eaten in this book!
Kāhore hoki tētahi e kainga i tēnei pukapuka!’

 Dawn McMillan is very good at pointing out the distinctive features of the various river-dwellers. For, example the freshwater lobster (kōura) is vividly introduced:

‘Someone is waving feelers and flashing beady eyes!
He hihi e piua ana, he karu ka pūkanakana!’

No child who has caught a kōura will ever forget those protuberant eyes.

 Nikki Slade Robinson’s colour illustrations give a very clear idea of each creature and its special features. Thus, we see the water spider both swimming and then walking on the surface of the water. The koura is shown walking on its eight legs and making a fast exit with a flick of its tail. Best of all, the longfin eel is shown in several sinuous poses:

‘With every move she’s long and smooth, a gymnast at her best.
Ka roa, ka tau tana hanga, he kaipītaka angitu.’

Her depiction of the eel’s head also deserves credit for its benign expression. Eels are often demonised for their snake-like appearance and it’s good to see that smile.

 The Māori translation is by Stephanie Huriana Fong. The design is by Cheryl Smith.

 A two-page section, ‘Splishes and Splashes,’ provides more technical information on each featured creature. This section promises to be a real help for adults who are asked to identify wildlife in ponds and rivers. Thus, to take only part of one example, readers will find that the giant bush dragonfly (kapokapowai) is the largest of our ten dragonflies, with a 130 mm wingspan and it once helped Ngāti Rongomai to win a battle! It also eats bees, wasps, cicadas and butterflies ‘capturing them on the wing after a burst of speed.’ Sorry, nervous readers.

  There’s a Rainbow in my River provides a lively introduction to freshwater creatures in both English and Māori. Nervous readers, as well as readers with nerves of steel, will enjoy it.

 Trevor Agnew
6 Oct 2026  [Review 3871]

Mauri
Merryn Jones 
Isobel Joy Te Aho-White

 

Mauri
Merryn Jones
Ill. Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
Māori trans. Kanapu Rangitauira
Oratia (2026)
Picture book
24 pages, Paperback
ISBN 978 1 99004 296 6

 

‘From the source to the mouth of the sea all things are joined together as one.
Mai i te mātāpuna ki te ngutuawa ka tuituia ngā mea katoa hei Kotahi.’

 Merryn Jones has had the brilliant idea of creating a picture book which explores the Māori concept of Mauri for young readers. Mauri is variously defined as ‘spirit’ or ‘life principle’, or ‘vital spirit that connects all living things.’ The genius of this book is that it uses the traditional Māori creation story to show the interconnection of everything in the environment. The text is written in clear simple English, accompanied by a Māori translation by Kanapu Rangitauira.

 The story begins with Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother, sweltering in heat and darkness beneath Ranginui, the Sky Father.

‘I’m hot and thirsty,’ she said. ‘My forests and rivers need water.’
‘Kei te wera, kei te hiainu ahau,’ hei tāna. ‘Me whai wai ōku ngahere, ōku awa.’

 The first of their offspring to be called to help is Tāwhirimātea, the god of weather, who presses the rising heat into clouds. Soon rain is falling on the mountains and streams are flowing through the forests.

‘Fish and eels moved gracefully in the river currents.’
‘Tau an te tere o ngā ika me ngā tuna i te au o ngā awa.’

 Papatūānuku tells Ranginui that her trees and plants need sunshine to grow. He calls on Tamanuiterā, the sun god, to provide sunlight, thus bringing joy to Tāne Mahuta and his oxygen-breathing forests.  The plants in the vegetable gardens of Rongomātāne, god of crops and peace, flourish. The winds of Tāwhirimātea carry the seeds of the plants and help the birds to fly on their migrations.

Exhausted, Papatūānuku needs rest, so Tamanuiterā passes some of his light to Te Marama, the goddess of the moon. All the creatures of Tangaroa, the sea god listen and he sheds tears of joy.

‘Millions of stars glittered as Te Marama whispered a lullaby.’

‘Whērikoriko ana ngā tini whetū i a Te Marama e oriori ana.’

 

Aware that all living things are connected to each other and the environment, Ranginui and Papatūānuku sleep quietly.

 Most young readers will be familiar with the Māori pantheon and the gods’ particular responsibilities but Merryn Jones has carefully emphasised examples of the way all aspects of the natural environment are connected. Thus there are subtle reminders of plants breathing out oxygen, birds carrying seeds, the wind’s involvement with clouds and the importance of water.

 The illustrations are an important part of this book and Isobel Joy Te Aho-White has excelled herself with her beautifully symbolic pictures. Papatūānuku is clothed in vegetation greenery, while Ranginui appears dressed in a sky-blue cloak with a cloud patterns. Meanwhile the various minor gods are skilfully represented as they appear in traditional carvings, with stylised bodies and three fingers. Tāne Mahuta is shown standing tall before his kauri trees, while Rongomātāne is presented as an earth-coloured gardener, working a kō in a kūmara patch. Tangaroa, with his fish-like tail is all sinuous curves of green and blue, as he listens to his whales singing. A single tear can be seen dropping from his eye, even though he is underwater.

 The picture of sky-blue Tāwhirimātea captures the theme of Mauri, as he simultaneously puffs out wind and squeezes the clouds to release the rain which nurtures the plants and trees below. All is connected.

 Mauri is the work of three talented people coming together to share their special abilities, making this book a symbol of mauri in action.

 In the words of Dr Pita Sharples, speaking in 2009:
‘From the source to the mouth of the sea all things are joined together as one.
Mai i te mātāpuna ki te ngutuawa ka tuituia ngā mea katoa hei Kotahi.’

