Hokē te Whanokē/Bod the Odd

This is a very simple reader with one sentence per page and some lovely illustrations giving a few clues as to what the ‘trickier’ words might be. There are three versions of this reader: one is in English; one is in te reo Māori; the third version is bilingual with the English text in smaller print under the te reo. For new learners of te reo Māori, the latter book would be the most helpful.

Although the story is short, it packs a powerful message. Bod the Odd is different, different from other people and also different from other animals. Bod does weird things that would surprise most people and delight children. The last two sentences are statements of affirmation, celebrating differences in people.

There are some exercises, or questions to discuss at the back of the book making it a good resource for the classroom.

Title: Hokē te Whanokē / Bod the Odd

Author: Vaughan Rapatahana

Illustrator: Pauline Canlas Wu

Translator: Vaughan Rapatahana

Publisher: User Friendly Resources

ISBN: 9780995143227 (English) and 9780995143234 (te reo Māori) and 9780995143203 (bilingual)

RRP: $20.00 or $230 for a class set of 20

Format: Paperback

Publication: 2020

Ages: 4-7

Themes: celebrating difference

Advisory warnings: none

Would this book work as a read-aloud? No

Is there a particular part of the country it’s set in? No

Reviewer: Nova Gibson, Library Manager, Massey Primary School, Auckland

How are you recommending this book? Recommended

Opening Sentence: Kāore a Hokē Te Whanokē i te rite ki ngā tāngata. Bod the Odd is not like people.

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