Translated from Spanish by Sofía Huitrón Martínez.
Graphic Universe, 2022.
Andrea, a young Indigenous Colombian woman, has returned
to the land she calls home. Only nineteen years old, she comes to mourn her
lost child, carrying a box in her arms. And she comes with another mission.
Andrea has hidden a camera upon herself. If she can capture evidence of the
illegal mining that displaced her family, it will mark the first step toward
reclaiming their land.
War, grief, protest, Indigenous rights, sexual assault,
displacement – so much going on in such a slim volume – but one that packs a
bunch.
Light from our Sun and other sources is all around,
bringing colour, heat and energy. Over time, humans have harnessed light to
create fire, fluorescent light and even scientific equipment like lasers. But
light and colour are tricky. Too much or too little light changes our body
chemistry, when it bends it can fool our eyes, and it can even act like a wave
or a particle. Explore what First Australians and scientists have learned about
the incredible properties of light and colour.
Part of a series which includes Numbers in Nature,
Earth’s changing surfaces, Animal survival.
A wonderful synthesis of Australian First Nations knowledge
and science, with Western science.
"I thread each arm through my peach sleeves. Grandpa
Jo ties the bright yellow sash around me. I check to make sure the paper
flowers in my hair are on just right. I am ready for my first Bon dance
festival!”
It's a young Japanese-American girl's first time at the
"Festival of Souls," one of the largest Buddhist festivals. It's just
like her grandfather described: the smell of corndogs, the glow of hanging
paper lanterns, the beat of taiko drums. But Grandpa Jo didn't tell her that
everyone else already knew how to dance! Suddenly, the lanterns feel like
spotlights. She wish, wish, wishes she could dance, but she can't bring herself
to try until Grandpa Jo encourages her to remember the meaning of the Obon
Festival - celebrating our family members who have passed on - and to imagine
her beloved Grandma Nat dancing along with her. Because she is there, and
behind her are her parents, sugar-cane cutters, and behind them are their
parents, who came to Hawai'i on ships from Japan.
Traditions of light and dance – and their connection to
those who have passed.
The author is fifth generation Hawai’ian Japanese.
The illustrator was born in the USA, and is now based in
Tokyo.
Share a NZ book for children or teens you wish you'd read earlier. Pōtiki. Written by Patricia Grace. First published Penguin, 1986.
Maybe I'm mis-remembering, but I *think* Pōtiki was an assigned book at high school. (In which case, it counts as for teens.)
If it wasn't, it represents what NZ literature came to mean for me: books I was supposed to read - the 'good for you' books - which were forced on me, at a time when I wasn't ready for them.
To be honest, it could have been Witi Ihimaera's Pounamu, pounamu.
But, to teenaged me, they all had the flavour of good-for-you vegetable reading.
Now, reading them, I appreciate them so much more. I am older, and my world view has grown.
Share a NZ book for children or teens that you bought in a local bookshop. Atua: Māori Gods and heroes By Gavin Bishop. Puffin 2021. ISBN 9780143775690.
Share a NZ book for children or teens that deserves more attention: When the Kehua Calls / When the Kēhua Calls Written by Kingi McKinnon. First published by Scholastic, 2002. ISBN 1869435222. Republished by Scholastic, 2024. ISBN 9781775437734.
I was so pleased to see this has been republished! It blew my mind - and creeped me out - when I read it all those years ago.
In the words of Betsy Bird, US librarian, reviewer, and author:
YUSSS!!! Oh lord, people, why is something like this so rare? All I want is for accomplished picture book illustrators to hone their talents to the board book format and THEN be paired with those books that will be most useful to children. I’m talking accordion books/high contrast/lift-the-flaps/you name it. Gavin Bishop is of Maori descent (Ngāti Pukeko, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Mahuta, Tainui) and is a friggin’ New Zealand national treasure. He’s also been making books for kids for decades upon decades. LOOK is a particular delight with faces on one side of the accordion pull-out pages, and objects on the other. Meanwhile FRIEND goes through a range of different emotions with a little dog as your avatar. More of this please!