 Trevor Agnew

17 Oct 2026  [Review 3870.]

 

Note for further reading:

The Urban Activity Book, a recently published nature guide for young people, includes several references to the concept of mauri, as part of ‘helping tamariki to build respectful, joyful relationships and connections with the world around them.’ -  The Urban Activity Book by Rachel Haydon, Te Papa Press, (2026) pages 5, 26-31.

 

Mauri is also the theme of Robyn Kahukiwa’s picture book The Koroua and the Mauri Stone, Puffin (1994). (see below) The text of this book is also reprinted in the collection Te Ao Marama, Volume 4: Contemporary Māori Writing for Children, edited by Witi Ihimaera (1994).

 Trevor Agnew
17 Oct 2026  [Review 3870.]

 

The Koroua and the Mauri Stone
Robyn Kahukiwa
Puffin/Viking (1994)
Picture book
Paperback, 32 pages
ISBN 0 14 054582 4

 

Maori language edition:
Te Koroua me te Kohatu Mauri
Robyn Kahukiwa Te reo Māori translation
by Wi Kuki Kaa
Puffin/Viking (1994)
Picture book
Paperback, 32 pages
ISBN 978 0 14 054583 2

 Robyn Kahukiwa has written and illustrated The Koroua and the Mauri Stone, a wonderful story of an elderly Māori man who is searching for the lost Mauri Stone of his ancestors. As a koroua (Māori elder), he is anxious to restore the land and ‘the children of Tane’ (the plants and trees of the forest) to their original strength.

He builds a traditional Māori kite, which he names Kahau (linking to the idea of a messenger to the gods). In his kite, he incorporates mana, ihi and wehi. Then he flies it over the ancestral land. While it is being flown, the kite breaks the string holding it and takes its own path, falling where the Mauri stone lies. The rediscovery which follows inspires the old man’s whānau (extended family) to take heart and begin the restoration work which will help the forest to recover. The birds and insects will live there again.

A list of the birds and trees that once inhabited the land is given in a guide at the back of the book. It also lists those trees and plants that are being replanted by the family.

A Glossary explains that ‘Ihi’ means power, ‘Wehi’ means fear or awe, and ‘Mana’ means integrity. Mauri is defined as the spirit or life principle enfolding all living things including people as well the land, mountains, rivers, streams and the sea. They all depend on each other. In Māori tradition, Tāne is the name of the deity responsible for the forests.

 Note: A Māori language edition, Te Koroua me te Kohatu Mauri, was also published by Puffin Books in 1994. [ISBN 978 0 14 054583 2] It was translated into te reo Māori by Wi Kuki Kaa.

The text of this story is also reprinted in the collection Te Ao Marama, Volume 4: Contemporary Māori Writing for Children, edited by Witi Ihimaera, Reed (1996).

Trevor Agnew

                                                                                                 

A Hidden World:
Discovering the Beauty
of New Zealand Fungi

 

A Hidden World:
Discovering the Beauty
of New Zealand Fungi
Paula Vigus
Potton and Burton (2025)
Hardback, 168 pages
978-1-9885507-9-4 $49.95

 I was once one of a group of soldiers running through an old pine plantation, when I saw to my amazement a huge red toadstool with white spots. It looked just like the illustrations of goblin’s homes in children’s storybooks. Accustomed only to gathering mushrooms from sheep paddocks on misty mornings, I had no idea such spotted fungal fantasies could be real. I would have paused to check for little doors and windows but our compass exercise had a cruel time limit.  

 Paging through A Hidden World decades later, I had a sudden memory flash - on page 40 to be precise. There was my goblin house identified as Amanita muscaria or fly agaric and noted as ‘a favourite subject for artists and storytellers.’ Its ‘polka dots and bright red caps’ were beautifully photographed by Paula Vigus against a background of pine needles.

 Her prose is as perfect as her photographs. She recalls A. muscaria fondly as the first mushrooms she ever photographed while holidaying with her grandchildren at Hanmer Springs in 2015. ‘Some were as big as dinner plates.’  Then she adds that these fungi are notorious for their toxins. ‘If you touch one it will not harm you, but I strongly advise that you don’t lick your fingers.’

 The whole book is like that. Each handsome fungi portrait is accompanied by its scientific and common name, then a brisk description of its special features, habitat and distribution. These are followed by intriguing and enchanting revelations about each. Take, for example, Entoloma hochstetteri or werewere kōkako. It’s a stunningly eye-catching blue mushroom which graces New Zealand’s $50 note. The Māori know why it was chosen to share the note with the kōkako, and so does Paula Vigus who writes about ‘the belief that when a kōkako rubbed its wattles on the mushrooms it turned blue.’

 The full-page colour photos of everything from toothed fungi to stinkhorns, cat’s tongue to jelly babies, wax gills to the golden tufty top are simply stunning. The fungi look like everything from undersea coral to alien monsters. The colours too are unbelievably beautiful. This book will inspire any young reader to an appreciation of what an amazing world of fungi surrounds us. A hidden world, indeed. Nor do would-be mushroomers and funglers have to travel far to find interesting specimens. A southern false morel was found in the Franz Josef Glacier car-park, while a shaggy-coated dotty inkcap was located ‘on a park walkway in Christchurch…all bundled up and waiting for winter.’

 

With her superb photography skills, inquisitive mind, clarity of expression and impish wit, Paula Vigus has created a book that will inspire an enthusiasm for fungi. Young readers will find her summaries delightfully readable. The pictures are all attention-grabbers and her essays on photographing these tiny subjects reflect her years of learning techniques in the years since her interest in fungi began during the Covid lockdown.

 She even has a message for those who kick over toadstools, ‘…if you kick a toadstool or mushroom over, it grows back just the same and you have probably spread the spores. Hooray says the mushroom!’

 

Trevor Agnew
June 2026 [Review 3841]

 This review was first published in the July 2026 issue of Magpies Magazine.