Welcome to KIWIreviews - product reviews
•  click here to return to the homepage  •
Welcome visitor.Join us or log in

Product reviews on kiwireviews.nz : Thursday 31st October 2024 - 17:24:54

QuickSearch for:    What is QuickSearch?
QuickJump to:    What is QuickJump?
logon name: p/w:  

I want to:

You Are Here...

Home > Categories > Books > Kids - Junior > The Kai Stars of Matariki Tupuanuku and Tupuarangi review

« Moto Mike the Motorbike reviewMoto Mike the MotorbikeSleep Is For Babies! reviewSleep Is For Babies! »

Score: 10.0/10  [2 reviews]
5 out of 5
ProdID: 9222 - The Kai Stars of Matariki Tupuanuku and Tupuarangi
Written by Miriama Kamo & Zak Waipara

The Kai Stars of Matariki Tupuanuku and Tupuarangi
Price:
$21.99
Sample/s Supplied by:
Click to search for all products supplied by Scholastic (NZ)

Disclosure StatementFULL DISCLOSURE: A number of units of this product have, at some time, been provided to KIWIreviews by Scholastic (NZ) or their agents for the sole purposes of unbiased, independent reviews. No fee was requested, offered nor accepted by KIWIreviews or the reviewers themselves - these are genuine, unpaid consumer reviews.
Available:
May 2024

The Kai Stars of Matariki Tupuanuku and Tupuarangi product reviews

Proud to promote NZ productsIt's the day before Matariki and a big feast has been planned.

Eeling took place months ago, and Te Rerehua and Sam are excited to give thanks to Tupuanuku and Tupuarangi, the stars connected to food grown in and above the ground.

But without warning, those sneaky Patupaiarehe return and start eating all the stored eels. Can Sam and Te Rerehua come up with a plan to replace the kai?

Check out Scholastic (NZ) onlineClick here to see all the listings for Scholastic (NZ) Visit their website They do not have a Twitter account Check them out on Facebook They do not have a YouTube Channel They do not have a Pinterest board They do not have an Instagram channel They do not have a TikTok channel



Tags:
eel   feast   grandma   kai stars   matariki   nzmade   patupaiarehe   poua   sam   te mata hapuku   te rerehua   tuna   tupuanuku   tupuarangi
Other listings you may be interested in:
The Stolen Stars of MatarikiThe Stolen Stars of Matariki
Rating: 10.0
Nga Whetu Matariki i WhanakotiaNga Whetu Matariki i Whanakotia
Rating: 9.9
MATARIKI Around the World: A Cluster of Stars, a Cluster of StoriesMATARIKI Around the World: A Cluster of Stars, a Cluster of Stories
Rating: 10.0
Twin Stars of Matariki: Waiti and WaitaTwin Stars of Matariki: Waiti and Waita
Rating: 9.6
Spiral Ops : 1 : SpiralSpiral Ops : 1 : Spiral
Rating: 9.3
Dog Did ItDog Did It
Rating: 9.8
Matiatia: Gateway to Waiheke Matiatia: Gateway to Waiheke 
Rating: 10.0
Underland Chronicles 2 - Gregor and the Prophecy of BaneUnderland Chronicles 2 - Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane
Rating: 9.4
Double Trouble #3:  Dinosaur DangerDouble Trouble #3:  Dinosaur Danger
Rating: 10.0
Kuwi's First EggKuwi's First Egg
Rating: 9.8
Build Your Own Minions Punch-Out Activity BookBuild Your Own Minions Punch-Out Activity Book
Rating: 9.3
Sunken ForestSunken Forest
Rating: 9.9
Draw Some AwesomeDraw Some Awesome
Rating: 10.0

Product reviews...

Everyone is welcome to post a review. You will need to Join up or log in to post yours.

Click here to read the profile of savta

Review by: savta (Jo)
Dated: 25th of July, 2024

Link to this review Report this review

 

This Review: 10/10
Age Appropriate:
Score 10 out of 10
Story:
Score 10 out of 10
Illustrations:
Score 10 out of 10
Personal Choice:
Score 10 out of 10

The Kai Stars of Matariki is the third book the children have read in this series, so they were understandably thrilled to receive their own copy to review. What made it even more special was its setting at Te Mata Hapuku (Birdlings Flat) as they live close by and are very familiar with the area. As have many children in this generation, they have grown up with a strong awareness of the importance of the annual Matariki celebrations. At Mr Four's kindergarten the festivities are extensive. Past and present pupils join in the celebrations; it is one of the highlights of the year.

