The bilingual Simmonds whānau has reviewed two new picture books. Read on to find out what Shirley, Tamihana (10) and Raukawa (9), think about them. You can also read a version of these reviews written in te reo Māori. The Smelly Giant, by Kurahau and illustrated by Laya Mutton-Rogers (Huia Publishing) No doubt we all know the stench of smelly feet! As we were reading this book, it was as if we could smell the odour of Toe Jam’s giant stinky toes. Spread from The Smelly Giant

He arotakenga pukapuka ēnei, mō ngā pukapuka pikitia hou nā Kurahau rāua ko Renee Chin. Nā Shirley Simmonds, ko Tamihana Simmonds (10 ōna tau), rātou ko Raukawa Simmonds (e 9 ōna tau) ngā arotakenga i tuhi. He aha ō mātou whakaaro? Me pānui koutou i ēnei pukapuka! Tio Tiamu, nā Kurahau rāua ko Laya Mutton-Rogers (Huia Publishing) Kāore e kore ka mōhio tātou katoa i te haunga a ngā waewae pirau! I te wā e pānui ana mātou i tēnei pukapuka, te ahua nei, ka rongo mātou ki tērā ha

The images and the story of Margaret Mahy’s “A Lion in the Meadow” have almost become a part of the collective consciousness of children who grow up in Aotearoa. This year, the Māori language translation of the book: “He Raiona i roto i ngā Otaota” by Piripi Walker, was released. Krissi Smith was lucky enough to chat to Piripi about this classic book which has been given new life in te reo Māori! (Read this interview in te reo Māori here.) Tēnā koe Piripi! Despite the many be

Ko ngā pikitia me ngā kōrero o Lion in the Meadow nā Margaret Mahy, he mea tuhi ki te rae o te tamaiti i tipu ake i Aotearoa nei. I tēnei tau, i puta mai ki te ao He Raiona i roto i ngā Otaota nā Piripi Walker i whakamāori. I kōrero tahi a Krissi Smith rāua ko Piripi Walker mō te pukapuka tawhito kua ara mai anō hei pukapuka hou i te reo rangatira! (You can read this interview in English tomorrow.) Tēnā koe Piripi! Ahakoa ngā painga o tēnei ao matihiko, ehara tēnei i te kōrer

As part of celebrations for Māori Language Week, Vini Olsen-Reeder chats with his relation Hinemārie Burton about co-writing their first book together. Ngā Maunga Tohorā: The Whale Mountains is a children’s book wrapped in identity, language and local Tauranga history. Three whale mountains of Ngā Pōtiki a Tamapahore, Tahuwhakatiki Marae, Tauranga. Photograph by Vini Olsen-Reeder Vini: Kia ora e te whanaunga! First up, let’s talk about the roles we both played in creating Ngā

Melanie Drewery has produced a multitude of books over the last two decades aimed at delivering te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in a gentle and positive way. Navana Matthews spoke to Melanie about the return of Nanny Mihi. See here to read this interview in te reo Māori. Melanie Drewery Melanie Drewery is best known for her Nanny Mihi series that explores the holistic relationship between a kuia and her mokopuna. Drewery’s new book Nanny Mihi and the Bellbird is book number si

E hia kē nei ngā pukapuka i tuhi ai a Melanie Drewery i ēnei rua tekau tau. Ko te whāinga o ēnei pukapuka kia Rongo rawa te taki i te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori mā ngā tamariki. Navana Matthews e kōrero ana ki a Melanie. Melanie Drewery E hia kē nei ngā pukapuka i tuhi ai a Melanie Drewery i ēnei rua tekau tau. Ko te whāinga o ēnei pukapuka kia Rongo rawa te taki i te reo Māori me ngā tikanga Māori mā ngā tamariki. Ko Nanny Mihi pea te raupapatanga pukapuka rongonui rawa

