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Rere Atu Taku Poi! Let My Poi Fly!

Rangi loves doing haka but performing poi is his favourite — even though his classmates say it’s just for girls. When the lead poi performer falls sick before a school performance, Rangi has to take her place.

How will the other students and audience react – ‘Surely a boy can’t lead the poi?’

As Rangi steps on stage, the familiar movements of poi take him from scared and unsure to standing as his authentic self.

Written in te reo Māori and translated by the author, Rere Atu Taku Poi! is a beautifully illustrated story about gender fluidity in a school setting.

Written by Tangaroa Paul and illustrated by Rebecca Gibbs

$22.99 incl. GST

1 in stock

Description

Reviews

Adele Broadbent, What Book Next ~ Ka mutu pea! How wonderful! This bilingual story is gorgeous with te reo appearing first on the pages with English underneath. te reo is used within the English portion too, with these words listed in small print at the bottom of the page. This is a great way for any reader to add more te reo Māori to their knowledge.

Rangi is a gorgeous boy and he yearns to join in with the girls and their Poi. He struggles with the teasing that results, but has support in his grandmother to pursue his love of Poi. When he does finally get his chance to perform with the girls, he not only saves the performance and shines on stage, he shines right off the page as he achieves his dream.

The illustrations add so much to this wonderful story with swoops of colour and Māori design behind the action and characters as they tell the story. A story of diversity, acceptance, inclusivity and being your true self – all wrapped up in a purely New Zealand story that can be read and enjoyed anywhere in the world.
Read the full review.

Download the teacher resource sheet.

About the Kiwi author

Tangaroa PaulTangaroa Paul (Te Whare Tawhito o Muriwhenua), a poi expert who identifies as gender-fluid, is a lecturer in te reo Māori at the Auckland University of Technology, where they completed a doctoral thesis in gender studies in 2023. Rere Atu Tāku Poi is Tangaroa’s first book and reflects their own move from the male kapa haka line to performing poi with the wāhine.

Additional information

Weight100 g
Dimensions27 × 21 cm
First published

2024

Format

Paperback edition

ISBN

9781990042485

Page count

32

Published by

Oratia Books

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