image of person or book cover 7752089399076532290.jpeg
Image courtesy of publisher's website.
y separately published work icon Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapokai single work   picture book   children's  
Issue Details: First known date: 2023... 2023 Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapokai
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'A bold and multi-layered picture book about self-determination narrated by a young boy full of ideas and questions about growing up, belonging, spirituality, culture, whanau, tupuna, atua, and who is the boss.

“My name is Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapokai.
You can call me Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapokai.”

'Paku Manu Ariki talks directly to the reader, drawing on the stories that spin around him—his father’s matauranga, his mother’s politics, his many pet birds, and his best friend who is taller, even though he’s younger.

'The book is born from the experience of growing up in a strong Maori whanau in a country and wider world that offers a conflicting version of what is right and of value.

'Paku Manu Ariki is trying to understand his role in his family, community and the larger world. His preoccupation is who is the boss—his nanna at the marae, his older siblings, or any number of atua? His steadfast dad, his Pakeha mum, the “leader of the free world”, or Paku Manu Ariki himself? Paku Manu Ariki bumps up against authority, trying to reconcile the kind and just rules of nanna and the unjust power of leaders he sees every day on the TV.

'Thoughtful, funny and confronting, Paku Manu Ariki Whakatakapokai is about the hustle for belonging, and our place in the epic spiral of space, time and culture.

'Tokerau Brown’s colourful and powerful contemporary Maori-Pasifika gothic illustrative style adds a preteen sensibility and spirit drawn from comics.

'With themes of identity and belonging, this book is a powerful tool for classroom discussion. Exploring contemporary issues, critical thinking and Maori–Pakeha relations, this book has a wide age readership for both school and adult audiences.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Newtown, Marrickville - Camperdown area, Sydney Southern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Walker Books Australia , 2023 .
      image of person or book cover 7752089399076532290.jpeg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 48p.
      Description: illus.
      Note/s:
      •  Published September 2023

      ISBN: 9781776574582
Last amended 10 Aug 2023 09:29:51
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