Ngaere Roberts (Ngāti Porou) is one of our most prolific translators of children’s books into te reo Māori, having translated work from the likes of Joy Cowley, Gavin Bishop and Ruth Paul. Today Vini Olsen-Reeder chats to Ngaere about her storytelling process. See here to read this interview in te reo Māori. Ngaere Roberts We’re doing this on paper, and not in person. At first I was a bit worried about that. Now I’m thinking it’s pretty special because I first met you through

He mātanga, he atamai a Ngaere Roberts (Ngāti Porou) ki te whakamāori i ngā pukapuka mō te nohinohi, kua oti i a ia ngā pukapuka a te momo i a Joy Cowley mā, i a Gavin Bishop mā, i a Ruth Paul mā te whakamāori. Inā a Vini Olsen-Reeder e kōrero ana ki a Ngaere mō tāna huarahi taki i te pūrākau mō te tamaiti. You can read this interview in English here. Ngaere Roberts Tēnā koe e Ngaere! Tuatahi, he uiui ā-tuhi tēnei, ehara i te uiui kanohi ki te kanohi. Ka nui taku māharahara k

Matariki has been celebrated in several picture books in recent years, but broadcaster Miriama Kamo’s new book, The Stolen Stars of Matariki, is the first to feature nine, not seven stars. Kristin Smith caught up with Miriama to hear how the book came about. In 2016, Dr Rangi Mātāmua got everyone talking about the nine (not seven!) stars of Matariki. Many of us had grown up with the tale of the seven stars, but Mātāmua pushed back on this kōrero – showing that the idea of sev

Kua whakanuia a Matariki i ētahi pukapuka tamariki i ēnei tau tata kua hipa, engari ko te pukapuka hou a Miriama Kamo, ko Ngā Whetū Matariki i Whānakotia te mea tuatahi e pā ana ki ngā whetū e iwa, kaua ko ngā whetū e whitu. I kōrero tahi a Miriama rāua ko Kristin Smith mō te pukapuka nei. (You can read this interview in English here.) I te tau 2016, nā Tākuta Rangi Mātāmua i whakaora anō te kōrero mō ngā whetū e iwa (ehara i te whitu!) o Matariki. Kua tipu mai ētahi o tātou

Today Kura Rutherford introduces Dr Darryn Joseph (Ngāti Maniapoto), a writer, dad, illustrator, comic collector and Māori language lecturer. The recently appointed board member for Storylines has an extensive literary CV. He has published 23 books in te reo, he won the Huia Short Story Award in 2003 and 2015, and his book Hewa won the LIANZA Te Kura Pounamu Award in 2010. In 2010, he was also the recipient of the Creative New Zealand Te Waka Toi Grant. Darryn is married, ha

Most people know him as a politician, but the face of our fifty-dollar note, Sir Āpirana Ngata, was passionate about so much more than meets the eye. Our guest editor for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Nadine Millar (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi), closes Māori Language Week with a call for us to hold on to our literary roots, as we forge our future. On New Zealand’s fifty-dollar banknote, there’s a picture of a man most of us know. Sir Āpirana Ngata: handsome, fresh-faced and hopeful. The ph

Ko tēnei Te Wiki o te Reo Māori! All week, our guest editor Nadine Millar (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi) will bring us literary insights and treasures from Te Ao Māori. First up, she draws back the curtain on the production of picture books in te reo, and discovers some magicians at work. A spread from Te Anuhe Tino Hiakai In 1992, Brian Morris, a school teacher by trade, bought a copy of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and, breaking all the rules of copyright, covered up al

Kristin Smith reviews the five Te Kura Pounamu finalists in this year's NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. He kōrero Māori koe? He kōrero pukapuka koe?* If you love reading te reo Māori, and you love reading fiction, you pretty much better love children’s books, or you’re gonna run out of reading material in te reo pretty quickly. Luckily, children’s books in te reo can be especially clever, insightful, funny and surprising. I’ll never forget discovering Te Ātea by