JONAH'S FIRST DAY
by Feana Tu'akoi, illustrated by Samantha Asri
Scholastic - $18.99
 
 Jonah is excited about starting kindy. But when he gets there, he is too shy to go inside. It takes a walk with Grandad, who is keen to try out the sandpit, to encourage Jonah to go in....and discover that kindy is fun

TE RA TUATAHI MO JONAH
by Feana Tu'akoi, illustrated by Samantha Asri
Maori retelling by Katerina Mataira
Scholastic - $18.99

Scholastic have been publishing children's picture books in English and Maori  for over 20 years and presently have some 45 titles in print. These new titles are the latest.

             

 

About the author of Jonah's First Day
Feana Tu`akoi (left) was born in Christchurch, New Zealand and educated in Temuka before going north to finish her tertiary studies.
Her first ‘book’ was written on a Mighty Pad when she was 10 years of age.  It was an action-packed, teenage detective story with lots of chapters, and it borrowed heavily from the likes of Nancy Drew.
As Feana was already writing every day (letters, diaries, journals, rhyming verse, assignments, essays etc), she decided to try and get paid for it by becoming a writer.

Author of the popular What is a Bird/Reptile/Amphibian/Mammal/Fish? series of books, when Feana was asked “What was your inspirations behind these books?” she said, “Everyone knows that birds have feathers, but it occurred to me one day that EVERYTHING with feathers is a bird!” She thought other people might find this idea as interesting as she did.

Most of Feana’s publishing has been in the children’s educational market, both here and overseas, but especially for Learning Media. This includes over 100 titles (stories/poems/ plays/articles/readers etc), some in multiple languages. She also had adult stories published in magazines (again, here and overseas) and children’s stories broadcast on Radio New Zealand.  Her rhyming verse appears in Another 100 New Zealand Poems for Children, Random House, two children’s stories in Mischief and Mayhem, Random House, and an adult story in Home, Random House.

Current titles available from Scholastic NZ Ltd:
What is a Bird            978-1-86943-803-6
What is a Fish?        978-1-86943-805-0
What is a Mammal?        978-1-86943-804-3
What is a Reptile        978-1-86943-806-7
What is an Amphibian?    978-1-86943-807-4
The above titles are also available in Maori
Jonah’s First Day        978-1-86943-920-0
Te Rā Tuatahi mō Jonah    978-1-86943-951-4

                                                            
About the illustrator of Jonah’s First Day; Te Rā Tuatahi mō Jonah

Samantha Asri was born in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1984.
When Samantha was 13 she and her family moved to New Zealand where she continued her education.
It was Samantha’s love for Japanese manga and encouragement from her mother that pushed her into illustrating. It seemed the natural thing for her to do especially as she loves using her imagination.

After graduating in graphic design at AUT, Samantha went on to work as part of the Watermark Group of illustrators in Auckland. She is a commercial illustrator during the
day and at night works on her own drawings. Samantha has a comic style of illustration.

   
Current titles available from Scholastic NZ Ltd:
Jonah’s First Day     978-1-86943-920-0
Te Tuatahi mō Jonah     978-1-86943-951-4

About the reteller of Te ra Tuatahi mo Jonah -  Katerina Mataira

             
Born at Tokomaru Bay, near Gisborne, in 1932, Kāterina loved school and found every subject fascinating. Although there were no books in the family home when she was growing up, Kāterina’s father told wonderful stories and she was able to read the Children’s Corner in her mother’s English editions of the Woman’s Weekly.

2009 has been a busy and exciting year for Kāterina. In July she received the World Linguapax Award at a ceremony at Parliament – the first New Zealander to be honoured with this award. In September her significant contribution to Maori literature was honoured with the Pikihuia Awards for Maori Writers at Te Papa Museum in Wellington. Kāterina was the sole recipient of the NZ Post Special Award.

Kāterina is sometimes known as the ‘mother’ of Kura Kaupapa Māori, having helped set up the first Māori language immersion school and co-authored Te Aho Matua, the philosophy and charter for kura kaupapa. In 1988 she received the companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, and the Te Waka Toi Exemplary Award in 2001 for her lifetime contribution to Te Reo Maori.

She has retold many of Scholastic NZ Ltd’s picture books in te reo. Kāterina’s advice to anyone wanting to write is “write for your own stimulation and pleasure before all else.”

Awards:
1996 Winner Te Kura Pounamu Award Marama Tangiweto, Mallinson Rendel.
1997 Winner Te Kura Pounamu Award He tino kuia taku huia, Learning Media, 1996.
1998 Awarded the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
2004 An adjunct professorship was conferred by Awanuiarangi in special recognition of the 
         revitalisation of te reo Māori and Māori immersion education.
2005 Shortlisted Te Kura Pounamu Award Tarakihana Pakupaku and I Te Tīmatanga, Scholastic
2005 Creative NZ grant to publish and record Ngā Uri whakaheke whakapapa of the Ngāti Porou.
2007 Betty Gilderdale Award for services to NZ children’s literature
2009 World Linguapax Award
2009 Pikihuia Award for Maori Writers

Current titles available from Scholastic NZ Ltd:
Ko Wai Tōku Ingoa?                978-1-86943-747-3
Hinepau        978-1-86943-724-4
I Roto i  te Ngahere        978-1-86943-723-7
Horekau I rite te kararehe ki a tatou: Tori        978-1-86943-576-9
Horekau I rite te kararehe ki a tatou: Hoiho        978-1-86943-578-3
Horekau I rite te kararehe ki a tatou: Poaka        978-1-86943-577-6
Bidibidi        978-1-86943-515-8
Te Nama Tino Rahi Rawa Atu I Te Whaiao        978-1-86943-650-6
Pipi Paopao        978-1-86943-511-0
Te Poti Pukuriri        978-1-86943-090-0
and of course now Te Ra Tuatahi mo Jonah.