Showing 17–32 of 95 results
By Junior Rubena
When Papa was young he had lots of jobs to do in the village.
His favourite job was feeding his special chicken.
Toa Moa a Papa is a bilingual book written in Cook Islands Māori and English.
One day Punga, a scary cannibal, challenged an orphan boy named Muni to a spear throwing contest. If Muni lost, he would also lose his life … and Tonga might have been living in fear of Punga forever!
Find out what happened in Tonga’s Shooting Star, a bilingual Tongan legend retold by David Riley and translated by Vasilini Finau Faletau.
By Layton-Monroe Johnson
Do you know how to grow taro? Mama Kathy learned how to do it when she was growing up in the Cook Islands. Let’s find out more!
Tuatau Taro is a bilingual book written in Cook Islands Māori and English.
Vaea is one of the most famous giants in Oceania. One day some men came to test Sāmoa to test him out. Vaea knew what to do with these men.
Find out what happened in Vaea the Gentle Giant, a bilingual Sāmoan legend retold by David Riley and translated by Rasela Lafaele Uili.
Have you ever missed your family so much it makes you sad?
That’s what happened to Va’ine and she had to make the toughest decision of her life.
Find out what happened next in Va’ine the Mōmoke, a bilingual legend from Rarotonga.
“Nailed to the mast are the colours of Io, the Hidden One.
Our goal is Savaiki, so let her be swift, let her prow sing
as it slices the skin of the sea.”
Our Goal is Savaiki is a collection of poems by Cook Islands-Kiwi poet Alistair Te Ariki Campbell. The poems selected celebrate Alistair’s connections to Tongareva (Penrhyn) where his mother, Teu, was born.
Each poem has been illustrated by Heimata Tinipese (Pese) Kietonga, an emerging Cook Islands artist who is family to Alistair, or Papa Teariki, as her family knows him.
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What does the Spider say?
See I’m spreading out my net,
Doesn’t matter if it’s wet.
Do drop in as you go by —
Alistair Te Ariki Campbell (1925-2009) is one of the great poets of Oceania. Poem for Ataahua is a poem Alistair wrote for his great-granddaughter. In this book artist Sarah Wilkins shares her vision of the poem for children and young people.
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“Reading is as important as feeling the sun on your face,” says award-winning singer Che Fu. In The Reading Tribe, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, rugby legend Sir Richie McCaw, writer Selina Tusitala Marsh and 24 other prominent Kiwis talk about how important reading has been in their lives. They share the books they loved as children, books that helped them succeed in their chosen fields, and books they want you to read … because reading them would be like feeling the sun on your face.
South Auckland-based teacher-writer, David Riley, wrote The Reading Tribe to inspire young readers to pick up a book, to let them know that the coolest Kiwis love a good read – whether it’s a graphic novel, a page-turning thriller, an inspiring biography, or a childhood favourite.
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There’s lots of different ways to catch fish. You can use a net, a trap, even your hands. Characters in this story used a magic hook to catch more fish than they’d ever seen. That’s when the trouble began. Find out what happens next in Hooked – a Samoan legend retold by David Riley and translated into Samoan by Rasela Lafaele Uili.
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Malie was born with deformed feet. Some people might think that’s a disability. Not Malie.
Find out how his deformed feet became his superpower in Malie is Ma’alahi, a Tongan legend retold by David Riley and translated into Tongan by Vasilini Finau Faletau.
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Koromaūariki had a close relationship with his dad, the legendary superhero, Tinirau. But there was one thing that bothered him. Sometimes Tinirau would wake up in the middle of the night, go outside … and disappear for three days.
When he came home he’d dance into the house wearing a fresh, colourful and fragrant pandanus seed necklace. What was going on?
Find out in Night of the Dance – Pō o te ‘Ura, a Cook Islands legend retold by David Riley and translated into Cook Islands Māori by Mareta Tere.
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Fire is one of the most precious elements we know. You can cook with it. You can dry things with it. You can even sit around it and tell stories like this one. But how did fire get to Samoa? Find out in Playing With Fire – a Samoan legend retold by David Riley and translated into Samoan by Rasela Lafaele Uili.
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Naua was an expert fisherman who found an underwater cave.
Naua had a feeling his cave would be helpful one day. And so it did.
Find out what happened in The Secret Cave – Koe ‘Ana Fakapulipulí, a Tongan legend retold by David Riley and translated into Tongan by Vasilini Finau Faletau.
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Ina is a Cook Islands heroine and superhero, famous throughout Oceania for her mighty deeds. In this story, Ina faces the biggest challenge of her life. Is it a human-eating giant? No. A tree-crushing cyclone? Kā‘ore. Then it must be an island-flooding tsunami? Not even close. Ina’s biggest challenge was a lot closer to home … and one that almost all of us can relate to.
Find out in Tapa of Love – a Cook Islands legend retold by David Riley and translated into Cook Islands Māori by Mareta Tere.
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Pai and Vau are Nanumea superheroes who created beautiful things in our world. One day a stranger named Tefolaha came to their island. “This is now my island,” he declared and challenged them to a contest. What kind of contest did he dream up? What would Pai and Vau do if they lost? Find out in The Gifts of Pai and Vau, a Nanumea legend retold by David Riley, and translated into Nanumean by Siliga Tala.
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Mataginifale is a Niue superhero with a difference. She isn’t known for her super powers, but for her super creativity. One day she had an argument with a whale that tested her thinking skills too. Find out what happened in The Artist and the Whale, a Niue legend retold by David Riley and translated into Vagahau Niue by Elviso Togiamua.
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