Inflation busters: Māui — Sun Catcher and Rona Moon return in more affordable paperbacks

Māui – Sun Catcher / Māui – Te Kaihao i te Rā 

Tim Tipene

Illustrated by Zak Waipara

Translated by Rob Ruha

Rona Moon / Ko Rona Māhina

Tim Tipene

Illustrated by Theresa Reihana

Translated by Stephanie Huriana Fong

 

Paperback editions of Tim Tipene's retelling of two traditional stories are now in print, offering these fully bilingual English and Te Reo editions in a more affordable format. 

The paperback editions are priced at $22.99, a 12% reduction from the previous hardback books. 

Māui — Sun Catcher/Te Kaihao i te Rā sets the famous story of Māui catching the sun in a modern city. Māui is a schoolboy who lives with this mother and four older brothers in a city where the day is never long enough to things done. 

Māui (who speaks in rhyme) seizes the moment:

Mum, I’m gonna catch that Sun for you.

That Sun who’s always on the run. 

Te Rā ka hopukina mōhau, e māmā.

Te Rā, ka hohoro te kakama.

After weaving a flax net, the brothers drive to the pit where the Sun lives, and make their play to slow the day. 

Award-winning author Tim Tipene weaves a spell-binding modern tale, accompanied by manga-influenced illustrations by esteemed artist Zak Waipara, with te reo Māori translation by musical star Rob Ruha.

Rona Moon/Ko Rona Māhina stars Rona as a young girl who gets angry with everyone — her brother, her Nana and Papa — until one night she calls the moon stupid!

Taken to meet her ancestor Whaea Rona on the moon, she learns a lesson in how to control her temper:

‘Everything looks so small from up here,’ said Rona. 

‘I know,’ Whaea beamed. ‘Even the reasons we felt angry seem so little.’

 

‘Hanga nohinohi te ao katoa atu i konei,’ tā Rona. 

‘E mea ana koe,’ te mene atu a Whaea. ‘Kua hanga nohinohi hoki ngā take i pupū ai ō tāua riri.’

Tai Tokerau artist Theresa Reihana created special illustrators, using photo collage approach, and Stephanie Huriana Fong (familiar to viewers of Whakaata Māori) provided a superb translation. 

 

These books are a great read for primary school readers, students of te Reo and anyone who loves traditional stories, myths and retellings. 

 

The authors

Tim Tipene (Ngāti Kurī, Ngāti Whātua) is the award-winning author of over 12 children’s books, and a pioneering youth counsellor. He lives with his family in Rānui, West Auckland. 

Zak Waipara (Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Ruapani) is a renowned illustrator and writer of books, comics and animations. He is a lecturer in digital media at the Auckland University of Technology.  

Theresa Reihana (Ngāti Hine) is a visual artist who has exhibited worldwide, and is now venturing into book illustration; she lives near Kaitaia. 

Translators

Rob Ruha (Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Porou) is a chart-topping musician, songwriter and champion of te reo Māori who is based in Rotorua. 

Stephanie Huriana Fong (Te Rarawa) is a registered translator of te Reo who also works in television and other media; she lives in Te Atatū, Auckland

Publication: 17 November 2022  |  RRP $22.99 |

ISBN: (Māui) 978-1-99-004232-4  (Rona) 978-1-99-004233-1

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

 

Māui — Sun Catcher chosen as Storylines Notable Book

The Storylines Children's Literature Trust of New Zealand has this morning named Māui — Sun Catcher as a Notable Book 2017.

Storylines selected 33 outstanding New Zealand children's and teen's books published in 2016 to make up the Notable Book list.

Māui — Sun Catcher, which Oratia published in November 2016, was one of 12 titles in the list of Picture Book Notables 2017.

"The awards, given since 2000, are a respected yardstick for the best children's book published in New Zealand each year," said Dr Libby Limbrick, Storylines Trust Chair.

Written by Tim Tipene and illustrated by Zak Waipara, Māui - Sun Catcher retells the myth of Māui catching the sun in a modern setting — where Māui is a young city boy struggling to make life better for his people.

Tim and Zak will receive award certificates at the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal Presentation and National Awards Days in Auckland on Sunday 2 April.

For more on the book, click here

The way to celebrate Waitangi Day

Big ups to Te Whānau o Waipareira Trust https://www.facebook.com/waiwhanau/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf for hosting the outstanding Waitangi @ Waititi event for Waitangi Day yesterday. On a superb sunny day, a big crowd at Hoani Waititi marae got to enjoy top-notch entertainment, appearances by political leaders and celebrities, and an official powhiri to welcome on Prime Minister Bill English.

Very impressive to see musician Rob Ruha live also. Rob translated the Māori text of our Māui - Sun Catcher and at the end of his set, gave away a copy to a lucky tamariki. Kia ora Rob!

For more, see https://www.oratia.co.nz/product/maui-sun-catcher/

Ngā mihi mahana ki ngā kaiwhakahaere me ngā kaimahi kātoa.

Rob Ruha and band in full swing

Rob doing a giveaway of Māui - Sun Catcher

A new take on classic Māui myth hits the bookshops today

How to tell a great traditional story in a way that can connect with young readers today in both Māori and English?

That was the challenge Oratia Books' Peter Dowling put to author Tim Tipene when explaining the concept for a series of books that would honour indigenous stories and languages in a modern context.

Tim’s response forms his tenth book, an imaginative retelling of Māui catching the sun – one of the great foundation myths of Māori culture.

In his version, Māui is a pre-teen who lives with his mum and four older brothers in a city where life is tough, in part because there’s never enough time in the day to get things done.

Māui – Sun Catcher follows Māui devsing a plan, driving with his brothers to the pit where the sun lives, and catching him in ropes of woven flax.

The trickster Māui, who speaks in rhyme, alternately charms and threatens the sun:

My ropes will slow you down.

You will drift across the sky

And people will see my ropes reaching down

Whenever you’re up high.

Bringing the text to life are vivid colour drawings by widely published illustrator and animator Zak Waipara, who has created a feel that is both contemporary and classic in this classy hardback.

The bilingual book features English and Māori in differently shaded type on each spread. Translations are by prominent musician and academic Rob Ruha.

Collaboration has been key to the series, Indigenous Voices – which has developed in part through creative input from a range of international publishers, including Mexican children’s book specialist Miriam Martinez and Oratia’s Editorial Director Carolyn Lagahetau.

So while it stands on its own and will be available across New Zealand, Māui – Sun Catcher is also a pilot for telling indigenous stories to readers worldwide.

Māui – Sun Catcher  |  ISBN: 978-0-947506-14-8  |  RRP $24.99
Hardback, 270 x 210 mm, 32 pages colour

Rob Ruha

Tim Tipene

Zak Waipara