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HOW MAUI FISHED UP THE NORTH ISLAND
Retold by Donovan Bixley
Available in English and Te Reo Maori
Hardcover and softcover, 2018 280 x 210mm (landscape), 24 pages
The legend of Maui has been reinvented for a whole new
generation of Kiwi children in How Maui Fished Up the
North Island (Upstart Press) the first title in the ‘Tales of
Aotearoa’ series. Who better to do that than Donovan Bixley,
one of the country’s best-loved illustrators of children’s books?
In this fresh retelling, Donovan applies his unique twists and
trademark humour to this much-treasured story. “Initially I turned
down the offer to write and illustrate a book on Maui,” says Donovan.
“He’s such an important part of Pacific culture and I felt didn’t
have the knowledge or the mana to take on this legendary figure.
But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to bring my
own interpretation.” Maui is reimagined as a cheeky younger
brother, on the type of hilarious fishing trip with the whanau
that will be familiar to many Kiwi youngsters. “I wanted my book
to focus on the part of Maui who is tinihanga and potiki – the
smallest brother and cheeky trickster. He’s the type of character
a lot of children can connect with and I hope they are going to
really love reading this book because it has a lot of attitude in it.”
Underneath the fun, is a real desire to honour the cultural
significance and importance of Maui. Donovan worked under
the guidance of Dr Darryn Joseph, who also translated the te reo
edition, along with Keri Opai. “Working with Darryn really opened
my eyes to some of the deeper layers and meaning behind
Maui’s story. Even though my version is aimed at young readers,
there are a lot of other layers of Maui’s story woven in.”
Donovan hopes his book will give readers insight into a new
side of Maui they haven’t seen before. “I absolutely adored
illustrating this book. Every day on this project was like escaping
to wonderful place when the world was fresh and colourful
and new. I hope that it’s a world readers will want
to return to again and again too.”
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