Share a New Zealand book for children or teens: with purple on the cover:
The Witch of Maketu and the Bleating Lambs Author: Anika Moa Illustrator: Rebecca Ter Borg. Publisher: Puffin / Penguin Random House, 2024. ISBN: 9781776958184
Let me share some of the reasons why I love this book, in no particular order:
Anika Moa and her sense of humour.
Rebecca Ter Borg's illustrations.
Uncle Hemi.
The lambs.
The Witch.
The moral. I'm sure being a knitter is one of the reasons I'm not evil.
As a bonus, here is Anika singing The Witch of Maketu.
Age does not limit your drive or ambition. And this picture book biography shows that, in spades.
I love me by Sally Morgan & Ambelin Kwaymullina.
I Love This Book. It is simple and expressive and so joyous. This mother-daughter pair of creators works perfectly. Sally's mother was from the Bailgu people of Western Australia, and was part of the Stolen Generations.
Koko and the coconut by Turia Pitt, Célestine Hitiura Vaite, & Emilie Tavaearii.
The authors' Tahitian heritage - and personal stories - help to add nuance and depth to a story of determination.
Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapōkai by Michaela Keeble & Tokerau Brown.
The power of standing strong in your identity, and being who you are, is so powerful. And is beautifully expressed in this book. The main character's identity is front-and-centre, with the Māori tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) flag around his arms.
For some people, these books push the boundaries and need banning.
I think they need highlighting and celebrating.
And, this is only a tiny selection of the books I *could* have recommended.
Rere atu taku poi! Let my poi fly! By Tangaroa Paul & Rebecca Gibbs.
Another moment for me to share my pride in my work organisation. For those who don't know, poi are a female accessory. But, if you are a boy - or AMAB (assigned male at birth) - who loves the poi, what do you do? Based on the author's own experiences. You can see Tangaroa in action, in this video - filmed in one of the local libraries.
This book has faced negative review bombing online. It is a sequel to Grandad's Caravan, and both are beautiful, and deserve support.
Jenny lives with Eric and Martin by Susanne Bösche, Andreas Hansen, & L. Mackay.
Old school review! How many people have ever heard of this one? It is from 1981, and has faced controversy since its first publication.
You need to chill by Juno Dawson & Laura Hughes.
I want the confidence of this main character, if I ever need to defend my relatives - politely.
Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, & Daniel Sousa.
A retelling of a traditional Hawai'ian moolelo (a story which bridges legend and history) about a group of mahu (beings who carry both male and female mind, spirit, and heart).
This place: 150 years retold. Foreword by Alicia Elliott; colouring by Scott A. Ford and
Donovan Yaciuk. Stories by: Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm. Sonny Assu, Brandon Mitchell,
Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley, Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, David A. Robertson,
Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Jen Storm, Richard Van Camp, Katherena Vermette,
Chelsea Vowel. Illustrated by: Tara Audibert, Kyle Charles, GMB Chomichuk,
Natasha Donovan, Scott B. Henderson, Andrew Lodwick, Scott A. Ford, Donovan
Yaciuk, Ryan Howe, and Jen Storm.
Highwater Press, 2019.
Merging together various storytelling traditions – oral, written, and visual – this is a powerful anthology, commemorating Canada’s
indigenous peoples.
There are stories of the past, the present, and the future.
As one reviewer said, these are post-apocalyptic tales – indigenous
cultures worldwide have lived – still live – in post-apocalyptic worlds, thanks
to Western colonisation.
A dupatta is... Witten by Marzieh Abbas; illustrated by Anu Chouhan.
Feiwel and Friends, 2023.
This is a joy of a read. Who - if you're from a Western background - knew a dupatta would be so versatile!
I am enjoying books which celebrate cultural dress, without apologies.
I guess the dupatta isn't as loaded (ie religion) as other cultural dress, which makes the message clearer(?), not as (possibly) controversial as other items.
