Pipi and Pou and the Firewoman

This is the 6th book in the Pipi and Pou series. The vibrant, colourful cover is sure to grab the attention of any prospective reader.

The story opens in Nana’s welcoming, comfortable kitchen, the kids having just picked up a large bowl of feijoas. A quintessential New Zealand scene. (I have 5 feijoa trees so I can relate to that!)

The problem in the story is revealed in the 2nd chapter. Cousin Rawiri has been caught playing with matches in the forest… a lesson to be learnt here! He comes across Mahuika (goddess of fire) in the forest and therein begins the adventure.

The mix of Māori myths and legends, superheroes, and family all add to the excitement of the story. It may be beneficial to know about the Māui myth. There are also some very amusing parts which will have the kids giggling e.g. ‘Mahuika will fireball your butt before you even get close enough to speak to her.’ And ‘Man, you fellas have got family issues’.

The font is a perfect size and well spaced words on creamy coloured pages make for an easy read for reluctant readers. The chapters are numbered in te reo Māori, and the Maori words in the book are explained in a glossary at the back as well as intertwined in the text itself. e.g silver fern: ponga, and raruraru: troubles and disputes. That saves you from having to continuously flick to the glossary for the meaning.

The simple line drawn illustrations work well with the text, especially the facial expressions of the characters. The soft, gentle look of Nana and the evil scary look of Mahuika with her pukana eyes add to the authenticity of the book. Good versus evil?

A good reminder that we are all kaitiaki for our environment.