Some awesome books by some amazing kiwi authors & illustrators! Have a peek below for a quick review and some specific reader response sheets that match the books…. have I missed your favourite? Flick me an e-mail or leave a comment below!
Whetu the Little Blue Duck
By Jennifer Beck, illustrated by Renee Haggo
The perfect book for the little activists in your class, and a window into some of the challenges facing our endangered and protected bird life.
Fifty-Five Feathers
By Ben Brown & Helen Taylor
Fifty-Five Feathers provides a stunningly illustrated journey through some of our most iconic bird life, and results in a happy ending for little gecko thank goodness!
Waata the Weta
By Josephine Carson Barr, Illustrated by Simon Barr
I loved the fresh layout of this book! The perfect hybrid of cartoon style illustrations, graphic details and unusual characters, it’s bound to hold appeal for upper primary children especially. I particularly enjoyed some of the language features included – a great example of onomatopoeia! You can order a copy of Waata the Weta here.
Tuna and Hiriwa
By Ripeka Takotowai Goddard,
illustrated by Kimberly Andrews
illustrated by Kimberly Andrews
This delicately illustrated book shares a little known story about how the eel got his silvery belly and provides an interesting twist on the usual myths and legends. It would be the perfect spring board into creating and exploring legends with your class….
If you’re a Kiwi and you know it
Sung by Pio Terei, Māori lyrics by Kotuku Tibble
& illustrations by Stevie Mahardhika
& illustrations by Stevie Mahardhika
An awesome sing along for the juniors with lots of scope for creating your own actions. My one year olds and Mr 4 were completely captivated, and if the actions are performed as enthusiastically as Mr 4 did them, it could also be counted as a work out ha ha!
Are you looking for other Kiwi creature resources?
You might also be interested in our NZ creatures clip art sets…. find them here:
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