Pipi and Pou and the River Monster

Pipi, Pou and Nana are back in the second book of the Pipi and Pou series, this time with a river monster and an influencer! Nana is back with humour and her deep connection to Papatūānuku and cousins Pipi and Pou help restore balance to the awa. A hybrid text with te reo Māori and a te ao Māori worldview woven though the language and themes of the story.

The themes of kaitiakitanga and conservation are strong within the story ‘People just need reminding that they are a part of this world’- ‘They forget that they are kaitiaki’, and young readers will have pause to think about their actions and how they can be kaitiaki in their everyday lives.

Isobel Te Aho-White has captured emotion, movement and rain through her black and white drawings, I love the mixture of some full-page images and smaller ones throughout the story.

I am disappointed a glossary hasn’t been included, while hints to the meaning of some te reo Māori words are within the text, and readers may be able to work out their meaning, others are not. However, I would not let this stop me giving this book a highly recommended.

Perfect for a read aloud, action packed with a te ao Māori worldview this series is a must for all school libraries, and I will be on the lookout for more books in this series.

Title: Pipi and Pou and the River Monster

Author: Tim Tipene

Illustrator: Isobel Te Aho-White

Publisher: One Tree House Limited

ISBN: 978-1-99-003523-4

RRP: $22.00

Format: Paper Back

Date of Publication: 2022

Ages: 7+

Themes: Kiatiakitanga/guardianship, conservation

Do you have any advisory warnings for this book? No

Would this book work as a read aloud? Yes

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

Reviewer: Louana McCormack, Librarian, Opaheke School, Auckland

How highly are you recommending this book? Highly recommended

What’s the book’s opening sentence? Nana was on her knees weeding in the garden when she heard Kāhu calling from high in the sky.

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