Fanene Peter Maivia – Son of Samoa

Fanene Peter Maivia – Son of Samoa

ISBN : 9780473417703

Author : Riley, David

Illustrator : Mulipola, Michel

Publisher : Reading Warrior

RRP : $22.99

Format : Paperback

Date of Publication : 28 June 2018

Ages : 8 years +

Reviewer’s Name : Vickie Humphries

Reviewer’s Job Title : Librarian

Reviewer’s School Name : Mount Cook School, Wellington

David Riley’s Fanene Peter Maivia – Son of Samoa tells the story of Fanene Peter Maivia, a champion wrestler, born in Samoa and raised in New Zealand. The story is well told and the reader gets a strong sense of the character of Maivia, his success as a wrestler, and also of the part his family played in that success. Pride is a strong theme, pride in Samoa, and in this famous sporting hero.

The book has 52 pages and includes a glossary and references page at the back. Each double-page spread has a text box. Michel Mulipola’s illustrations are big, bold, colourful and lively, and complement the text very well. The end pages show a copy of the poster used to advertise Maivia’s big World Heavyweight Championship fight in Samoa, at one end, and a portrait of him at the other.

It is good to see a book celebrating a hero from the Pacific Islands of Samoa and this book will be welcome in classrooms as one to share as a read-aloud, to use a with a small group, or as a great pick during silent reading time. This book is also available in Samoan: Fānene Peter Maivia: O Le Atali’i o Samoa, ISBN:9 780473 437824.

Recommended.