Tēnā koutou kua huihui mai nei
(Hello to all gathered here)
E mihi ana ki ngā mana whenua
(Greetings to the indigenous people of the land)
Nō Airangi me Ingarangi ōku tīpuna
(My ancestors came from Ireland and England)
I tipu ake ahau ki Opanuku
(I grew up in Henderson, Auckland)
Ko Anne tōku ingoa
(My name is Anne)
E mahi ana ahau hei poukōkiri
(I work as a senior librarian)
Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa
(Once again, hello to you all)
This is a list
dear to my heart.
I’ve been
around children’s publishing for quite a while, and watched New Zealand’s
publishing landscape change, and trends come and go – and grow… Some books have
stood out and made me cheer. Made me celebrate how far our country – our
reading public – have come along a bilingual journey. I know we have miles to
go, but we have made progress.
A step along
our path was the creation of LIANZA’s Te Kura Pounamu Award in 1985, which in
2016 became New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults Te Reo Māori
(Te Kura Pounamu Award).
There are so
many books and so many creators I could have highlighted – but it came down to
my memory and the books that stuck with me.
The Caltex book
of Maori lore text by James Cowan; revised by J.B. Palmer; illustrated by
Dennis Turner.
Published in
1959, this was a much read and loved book in my Pākehā household. It is dated,
but it introduced te ao Māori to a wider community. In a similar vein was Maori legends retold by Alistair
Campbell published in 1969.
The boy and the
taniwha by R. L. Bacon, the story teller; Para Matchitt, the painter.
Published in
1966, this book introduced R. L. Bacon to the reading public. This original
story was illustrated to evoke traditional Māori carving and cave painting. This
is a true milestone: quality of illustration, text, and publishing
standards.
Maori legends for young New Zealanders by Katarina Mataira; drawings by Clare Bowes.
First published in 1975, this is the book I remember from childhood. It is particularly notable, as it announced the arrival of a literary luminary: Dame Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira.
How Maui found
his mother by Peter Gossage.
Originally
published as How
Maui-tiki-tiki-a-Taranga found his mother in 1975, Peter
Gossage went on to have a heralded career in publishing, and, it was through
his work that many non-Māori came to know Māori legends.
The house of
the people by R.L. Bacon; illustrations by R.F. [i.e. R.H.G.] Jahnke.
Originally
published in 1977, this won the inaugural Russell Clark Award for illustration
in 1978. Bacon published versions of
many traditional stories, presenting te ao Māori and tikanga Māori to the non-
Māori world.
The wonder book
of Māori legends by A.W. Reed; illustrated by A.S. Paterson.
First published
as Wonder tales of Maoriland in 1964, this 1977 title literally
demonstrates New Zealand’s movement to a more culturally-aware climate. Reed
was a powerhouse in New Zealand publishing, collating and sharing our stories.
The kuia and
the spider by Patricia Grace; illustrated by Robyn Kahukiwa.
These two
wahine toa teamed up to create two classics of New Zealand’s publishing, this,
and Watercress tuna and the children of
Champion Street. Together, or separately, they are worth checking out.
The house that
Jack built by Gavin Bishop.
Originally
published in 1999, although this features no te reo Māori in the text (being a
traditional English rhyme) the illustrations are a tour de force in imagining
the colonisation of New Zealand. It is stunning, end paper to end paper.
Tekiteora, kei
hea o hu? nā Ngareta Gabel; nā Ali Teo raua ko Astrid Jensen ngā pikitia.
Published in
2003, and then adapted and translated into te reo Pākehā as Oh hogwash, Sweet Pea! by Hannah
Rainforth. Yes, this began life in te
reo Māori. It is a joy to read in any language.
Nanny Mihi's
treasure hunt written by Melanie Drewery; illustrations by Tracy Duncan.
The first Nanny
Mihi book, Nanny Mihi and the rainbow,
was published in 2001. This title in 2004. I rejoice in the fact there is no
glossary – we are expected to understand te reo Māori kupu (words). See also
Tracy Duncan’s solo titles.
Te haere ki te
rapu pea nā Michael Rosen ngā kōrero; nā Helen Oxenbury ngā pikitia [retold by
Michael Rosen; illustrated by Helen Oxenbury]; nā Kawata Teepa i whakamặori.
In 2012, Huia
began publishing te reo Māori translations of classic picture books, with We’re going on a bear hunt. It was great
to see big-name, overseas publishers so willing to have their works translated
into te reo Māori.
Ngā ngeru nā Amiria Stirling ngā kōrero; nā Sarah Illingworth ngā pikitia. The cats of Pāia Street by Amiria Stirling; illustrated by Sarah Illingworth.
This manuscript was the first winner of the Storylines Te Kahurangi Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira Award, which is for a manuscript written originally in te reo Māori.
Look: a tummy time book by Gavin Bishop.
A recent addition to Gavin Bishop's growing collection of board books, I've included this wordless title based on how fabulous it is - which has been recognised by overseas critics. Mainly,
Betsy Bird:
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!
`
Originally published with Auckland Libraries.
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