by Kat Merewether
The storyline is easy for youngsters to follow. And throughout this delightful book you will find the most glorious artwork! Vivid and uncluttered.
All Kuwi the Kiwi wants is to sit down with a quiet cup of tea.
But wherever she goes someone turns up to shatter the peace...
When Kuwi heads upstairs for a bubble bath, taking her hot cuppa with her, hovering Huwi follows her. A flock of whio are already frolicking in Kuwi's bath full of bubbles.
Huwi finds them most entertaining so Kuwi retreats with her now warm cup of tea to her quiet kitchen.
But Huwi soon tracks her down bringing with him a couple of karate kicking kokako. What a performance and what a noise!
So Kuwi silently scurries along to the spare room, where she sips her heated up cup of tea.
But this spare room is not to be her peaceful place. Huwi rolls in with a rowdy rapping ruru.
So off goes ever-patient Kuwi again seeking a quiet space outside on her tranquil terrace. And there she begins to sip her lukewarm cuppa.
But before long, the noisy Huwi has found her again and sets about tap-dancing with a troupe of tap-dancing tomtits...
Will Kuwi ever find a peaceful spot to drink her cup of tea? No, even in the stillness and silence of the swamp Huwi stampedes in with a singing swarm of cicadas.
Finally the ever patient Kuwi has had enough.
"Quiet!" she cries.
And it is.
But is this new silence what she really wants – now she has it.
This is a great story book for reading and interacting with youngsters. They can chime in at any stage and try to guess what Huwi will produce next in the way of his rowdy crowd.
And hopefully children will also realise that sometimes all mum wants is five minutes to drink her cup of tea in peace.
Well done, Kat Merewether.
Author: Kat Merewether
Publisher: Illustrated Publishing
ISBN: 9780994136459
RRP: $19.99
Available: bookshops