Review of He wa moe, Kiwi Pakupaku – Bob Darroch, translated by Stacey Morrison

In this Maori-language edition of Bob Darroch’s bestselling lift-the-flap bedtime story, it’s time for Little Kiwi to go to bed – but where is he?

Kua tae ki te wa e moe ai a Kiwi Pakupaku, engari kei hea ia? Whaia tana Kokara, ka kimi haere i a ia i te ngahere o Aotearoa.

A favourite lift-the-flap adventure in the eternally popular Little Kiwi series of storybooks, now available in te reo Maori.

He wa moe, Kiwi Pakupaku

Bob Darroch, translated by Stacey Morrison

Picture Puffin

Supplied by Penguin Random House New Zealand

Reviewed by Jan Butterworth

This is the well known bedtime story of Little Kiwi having to go to bed and his Kokara/Mum is searching for him in the New Zealand forest.  She finds lots of other little forest creatures during her search, cleverly hidden under flaps you lift up.

The artwork is beautifully drawn, with realistic forest dwellers coming to life.  The New Zealand forest is strikingly depicted in restful green, yellow, and brown tones and the lift-the-flaps blend in so well it’s hard to pick them out!   As with every Little Kiwi book hidden ladybirds are on every page.

I originally thought the book was in English as well as Maori, and was happy to see it wasn’t.  Hopefully this helps te reo become more mainstream and common to find books in.

The lft up flaps make this an interactive book for you and your child to enjoy and I really recommend it for te reo learners.

Review of He Started It – Samantha Downing

Beth, Portia and Eddie are siblings. Like all siblings, sometimes they don’t get along. They just have better reasons than most.

But when their grandfather dies, he leaves a troublingly specific condition in his will. For them to inherit his wealth, they’re required to retake a road trip they took with him when they were children, and scatter his ashes at the end of it. Of course, reuniting after all this time brings back memories of that ill-fated trip. Memories of what went wrong. But it’s not only memories they have to worry about. Someone is following them. Each of them is keeping secrets. And all of them are all too aware of what happened last time.

Because you can’t inherit the money if someone kills you first.

He Started It

Samantha Downing

Michael Joseph

Supplied by Penguin Random House New Zealand

Reviewed by Jan Butterworth

Eddie, Beth, and Portia have to to retake a road trip they took with their grandfather when they were children in order to inherit his wealth.  Eddie and Beth are married and their spouses, Krista and Felix, join them on the road trip.

The rules of the trip are; they can’t go to jail, or murder anyone on the trip, and have to scatter their grandfather’s ashes at the end of it. Sounds simple.

The story is told from Beth’s POV and information is drip fed to you bit by bit, until you have enough to piece the puzzle together.  Maybe.  I definitely did not see that end coming.  The last few paragraphs were awesome while the last sentence was brilliant.

This book is very clever psychological thriller and a real page turner.  I highly recommend it for those who love a good story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and unputdownable.

Review of Hound the Detective – Kimberly Andrews

Meet Hound, a brilliant detective who ALWAYS solves his case. But this latest trail of clues has him perplexed – could it be that he’s missed something important?

Search for clues hidden in the pictures and help Hound to solve the riddle in this delightful return to the world of Puffin the Architect.

I’m Hound! And I’m a sleuth. I solve all types of cases. I sniff and snuff until my nose detects the clues and traces. Missing jewels, stolen cars —I always solve the crime. My latest case arrived by post. Ha ha — detecting time!

This gorgeous, multi-layered and engaging whodunnit by an award-winning writer has a delightful surprise at the end. Readers will love studying each action-packed illustration, poring over the details of Hound’s secret passages and map, spotting the adorable animals lurking in the pictures, and finding the caterpillar hidden on every page.

Hound the Detective

Kimberly Andrews

Picture Puffin

Supplied by Penguin Random House New Zealand

Reviewed by Jan Butterworth

Hound is a clever detective who solves cases by detecting clues with his nose.  His latest case has arrived by post;

To find your first clue

Follow your nose

In winter it freezes

In summer it flows

Hound instantly has the scent and races off to find the clue.

The story is cleverly laid out ands explains the Hound’s movements in catchy rhymes.  The text is fun to read and has a little drawing of something related to the clue.  The illustrations are very detailed and showcase the story very well.

I managed to find one hidden caterpillar in the whole book, and needed help from a friend’s son to find the rest.

Parents will enjoy reading this story to their little one and searching for the clues hidden in the pictures and the caterpillar.  I highly recommend this book for a special little one.