Kiwi Critters is a new series of small, simple picture books for children featuring Keri the Kiwi and Piri the Pukeko. The books are A6 size (quarter of an A4 page) and about 16 pages long. The rhyming text includes a few Maori words and there is a glossary at the back.
I’m liking
The illustrations are simple and brightly coloured – really eye-catching. I also like the straightforward aim of these books – just a small, cheap, simple book with a NZ theme, easy to post and for kids to read themselves. The glossary is useful for those unfamiliar with the Maori words (nothing more difficult than kai and punga).
Things that made me go hmmmm
I’m a bit pedantic about rhyming text – I think that it should either be properly rhyming or not at all. So for me, lines like “I’m having a party/It should be a right caper! // Are you coming, Piri, / or will we see you later? // just don’t cut it. The storylines are also perhaps too simple, in that nothing really happens.
The conclusion
Overall, nice little books; I like the author’s suggestion of posting overseas for a bit of NZ culture!
