The Girls in the Kapahaka by Angie Belcher

Title: The Girls in the Kapahaka
Author: Angie Belcher
Illustrations: Debbie Tipuna
Publishers: Reed Publishing

The Girls in the Kapahaka is a beautifully illustrated picture book which teaches children about the different aspects of Kapahaka. These aspects include the poi and taiaha, piupiu, and Waiata. 

It briefly touches on the roles of both female and males, and would be a great picture book to read before Kapahaka to extend children's understanding.

A bonus of this book is the glossary which not only provides new vocabulary and meanings, but also provides pronunciations. I found this especially useful for a new entrant class, as this is the first time they have been exposed to Te Reo Maori.

The Girls in the Kapahaka is a great book to either introduce Kapahaka to children, or extend their current vocabulary.

This is the Kuia who made the piupiu that swished and swirled,
that swung from the hips of the girls in the Kapahaka.

Oh, No Mister Possum by Erin Devlin

Title: Oh, No Mister Possum!
Author: Erin Devlin
Illustrations: Greg O'Donnell
Publishers: Penguin Group

Oh, No Mr Possum is a fantastic picture book for children. It not only entertains readers but also educates them about the effects that possums have on New Zealand native bush. It encourages children to consider why possums are a pest here in New Zealand, as opposed to a protective species in Australia.

New Zealander Greg O' Donnell's illustrations complement the narrative fantastically, and are very original and interesting.

This book comes with a sing-a-long CD that can be used when reading the book, which is very motivating and exciting for younger readers. Would also be very easy to create hand actions to go along with text. The narrative could be used for various age groups in primary school (especially in the junior school). It would be very useful when beginning an inquiry learning unit, based around some of the key themes.

"Oh, Mr Possum, no, no, no,no!
Don't eat my trees, don't eat my leaves.
Hey, Mister Possum, no, no, no!
Don't eat my trees, I beg you, please"