The naughty patupaiarehe are yet again the antiheroes of this story. They steal and do not care about anyone else - which, of course, is the opposite of what Matariki stands for. Te Rerehua and Sam are horrified to discover what they have done, and determined that they should make reparation. The children make the thieves go out into Te Roto o Wairewa (Forsyth Lake} to catch fish so that the stolen eels can be replaced in time for the feast next day. This is a problem for the patupaiarehe: like many fair skinned creatures, they cannot tolerate sunlight. As nocturnal beings, they conduct their cheeky raids under the cover of darkness. As a result, they have to work fast to get the task completed.

It is important that the children ensure that the patupaiarehe will not come back for a second raid. There are no guarantees; it is in their nature to be as antisocial as they can! However, Poua has the answer. He knows that the patupaiarehe always eat their fish raw - so if it is cooked immediately, it will no longer be attractive to the thieves. The Matariki feast is safe! As for the patupaiarehe, they can hardly complain as they have already finished all the eels. Mr Four was delighted that they were held accountable for their naughtiness! He wondered if kindergartens should be reminded to cook any supplies they had collected for their own celebrations in case some patupaiarehe visited them too.

Both children (and their parents) were delighted that the Maori words used in the text were translated into English at the bottom of the pages. Many of these words were already familiar, but there were some new ones too like whata and harikoa. It was also interesting to learn the origins of the names Tupuanuku and Tupuarangi. It was the first time any of us had made the connection, although it was obvious when we thought about it!

Finally, the illustrations are of the same high standard as those Zak Waipara has previously aspired to in his collaborations with Miriama Kamo. They are colourful, easy for small children to access, and emphasizing the link between the physical and the spiritual, the traditional Maori and the modern global environment. We also liked the almost graphic novel style layout of some of the pages featuring the patupaiarehe, where the illustrations were just as important as the text. All of us are looking forward to the next book in the series.

Click here to read the profile of sassy121

Review by: sassy121 (Amelia)
Dated: 22nd of June, 2024

Link to this review Report this review

 

This Review: 10/10
Age Appropriate:
Score 10 out of 10
Story:
Score 10 out of 10
Illustrations:
Score 10 out of 10
Personal Choice:
Score 10 out of 10

Matariki has quickly become my children's favourite holiday, they get to do lots of crafts and usually get to eat some yummy food with their small rural school, this year we are even digging a hole and putting down a hangi for the school! We have been enjoying the stories about Matariki written by Miriama Kamo and were excited to see that the third book had recently been published. The first two stories were exciting, and it was interesting to see the authors interpretation about what Matariki means and putting it into a way that young children can enjoy.

Like with the other books in the series, the illustrator Zak Waipara has used vivid colours that interact well with the images, my youngest son particularly liked the images of the eels, but predominantly liked the images of the patupaiarehe / fairy folk. Throughout the story the illustrator has made the words from the author come alive and it is easy to become mesmerized by the storyline.

When we started reading the story we noticed that the story takes place around the area of New Zealand called Birdlings Flat, my children got excited as this was an area we had stopped and explored during the last holidays, and we collected some special rocks as mementoes. The story focuses on the kai (food) aspect of Matariki, these stars are called Tupuanuku and Tupuarangi, and how not all the food we eat has to be bought from a grocery store, such as eels and fish can be found in the local rivers. The kai of Tupuarangi is the food that grows above the ground, like fruit on trees etc., and Tupuanuku is the food that comes from under the earth, such as our vegetables like potatoes and kumara to name a couple, it's just a matter of being able to find it and cook it.

As Matariki was coming closer the children in the story were helping to gather food, however the fairy folk had decided to help themselves to the eels that were meant for the feast, the children decided that the fairy folk needed to fix their wrong and made them go fishing for some more to replace what they had eaten, the catch was they had to do it before the sun came up as they hate the sunlight more than they hate cooked eel, by dawn they had managed to catch piles of eels for the children to take home to their grandparents to cook straight away so the fairy folk couldn't eat it again! The feast was a success!

We all thoroughly enjoyed this book; however, I did get caught up a bit with my Māori pronunciation in some parts, which my eldest son quickly corrected me on. We have decided to donate this book to the local school as we have already donated the first two, this keeps their series up to date, and the children get to read them each Matariki while they do their focused learning. I look forward to seeing what the fourth book entails.

Random listing from 'Books'...

Score: 9.3
Product reviews for listing 9055: Ernest Rutherford: Just an ordinary boy -  Written by Maria Gill

Product image for Ernest Rutherford: Just an ordinary boyAn ordinary country boy from Nelson, New Zealand, Ernest Rutherford would one day make major discoveries about how old Earth was, and answer centuries-old questions such as "What are atoms made of?" and "How do they work?"

He longed to continue his studies but his family could not afford to send him on to higher education. He tried to gain scholarships, persisting until he was successful. Eventually he completed high school and ... more...

Go to the listing

General Disclaimer...

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page. Creative Commons Licence All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.

"Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises."
Demosthenes