Kare ā-roto: Feelings

This is a beautiful board book, one of three in the Toru series from Reo Pepi. The book is robust with ten double-page spreads. Beautiful illustrations in subtle and realistic colours show New Zealand flora and fauna. There is lots of white space ensuring the illustrations and the text, both in Te Reo and in English, stand out.

A piwakawaka is the narrator and it asks ten different fauna how they are feeling. The answers to the question cover a spectrum of feelings and the illustrations show why the animal is feeling that way. For example, Whakahao or Sealion, is sad because there is a discarded plastic bottle on the beach. At the back of the book is a glossary of words in Te Reo and in English and on the facing page there is a pronunciation guide.

Author/illustrator team, Kitty Brown and Kirsten Parkinson, have created this lovely series of bilingual books to be enjoyed by whanau across Aotearoa. It would be a good book to have in early learning centres and to give as a gift; I really like it.

Title: Kare ā-roto: Feelings

Author: Kitty Brown

Illustrator: Kirsten Parkinson

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

ISBN: 978 0995 117 914

RRP: $17.99

Format: Board Book

Date of Publication: November 2020

Ages: 0-5 Years

Reviewer: Vickie Humphries, Librarian, Mount Cook School, Wellington

How are you recommending this book? Highly Recommended

Opening sentence: Kei te pehea koe, Kokako? How are you, Kokako?

You can buy this book here