by June Pitman-Hayes
Illustrated by Minky Stapleton;
Maori lyrics by Ngaere Roberts
Having just won my very first pair of Red Band gumboots at the Field Days, choosing this book was a no-brainer.
I soon discovered it’s a delightful read, with bold illustrations and font, and it’s potentially interactive with its rhyming verse and songs.
The rural and farming country life are depicted with references and pictures of pukeko, tractors, dogs, lambs being bottle-fed, kowhai, chooks, bees and ducks, and frogs, which should have all our youngsters captivated.
To some children, those unfamiliar with this lifestyle, it might be intriguing to see pictures of brown eggs since the majority of supermarket eggs are white. All of these images and more tweak my memories of my own rural childhood, growing up as a country girl around farms, and I cannot wait to share this book with my grandson, who will have the beauty of both lifestyles.
The aspirations of our little farm girl are simply to grow up and be big enough to have her own pair of Red Band gumboots, like her mum and dad have.
It’s a most enjoyable read and, added bonus, there’s a CD to sing along to in both English and Maori, with lyrics at the end of the book. And there’s also an extensive glossary.
Author: June Pittman-Hayes, Illustrated by Minky Stapleton
Publisher: Scholastic NZ
ISBN: 9781775435808
RRP: $19.99
Available: bookshops