Nā Tangaroa Paul
Nā Rebecca Gibbs ngā pikitia

Nā Aurora Hooper me Arihia Carrington tēnei

I pai māua ki te māia o Rangi, nā te mea i whakaohooho ia i a māua. He tino pai māua ki a Rangi i te mea he hononga tō māua ki a ia, i tōna whakapau kaha ki te kapo i ōna moemoea. I rangirua māua i te wharangi tuatahi, nā te mea kāhore ngā rarangi e tika ana. Ki ō māua whakaaro he pai tēnei pukapuka kia rapu i tōu tuakiritanga. He pai hoki mā ngā tau katoa. I whakaaro māua, ko te mea matua o te pukapuka, ko te whai i ōu moemoeā.

Nā Mya (11), nā Te Ataroa (10) i arotake

Ki a māua nei, he rawe te whakaaro o te reo Pākehā me te reo Māori ki roto i te pukapuka, nā te mea mehemea kua Pākehā anake he māmā te panui. Ko Rangi te tino kiripuaki, nā te mea he tino kaha ia ki te mahi poi. Ahakoa he tama ia i tū māia ia ki te mahi poi. Ahakoa kua tipu ake ahau me te kite i ngā wāhine mahi poi, kua kite hoki māua i a Rangi e mahi poi ana. I te wā i tū a Rangi ki te atamira i whakaaro ahau, ko Rangi me tōna kotahi ki te atamira. Tērā pea, ka taea e te kaituhi te tā ētahi ātārangi ki muri i a Rangi. Ki ahau, he āhua roa ngā whārangi, arā, kāore e taea e ngā tamariki iti te aro ki te pukapuka. Ki ōku whakaro, he pai tēnei pukapuka mā ngā tamariki.

Ngā mihi ki a Te Uru Karaka Newton Central School
E whakahahaki ana mātou i ētahi o ngā pukapuka, he hou, he mīharo anō hoki. He pukapuka ēnei mā ngā kaipānui tamariki kua tuhia ki te reo Māori. Ko wai atu hei whakatakoto i ō rātou whakaaro, i tua atu i ngā kaipānui tamariki? Kua tuku mai ngā ākonga o te Manga Rumaki Reo o Te Kura o Te Uru Karaka i ā rātou arotake mō ngā pukapuka hou e whitu. Pānuitia mai

Written by Tangaroa Paul
Illustrations by Rebecca Gibbs

By Aurora Hooper and Arihia Carrington

We liked Rangi’s bravery because it inspired us. We really liked Rangi because we connected with him through his hard work to achieve his dreams. We were confused by the first page because the lines weren’t aligned. In our opinion, this book is good for finding your identity. It’s also suitable for all ages. We thought the main message of the book is to follow your dreams.

Reviewed by Mya (11) and Te Ataroa (10)

We think it’s great that the book is in both English and Māori, because if it were only in English, it would be easy to read. Rangi is the main character because he is very good at the poi, and even though he is a boy, he stands up bravely to do poi. Even though I grew up seeing women do poi, we also saw Rangi doing poi. When Rangi stood on the stage, I thought of Rangi standing alone. Maybe the author could add some shadows behind Rangi. The pages are a bit long, so younger children might not be able to focus on the book. In my opinion, this book is suitable for children.

Thanks to Te Uru Karaka Newton Central School
We’re spotlighting some of the new and awesome books for young readers published in te reo Māori. And who better to give their opinions than young readers themselves! The students from Te Uru Karaka Newton Central School’s Māori Language Immersion Unit/ Rumaki Reo have filed their reviews on seven new books. Read more