New
Zealand
36
Aslund, Tatiana (text)
Hatam, Samer (illus.)
Moho the ugly pukeko
Auckland
: Reed Children’s Books,
2006. – [30] p.
ISBN 978-1-86948-104-9
Bird – Otherness – Outsider –Search for identity – Happiness
In
this picture book, illustrated with soft water-colours, Hans Christian
Andersen’s popular fairy tale »The ugly duckling« is moved to a New
Zealand setting. Living among the reeds on the edge of a swamp, a noisy pukeko
family is utterly appalled when the last of their eggs finally cracks open and
a short-legged, clumsy chick hatches. Moho (i.e. stupid), as they name him, is
constantly teased and tortured by his elegant siblings. One day, the sad
outsider sneaks off in search for his own place in life – which he finally
finds with the takahe colony high up in the mountains. A glossary of Maori
terms and a short note on the characteristics of the two species of native New
Zealand birds round off this ever-topical tale about fitting in. (4+) ¤
37
Rainforth, Hannah (text)
Teo, Ali (illus.)
Barnaby Bennett <proper name>
Wellington : Huia Publ., 2006. – [32] p.
ISBN 1-86969-232-2
Favourite colour – Clothes – Family – Stubbornness
One
morning, little Barnaby wakes up with an epiphany. He will wear nothing but
red from now on! The boy digs up a weird array of family clothing and no
matter how much the rest of his family moans and grumbles, he will not be
parted from his new uniform, which naturally gets grubbier and smellier by the
day. Yet when the terrible stink can no longer be tolerated, purple-haired
nanny comes to the rescue. She sews up a wondrous creation complete with
dinosaur hood and pockets galore that not even Barnaby can resist – although
it is bright yellow. This amusing, rhymed tale of a stubborn little boy is
translated into bold, chaotic, computer-generated collages with a cartoon-like
touch that perfectly capture the crazy mood of the tale. (4+)
38
Taylor, William
Land of milk and honey
Auckland : HarperCollinsPubl., 2005. – 160 p.
(Fiction)
ISBN 1-86950-549-2
New Zealand/1947 – Postwar era – British teenager – War orphan – Farm work – Abuse – Escape
This gripping teenage novel relates the story of 14-year-old Jack who comes to New Zealand as a so-called »British war-orphan« in 1947. However, his new »home« is a far cry from the »land of milk and honey« that his father had promised him. The skinny boy gets sent to a dairy farm where he slaves away night and day for a meagre meal and no wages. On top of that, he finds himself abused, bullied, and even tortured by the violent and mean son of the equally cruel farm owners. One night, beaten half to death, he finally escapes this hell and is taken in by a generous old doctor. This captivating and relentless narrative makes the protagonist’s shocking fate and the difficult times it is set in come alive for modern readers. (14+) <>