Tom had a little taniwha,called Kakariki Green,
the strangest little creature
that you have ever seen.
A body like a lizard,
a head just like a dog,
skin scaly as a crocodile,
the colour of a frog.
(excerpt from Kakariki and the Kai by Julia Sloane, illustrated by Kelvin Hawley. Book cover from Syndetics)
Kia ora koutou. I thought I would tell you about some of our children's picture books which contain some Te Reo, that you could take out to celebrate Maori Language week which your family. The above excerpt comes from a series of picture books published by Scholastic about a mischievous little taniwha. Even my Ngati Pakeha tongue can make it around most of the simple Te Reo. I am talking about things like "e noho" (sit down), "kai" (food) and "puku" (stomach). These books are a great introduction to Te Reo, with easy rhyming text and humorous stories that children will relate to. You can locate them under S on our picture book shelves or in our Rodney Libraries catalogue under the author's name Julia Sloane.
We have a wide range of books at Rodney Libraries which include an element of Te Reo. These include Maori myths and legend from picture book and easy reader format right through to the advanced reader (and adults). The latter are mainly found on our non-fiction shelves under Call Number 398.2 although there are some picture book versions on our children's shelves as well. There are several different sets of the Waiatarua Myths series which are simple entry level picture books and easy readers. Tane, Tangaroa and Maui are all there as well as many others.
There are plenty of other picture books which range from New Zealand's history right through to life today which contain Te Reo. Waka Wairua - The Spirit Waka (Yvonne Morrison) is based on the true story of a Maori guide on Lake Tarawera in the days leading up to the eruption. Melanie Drewery has written many books with some Te Reo, including a series centring on everyone's favourite grandmother Nanny Mihi. These are available (as are several similar titles) in both English and Te Reo.
Matatuhi (Robyn Kahukiwa) tells the story of Mata, a young Maori girl who has been adopted into a Pakeha family. Issues like this and how the Maori deal with death such as Haere: Farewell Jack Farewell (Tim Tipene) are also covered in our collection.
Many of your Rodney Libraries will have these books on display this week to celebrate Maori Language Wekk. Or just ask one of the librarians to find something for you if you can't see it.
Ka kite ano.
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