Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi

This bilingual book explains the Treaty in a way which is easy to read and understand. The graphic novel style will attract many readers. This could be a great addition to any library and also a great teaching resource for classrooms. I love how it is written in both English and Te Reo Māori and the QR codes to more information and a sign language version is a stroke of genius as it acknowledges all three of the official languages of New Zealand.

The honesty of how the story starts, “When I was a kid, I didn’t know a lot about the Treaty of Waitangi. Mostly, it was an excuse for a day off school…” will ring true for a lot of New Zealanders and hopefully by reading on they will see the importance of our national day.

The amount of information this title includes will mean new things can be found on every read. The story of the treaty can just be read, or the timeline can be researched or the maps studied - or all of these combined.

I think this will be a title which will be extremely valued and well-read in many homes, schools and libraries. It is so good to have a book on this important subject written in such a way to really hook in students with the layout and language used.

Title: Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi

Authors: Toby Morris with Ross Calman, Mark Derby & Piripi Walker

Publisher: Lift Education E Tū

ISBN: 9780473470654

RRP: $20.00

Format: Paperback

Date of Publication: 13 June 2019

Age Range: Primary/Intermediate

Reviewer’s Name: Angela Thompson, Teacher Librarian, Remarkables Primary School

How highly are you recommending this book? Highly recommended.

First sentence: ‘Kia ora. My name is Toby, and I’m Pākehā New Zealander. When I was a kid, I didn’t know a lot about the Treaty of Waitangi. Mostly, it was an excuse for a day off school - a day for beach cricket or water bomb battles.’