Witi Ihimaera: The Little Kowhai Tree

By MARGIE THOMSON

A little kowhai tree longs for a baby brother to look after, and when a seed falls nearby she is determined to defend it against all the dangers the forest has to offer. This she does valiantly, until one day a woodcutter appears and it seems all is lost.

This quietly funny, charming tale has many elements - the need for companionship, an echo of traditional nursery rhyming, a sense of the randomness yet interconnectedness of nature - and the illustrations are vivid and energetic.

Huia

$24.95, $16.95