Ko Tama me te Taniwha

He pukapuka pīwari tēnei. Kei te uruwehi a Tama ki te kaukau, nā ngā kupu whakawehi o ōna tuāhine e pā ana ki te taniwha. Ahakoa tōna mataku, ka kuhu ia i te wai, ā, ka kite ia i te mea e huna ana, ko te ‘taniwha’. He pukapuka hei pukuhohe, hei whakakata i te tamaiti.

Kāore ngā kupu o tēnei pukapuka i te whakamārama atu ko wai te taniwha, mā ngā pikitia kē. Nā Monica Koster ngā pikitia whakaari, me te ātaahua hoki!

Nā te taniwha hikuroa, nā Pānia Papa te whakamāoritanga. Ko tētahi o ngā tino painga o tēnei pukapuka, ko te maha o ngā kupu hou e pā ana ki te horopaki o te wai me te mahi kaukau. He rārangi kupu kei te pukapuka hei āwhina i te kaipānui, heoi, ehara tēnei pukapuka i te pukapuka mā ngā tauhau ki te reo Māori. He pai tēnei pukapuka mā te hunga e mārama ana ki te reo Māori, e pīrangi ana hoki ki te ako kupu hou. E te whānau, pānuitia!


This is a very cute book. Tama is scared to swim because of what his older sisters have said about the taniwha in the water. Despite his fear, he gets in the water and discovers what is hidden below: the ‘taniwha’. This is a humourous book which will make tamariki laugh.

The words of this book don’t explain who the taniwha is, the pictures show us. Monica Koster has illustrated the book and the illustrations are beautiful!

The formidable Pānia Papa has translated this book into te reo Māori. One of the great things about this book is the wide vocabulary that Papa has used to describe the water and going swimming. There is a Glossary inside the book to assist readers, as this is not a book for people beginning their journey to learning te reo Māori. This book will be better appreciated by whānau who are already fluent in te reo Māori and are looking to expand their vocabulary. E te whanau, pānuitia!