Swings + Roundabouts Spring 2021

A Boy, His Bear and a Bully By Katie Flannigan Illustrated by P.J. Reece EK Books; RRP: $24.99 Hardback They sat down with their lunchboxes. Duncan stood over them looking very karate. He snatched Scott’s treat and stuffed it in his mouth. He started to chew. Scott felt something growing inside him. Was this what brave felt like? With every chew, the feeling grew … until it tumbled out. ‘STOP Duncan. I don’t like it!’ A Boy, His Bear and a Bully addresses the global issue of bullying in a hopeful, gentle way. Although it’s set in a school setting, many older pre-schoolers will be able to relate to the storyline, as unfortunately bullying is found everywhere and in all ages. The book’s themes focus on being brave, standing up for oneself, supporting others being bullied, emotional resilience, forgiveness, friendship and kindness and like all good books the problem is solved by the bullied child himself, who discovers he has a voice, and the emotional intelligence to understand by the end of the story that his bully may need his help in how to be a friend: ‘Will Duncan ever be my friend?’ asked Scott. ‘Maybe,’ said Rosie, ‘if he wants to be.’ ‘Maybe we could show him how,’ said Scott, which was brave. The descriptive illustrations do a great job at describing the characters’ expressions and feelings and overall this book will be enjoyed by children 3.5+. Kei te aha ngā kararehe / What are the animals doing? By Te Ataakura Pewhairangi Massey University Press; RRP: $22.99 Board book This beautifully photographed board book follows a question/answer format, Kei te aha te punua kau? What is the calf doing? Kei te inu te punua kau. The calf is drinking. This book is available in both bilingual and te reo Māori editions, with the bilingual edition great for supporting young children to learn to reo Māori about farm animals alongside simple structure sentences as well allowing for conversations between adults and children, such as where the animals live, what they eat and what they are doing in the photo. The simple repetition encourages children and adults learning te reo Māori to learn and use these simple sentence structures. Being a board book allows for longevity and the ability for the book to be loved by our youngest tamariki to our oldest pre- schoolers who are just starting their learning of te reo Māori. The Adventures of Mittens By Silvio Bruinsma Illustrated by Phoebe Morris (3-7 yrs) Picture Puffin; RRP $19.99 Paperback Join Mittens, Wellington’s pawsome celebrity cat, on his real-life adventures in this feline- fabulous picture book. Mittens is the most famous cat ever to parade the streets of Wellington with his noble nose and fabulously fluffy tail in the air. He naps in shop windows, hails cars, crosses busy roads on the green light and, like any self-respecting cat, he lives for attention – but only when he’s in the mood for it. The Turkish Angora caught the attention of the world when his antics cheered up Wellingtonians during the 2020 lockdown, and at last he has his own book, illustrated by the fabulous Phoebe Morris. September 2021 { 40 }