Kuwi’s Rowdy Crowd by Kat Merewether

Kuwi’s Rowdy Crowd by Kat Merewether. Pub. Illustrated Publishing, 2018.

This classic picture book will be launched throughout New Zealand next week in Rotorua and around New Zealand for the next month. Make a point of checking it out.

Kuwi the kiwi just wants a quiet morning in her burrow sipping a cup of kawakawa tea but her chick Huwi has other ideas. Huwi wants to play with his friends and make as much fun and noise as possible.

He wants to play King Kong with his tower of blocks, revel in the bath with a flock of farting whio, kung fu with the kokako and tap dance with the tomtits and other things.

Until Kuwi has a melt down, the friends are out, the noise is stopped, and mother and chick have quality silent time together.

The text is fun but the real humour is in the illustrations. There is the Stay Weird tee shirt on the line, the Huwi Potter cupboard under the stairs, the Kicaso painting on the wall, the cans of Bug Beans, the K bars as karate blocks, amongst others. There is a nice little play with rap too, Straight out of Aotearoa.

Lots of Te Reo Maori words with translations in the back.

A fine package for everyone.

Little Kiwi and the Treaty by Nikki Slade Robinson

Little Kiwi and the Treaty by Nikki Slade Robinson, pub. Duck Creek press, 2018.

This is a beautifully illustrated picture book for juniors and older readers because it has some depth.

It is a story told to Little Kiwi by his Koro or grandfather about two groups of kiwis that go searching for better kai and a better place to build their nests. The two groups clash then realise that fighting is not the answer. What do you think is the answer?

The book is also about identity and family history and really is an allegory of race relations with a message of..”as long as we work together we can move forwards”

Keep an Eye on This Kiwi by Scott Tulloch.

Keep an Eye on This Kiwi by Scott Tulloch. Pub. Scholastic, 2018.

Scott Tulloch engages with the very early reader in a way that is certain to capture their interest and imagination. Yes that is right he has written a poo, bum wees short book about our National bird, the kiwi.

Kiwi was looking for huhu grubs and they saw him coming and disguised themselves as dog poo. For that he is called a dumb-dumb and he doesn’t like it. In fact he is very sensitive about it.

When three worms disguise themselves as spaghetti will kiwi fall for it again? You can bet he will, but he is looking for revenge and discovers he has a haunted bum. See how this happens by reading the book.

Tulloch’s illustrations are superb and the characters of the huhu grubs and the worms are fantastic. Early readers do not come better than this. A good read-a loud and adults will love it too. The sort of story kids want you to read them over and over again.

Kiwi One and Kiwi Two by Stephanie Thatcher.

Kiwi One and Kiwi Two by Stephanie Thatcher. Pub. Scholastic, 2018.

Kiwis are nocturnal birds and Kiwi one and kiwi two have been asleep all day along with tuatara in the burrow next door.

When a beautiful night arrives they are ready for play and celebrate by waking up all the other forest animals and getting them out unceremoniously to play. At first  the pukeko, the duck, the gecko and other animals get involved but they have been up all day and are soon going to flag.

As day breaks  and kiwis one and two are ready for bed the other animals lay around like parents with a new baby who has kept them up all night.

Great illustrations that show the joy of childhood and the ordeal of parenthood with rhyming text that demands to be read aloud.

Great for pre schoolers and juniors.

Little Kiwi has a Forest feast by Bob Darroch

Little Kiwi has a Forest feast by Bob Darroch. Pub. Penguin Random House, 2017.

When little kiwi tells his sister “I’b got a colt” the rumour mill starts that has little kiwi leaving the forest on a horse. His friends pour round to see him only to find that he habn’d got a ‘orse but he could ead one because he is uggry!

The other birds see his predicament and bring around lots of worms. Too many in fact so they all have a feast but little sister still thinks it would be fun having a horse.

Delightful story for juniors about the New Zealand forest bird community and the latest in the dozen or so picture books that make up the Little Kiwi series..

Kuwi’s Huhu Hunt by Kat Merewether

Kuwi’s Huhu Hunt by Kat Merewether. Published illustrated.co.nz    2015.

Sequel to Kuwi’s Egg reviewed earlier on this blog. Kuwi has a fussy eater for a chick. Huwee isn’t interested in huhu hummus, weta wontons, snail sushi, moth mince and other delicacies not even frog fudge.

Kuwi takes her chick on a hunt for food but huwee is holding out for something else. Check this title out and see what it is.

The text is minimal and demands to be read aloud and the characters of Kuwi and Huwi are delightful. There are some surprises amongst the illustrations, look for Anika the Moa. I thought the eel eclair looked delicious.

For juniors and pre schoolers. It is a load of fun

Kuwi’s First Egg by Kat Merewether.

Kuwi’s First Egg by Kat Merewether. Pub. Illustrated publishing 2014.

Kuwi is having her first egg. She is eating gherkins and chocolate, she cannot get comfortable and when it arrives she doesn’t quite know what to do.

She wonders if it is cold, if it is hungry, if it likes music and she even takes it for a walk and a swim. Then it starts to crack and she thinks she is a failure. As the egg opens the word Mama makes it all worth while.

Simple text well placed on each page make it a great read-a-loud for juniors with a big ahhh at the end.

The illustrations deliver more and will bring a knowing smile to adult  faces. Each room of Kuwi’s Hole sweet Hole is shown with the life of spiders worms and lizards around the hole going on in various ways.

The rooms reflect kiwiana, a book shelf  with Lord of the Wetas and the Lovely Beaks, a Huhu grub reading Huhu Potter, a Van Gogh like self portrait, a Tiki evolving into a kiwi and the coup de grace, ducks on the wall.

Check it out for yourself, its a winner for the home and the school.