IBBY-UNESCO collection honours bilingual picture books written in te reo Māori and published by Oratia Books
Two picture books written in te reo Māori have been honoured by inclusion in the IBBY-UNESCO Collection of Remarkable Books for Young Readers in Indigenous and Endangered Languages.
Rere Atu Taku Poi!/Let My Poi Fly! and Tōku Whānau Rerehua/My Beautiful Family, both published by Oratia Books, were selected from a worldwide field of titles in indigenous and endangered languages.
The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) joined with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to create this collection, which was revealed overnight at the IBBY World Congress in Ottawa, Canada.
Rere Atu Taku Poi! , written by Tāmaki-Makaurau author and academic Tangaroa Paul and illustrated by Ōtautahi artist Rebecca Gibbs, tells of a boy named Rangi who dreams of joining the girls in the poi section of his school’s kapa haka performance. Co-published with Auckland Council Libraries, Rere Atu Taku Poi! has been made into a stage play by Taki Rua Productions, and received a 2024 Storylines Notable Book Award.
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| From Rere Atu Taku Poi!/Let My Poi Fly! |
Tōku Whānau Rerehua, by Waikato-based teacher Rauhina Cooper with illustrations by award-winning Wellington artist Isobel Te Aho-White, relates how young Huia overcomes her shyness about having two mums when she has to present at the school’s family day.
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| From Tōku Whānau Rerehua/My Beautiful Family |
‘We are delighted by the honour for these books, which promote indigenous languages as well as values of diversity and inclusion,’ commented Carolyn Lagahetau, Oratia Books’ editorial director.
‘Ngā mihi nunui ki a Tangaroa, Rebecca, Rauhina rātou ko Isobel.’
About the honoured authors and illustrators
Tangaroa Paul (Te Whare Tawhito o Muriwhenua), a poi exponent who identifies as gender fluid, is the associate dean academic and a senior lecturer in Te Ara Poutama at Auckland University of Technology, His children’s books draw on Tangaroa’s journey performing poi, celebrating diverse expressions of Māori identity.
Rebecca Gibbs (Rongowhakaata) has been a primary school teacher and gained a Bachelor of Design (VisCom) in 2015, since when she has worked in illustration and publishing. She lives in Diamond Harbour, near Ōtautahi/Christchurch.
Rauhina Cooper (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu) is a teacher and facilitator in kura supporting teachers in te reo Māori. She is passionate about the survival and use of te reo Māori. Rauhina lives in Ōhaupō. She was inspired to write Tōku Whānau Rerehua/My Beautiful Family, her first book, by her own ‘blended’ whānau.
Isobel Te Aho-White (Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu, UK, Denmark) has won numerous awards for her illustration of children’s books, and authored her own first book in 2025. In October Oratia will publish her stunning illustrations in the picture book Mauri by Merryn Jones. Isobel lives in Te Whanganui-a Tara/Wellington.
About Oratia Books
Based in Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa in West Auckland, Oratia Books is an independent publisher that produces around 15 new books a year, with a focus on children’s, Māori and general non-fiction titles. Oratia’s publishing has a multicultural, multilingual and inclusive outlook, with a growing number of children’s books bilingual in Māori and other Pacific languages.
About the IBBY-UNESCO Collection of Remarkable Books for Young Readers in Indigenous and Endangered Languages
This joint initiative of IBBY and UNESCO highlights books for children and young people published between 2018 and 2025 in an indigenous or endangered language, that present high standards of text and/or illustration, and that relate to the Global Action Plan of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
Rere Atu Taku Poi! | ISBN: 9781990042486 | Tōku Whānau Rerehua | ISBN: 9781990042386
Both books are aperback, 270 x 210 mm, 32 pages, colour | RRP $22.99
