Bilingual picture book offers new answer for that familiar question, How Many Times?

How Many Times?
Me Hia Rawa Ngā Wā?

Tim Tipene
Illustrated by Nicoletta Benella
Translated by Kanapu Rangitauira

Award-winning author shares bilingual tale of how words can teach kids to help around the house 

'How many times do I have to ask?’

That’s a question lots of parents have to put to their kids, after many other requests for help around the house. 

In Tim Tipene’s story, Tammy and Luca are always busy with screens and games to hear Mum asking them to do chores. 

That’s until Mum’s words come to life and take over the house, pinning Grandpa to his chair and launching the kids into action.

Italian-Kiwi artist Nicoletta Benella adds brilliant illustrations, with Rotorua-based Kanapu Rangitauira providing the translation.  

How Many Times? Me Hia Rawa Ngā Wā? is out in bookstores ahead of Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week 2025.

A teacher resource is available on the Oratia Books website. 

The authors

Tim Tipene (Ngāti Kurī, Te Uri-o-Hau, Ngāti Whātua) is a pioneering youth counsellor and an award-winning author of children’s books, including Kura Toa Warrior School and Rona Moon. His Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia was shortlisted for the 2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Tim lives with his whānau in Rānui, West Auckland. 

Nicoletta Benella is an artist originally from north-eastern Italy, where she was a designer for fashion house Benetton. Among her other illustrations are for Tim’s The Book that Wouldn’t Read / Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia. Nicoletta lives with her family in Hatfields Beach, Auckland.

Kanapu Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) is a registered translator and teacher of te reo. Among other translations Kanapu has completed for Tim's books are Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia and The Ever-Standing Tree / Te Rākau Tū Tonu. He lives with his whānau in Rotorua. 

Publication: 4 September 2025 | ISBN: 978-1-99-004281-2 | RRP $22.99

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

Leading author pens innovative book to inspire reluctant readers in English and te reo Māori

The Book that Wouldn't Read / Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia

Tim Tipene

Illustrated by Nicoletta Benella

Translated by Kanapu Rangitauira

Setting out to attract the sort of reluctant reader he used to be, author and youth counsellor Tim Tipene happened upon a neat idea: a book that takes over and effectively reads itself!

In The Book that Wouldn’t Read — and the Māori edition Te Pukapuka ka Kore e Pānuihia — a boy who doesn’t like reading just has to investigate when he finds that book on the library shelf.

Sentences move around the page, words change colour and disappear, and crazy fonts and characters get him jumping around, even burping (despite being hushed by teacher and classmates).

Illustrator Nicoletta Benella opens up the worlds that come alive when you get into a book, with layout designed to appeal to reluctant or dyslexic readers.

Publishing in English (hardback) and Māori (paperback) editions ahead of Māori Language Week, this is a book just waiting to be read! 

 

A teacher resource is available on the Oratia website.

The author

Tim Tipene (Ngāti Kurī, Ngāti Whātua) is a pioneering youth counsellor and the award-winning author of over 18 children’s books, including Kura Toa Warrior School and Rona Moon. Tim lives in Rānui, West Auckland. See https://www.timtipene.com/

The illustrator

Nicoletta Benella is an illustrator, graphic designer and artisan originally from north-eastern Italy, where she worked as a designer for the fashion house Benetton. She lives with her family in Hatfields Beach, Auckland. 

The translator

Kanapu Rangitauira (Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whakatōhea) is a registered translator and teacher of te reo Māori who has translated a number of works for Oratia Books, He lives with his family in Rotoiti, Rotorua. 

Publication: 1 September 2023  

 ISBNs: 978-1-99-004231-7 (English)  978-1-99-004247-8 (Māori)  

RRP $25.99 (English) hardback, $22.99 (Māori) paperback

270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pages, colour