Materials from Oceania
As her beloved grandfather, chief of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand, struggles to lead in difficult times and to find a male successor, young Kahu is developing a mysterious relationship with whales, particularly the ancient bull whale.
A selection by Witi Ihimaera of his best short stories from throughout his career. Beginning with A Game of Cards from his now-classic Pounamu Pounamu (1972) and finishing with Going to the Heights of Abraham, a story by a mature Witi about his relationship with his father. Included are 11 stories previously unpublished in an author’s anthology.
When Olamaiileoti Monroe takes her seventy-five-year-old father, Finau, on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, both are caught up in a search for udnerstanding of each other and the ties that bind them. Their story unfolds on an international stage, in Samoa, New Zealand, New York, and Israel–and opposes the modern selfishness of Ola to the moral complexity of Finau.
As soon as she saw it, Miro Mananui knew what it was. An owl, its cryptic colors flaring with the dawn. Who has the owl come for? Whose name has it cried out to Miro Mananui the Matua of the village of Waituhi? In Whanau II, many lives and many stories intersect. The passionate Mattie Jones bears a horrifying secret; Tama Mananui makes the most of an arranged marriage with a woman twenty years older; Nani Paora holds the key to the past and a history filled with bloodshed; and his grandson Pene may well be the key to the future. Pita Mahana’s attempts to reinstate the past set in train events that lead to the return of the owl for its victim.
How do you listen with your heart? For one small boy, the heart’s language is the only one he knows. With his heart he can speak to animals, trees, and creatures of the sea. But he cannot be understood by the people around him, even those who love him most — his mother and father. One day, when he is feeling sad and alone, he is visited by a magical blue bird. With the bird’s encouragement, the boy finds a way to make himself heard. And when his parents try to speak the boy’s language, they are finally able to express their love, and truly communicate with the shared language of the heart. This lyrical story of love and understanding will speak to anyone whose life has been touched by an exceptional child.
Koala Hospital features a koala rescue center in Australia. It shows why koalas are in danger, how they come to be in the sanctuary, and the process of healing and rehabilitating koalas for return to the wild. Koala Hospital also focuses on the people who work at the rescue center and how they aid the animals.
A #1 Bestseller in Australia and Book Sense 76 PickLife is pretty complicated for Elizabeth Clarry. Her best friend Celia keeps disappearing, her absent father suddenly reappears, and her communication with her mother consists entirely of wacky notes left on the fridge. On top of everything else, because her English teacher wants to rekindle the “Joy of the Envelope,” a Complete and Utter Stranger knows more about Elizabeth than anyone else. But Elizabeth is on the verge of some major changes. She may lose her best friend, find a wonderful new friend, kiss the sexiest guy alive, and run in a marathon. So much can happen in the time it takes to write a letter.
Rosie can’t wait for her baby brother to be born. But when he does arrive, Bobby is the smallest, weakest little hare ever, and Rosie feels scared. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with him until the day Dad tells her a special story that helps her understand that Bobby is “slow and steady.” That night, she holds her baby brother for the first time and feels his heart beating against hers.
Uses rabbits, a species introduced to Australia, to represent an allegory of the arrival of Europeans in Australia and the widespread environmental destruction caused by man throughout the continent. A sophisticated picture book. Suggested level: primary, intermediate.
At the beginning of the world, it was dark and silent and nothing stirred anywhere, until a voice roused the sleeping Sun Mother in the sky, telling her it was time to wake up all the creatures of the earth. The indigenous people of Australia believe that their first ancestors created the world and its laws. They also believe that the world is still being created in a continual process they call The Dreamtime.