The
Adventures of Hutu and Kawa
Avis Acres
The Adventures of
Hutu and Kawa, a bestselling
classic children's book from the 1950s by New Zealand artist Avis Acres, is
reissued by popular demand in a gorgeous hardback gift edition. This new edition is to
commemorate the 60th anniversary of this classic New Zealand story's first
publication.
In an old pohutukawa tree between the
forest and the sea live two tiny Pohutukawa Babies, Hutu and Kawa.
With the help of Grandpa Kiwi, Hutu and
Kawa build a canoe and set off up the river to explore the forest. On their way
they make many new friends - and encounter the fearsome Bush Hawk.
During the 1950s children enjoyed the
adventures of the Pohutukawa Babies in the New
Zealand Herald each week, and Avis Acres' books, with beautiful watercolour
illustrations showcasing native flora and wildlife, became bestsellers.
The Adventures of
Hutu and Kawa is the first tale in the series. This 60th-anniversary
hardback edition captures all the charm of the original tale and brings these
delightful characters to a new generation of children.
About the author:
Avis
Acres
(1910-1994) was a New Zealand writer and artist whose children's picture books,
produced during the 1950s, were hugely successful and distinguished by their
beautiful watercolour illustrations depicting the New Zealand native forest and
its creatures. Avis was born in Wellington and spent her childhood in Auckland,
where her family kept beautiful gardens and Avis first developed her love of
nature. From her early teens, she worked in paid employment that made the most
of her interest in writing and illustration. Besides the picture books she
produced while living in Taupo during the 1950s (the Hutu and Kawa series;
another classic NZ picture book, Opo the
Gay Dolphin; and a series of children's nature books) she was a regular
contributor of articles and sketches about nature to various newspapers and
journals and regularly exhibited and sold her paintings. After Taupo, she and
her husband Bob lived in Levin and Te Horo. They retired to Tauranga in the
1980s, where Bob died in 1993 and Avis in October 1994. Much of Avis Acres'
artwork is now held at the Alexander Turnbull Library and it continues to be
appreciated both for its nostalgic charm and the beauty of its natural detail.
Published
20
November 2015
Picture
Puffin
RRP
$25.00
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