Oratia's library of Teacher Resources now extends to The NZ Series

Helping time-pressured teachers to use our books in classrooms is a long-term goal of the Oratia Books team. 

So we're pleased to have just launched free Teacher Resources for three of our NZ Series books.

The resource sheets are available for free download from our website for the latest addition to the series, the stunning Weather and Climate New Zealand, along with The New Zealand Wars and Pioneer Women. Links to each resource are on the respective book pages.

The NZ Series introduces New Zealand society, history, science and geography to intermediate- and high-school age readers

Teacher Resources will be out for the other three titles currently in the series — Volcanoes and Earthquakes, Rush to Riches: Kauri and Gold and First Encounters: New Zealand 1642–1840 — in February 2023. 

The resources provide a range of student activities linked to the books, along with guidance for use in line with the New Zealand Curriculum. Retired teacher Sandra Carrod, author of Weather and Climate New Zealand, put together the resource for her book, while the other two are the work of Clementine Fraser, Head of History at Avondale College, Auckland. 

From The River in our Backyard Teacher Resource

We have a range of resources at a more junior level for other books, among them two just-released bilingual picture books: The River in our Backyard/Te Awa e Pātata Rawa Ana and The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street/Ngā Kuia o te Tiriti o Pikitea.

A page from The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street Teacher Resource

Other titles with resources include the Nanny Mihi series, Blimmin' Koro, Captain Cat, Home Child, The Forgotten Wars, The Longdrop, The Water Bottle, When Dad Came Home, and Dawn McMillan's nature series. 

For more detail, refer to our website, or contact Peter Dowling, Publisher.

The joy of sharing cultures, generations and lunches — meet The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street

 

The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street
Ngā Kuia o te Tiriti o Pikitea        

Renisa Viraj Maki

Illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson

Translated by Kanapu Rangitauira

Touching story about multiple cultures in New Zealand bonding through food and stories across the generations  

‘I hope young readers, and those who read the book with them, connect to this story and see the beauty of our multicultural society,’ says author Renisa Viraj Maki of her debut book. 

‘As an Indian immigrant, I struggled to find stories that celebrate the multicultural experience. That inspired me to write about immigrants and locals connecting across cultures.’

In The Grandmothers of Pikitea Street/Ngā Kuia o te tiriti o Pikitea, Renisa portrays Māori, Ethiopian, Samoan, NZ European, Indian and Chinese grandmothers sharing traditional stories with their grandkids as they make the kids’ lunchboxes for school the next day. 

 

The grandmothers are also preparing dishes for their monthly gathering, where they share their respective traditions and stories.

Sumptuously illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson and with a fine te reo translation by Kanapu Rangitauira, The Grandmothers of Pikitiea Street will be in bookstores ahead of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

Renisa’s hope is that ‘stories like this warm people’s hearts to our shared human experiences. After all, who doesn’t love a hug from grandma or sharing delicious food?’ 

The authors

Renisa Viraj Maki is a Kiwi-Indian leadership consultant and artist who is a graduate in art history. She is dedicated to writing stories that reflect cultural diversity; this is her first book. Renisa lives in Auckland.

Nikki Slade Robinson is an award-winning illustrator and author who has published numerous children’s books, including with Oratia Books There's a Weta on my Sweater and There's a Moa in the Moonlight, with Dawn McMillan. She lives in Ōpotiki.

The translator

Kanapu Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) is a registered translator and teacher of te reo Māori. Among his book translations is Nanny Mihi's Medicine/Ngā Rongoā a Nanny Mihi (Oratia Books, 2022). Kanapu lives with his family in Rotoiti, Rotorua. 

Publication: 8 September 2022  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004217-1 | RRP $22.99

Paperback, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour