Pipi and Pou and the 100 Legs of Terror

The introduction and illustrations of the main characters at the beginning of this book set the scene for an enjoyable kids book. Ka pai!

I loved the type and font size. Perfect for readers who get put off by books with a small print and lots of words on the page. The relatively short chapters (numbered in te reo Maori) would also encourage reluctant readers to 'give this book a go', as would the black and white illustrations scattered throughout the book.

The Māori language used in the story are some of the more commonly known words so it is easy to read without having to constantly flick to the (extremely helpful) Glossary. Some words are translated in the body of the text which ensures the flow of the story. The inclusion of lots of te reo is excellent for those students beginning their te reo journey.

I was impressed with the factual parts of the story - Kauri (die back) disease and interesting information about centipedes - (hura). Also the Prime Minister being a Māori woman :) and the great idea to call in the armed services to rid the forest of pests!

The kids have a lovely relationship with their Nana and the addition of humour in the story will make it an excellent 'read aloud book' for the classroom.