Genre
Children’s
Picture Book
Kua Whetūrangitia a Koro
Brianne Te Paa
$14.00
$17.00
WINNER, Wright Family Foundation Te Kura Pounamu Award, 2023
WINNER, Storylines Te Kahurangi Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira Award, 2022
Storylines Notable Book List, 2022
A young boy learns about the customs around celebrating Matariki from his grandfather. They watch the stars from the top of a mountain, prepare their offering of food for the gods, and the boy learns about Te Waka o Rangi and the tradition of calling out the names of loved ones who have passed away so that they can become stars. Just before Matariki the following year, the boy's Koro suddenly dies.
He gathers and prepares the food offering and asks each family member to come with him up the mountain when Matariki is due to rise, but they all make excuses, and he is disheartened. But when he tells them what Koro taught him, they all climb the mountain before sunrise, follow the rituals Koro carried out and call out Koro's name so that he can become a star.
This book is also available as an English language edition, How My Koro Became a Star.
Pages
40
Language
Māori
Publication Date
May 20, 2022
Dimensions
240 x 270
ISBN (Soft Cover)
9781775506959
"Kua Whetūrangitia a Koro is a taonga of a picture book. Thoughtful, informative and infused with aroha, it is a must on any bookshelf, alongside a box of tissues."
"The significance of this story, its context, and its poetic use of te reo Māori place it in a stratosphere of its own. Much like Matariki, Kua Whetūrangitia a Koro represents authentic Māori stories being told in te reo Māori that will inspire and educate Māori, Pākehā, and all people of New Zealand and the world. Haramai tētahi āhua!"
