Ētahi Rotarota o Āotearoa / Kiwi Rhymes for Modern Times

What is so great about a collection of rhymes written by a New Zealander, in collaboration with their tamariki, is that the subject matter is far more familiar to us than the more traditional nursery rhymes. Some of the nursery rhymes from the past were pretty vicious and I particularly enjoyed “Three Blind Mice” being replaced by “Three Hip Chooks” and “Margery Daw’” being replaced by “Maia the rocket technician”.

This A4 sized book with bold bright pages will be easy to share with groups of children and they will quickly start chanting the new nursery rhymes. Its bilingual nature will help with the development of skills in te reo and also stimulate discussion in classrooms.

Title: Ētahi Rotarota o Āotearoa / Kiwi Rhymes for Modern Times

Author: Janet Horwell

Te reo Māori translation by: Tamati Waaka

Illustrator: Ana Craw plus children: Ari, Thea, Jack and Noah

Publisher: Kiez Ltd

ISBN: 978-0-473-59900-3

RRP: $38.99

Format: Paperback

Publication: November 2021

Age Range: Preschool and Early Primary

Any advisory warnings? No

Reviewer: Carola Crawford, English teacher, Karanga Mai Young Parents’ College, Kaiapoi

How are you recommending this book? Highly Recommended

Opening sentence: This little kiwi went tramping, this little kiwi nestled in.

You can buy this book here