Swings + Roundabouts Spring 2021

Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes By Gavin Bishop Penguin Random House; RRP: $40.00 Hardback Before the beginning there was nothing. No sound, no air, no colour – nothing. TE KORE, NOTHING. No one knows how long this nothing lasted because there was no time. However, in this great nothing there was a sense of waiting. Something was about to happen. Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes is a hefty book in size and in what it offers to the reader beginning with the Creation story and ending with the migration from Hawaiki, with detailed stories of the many atua and heroes of te ao Māori. There is so much to delve into here, and many gems to discover on each spread. For example on the pages that share about the clothing of Papatūānuku, you also learn the many usages of harakeke, and how when the bright kowhai flowers appear in spring, it’s time to plant kumara, and how kauri can live for 2000 years and its role in helping to keep Ranginui above Papatūānuku. Each spread offers vivid illustrations that not only tell the stories but encourages interest and further inquiry from young readers. Due to the size, Atua, isn’t necessarily a book to read from cover-to-cover with young children but to explore and discover over time more and more about te ao Māori and how it connects to this land we call home and our role here in Aotearoa New Zealand as kaitiaki. Reminding us that the care of the natural world is not based on ownership but on a shared responsibility for all in Aotearoa New Zealand to care for the environment alongside those who tangata Māori whakapapa to this land. This book has something for everyone and will be enjoyed by tamariki (and adults) 4+. September 2021 { 41 }