“Iti noa, he pito mata”

The proverb above refers to how with care, a small kumara will produce a harvest. I love how it captures the idea of the end result being much greater than the actual investment.

If you have got tamariki in your life you will thoroughly enjoy this compilation of lullabies. Sung by a passionate Te Reo Māori advocate, Ms Pānia Papa, accompanied by a fantastic blend of female and male voices, taonga pūoro and contemporary instruments. It is all about the potential children hold within themselves. 

What a gem. Listening to this audio CD will make you want to cuddle, dance, nurture and sing away with your little one like nothing else. It is filled with aroha.

For those of us that don’t feel so confident singing in Te Reo, it comes with a singalong DVD with words rolling along the bottom of the screen.

And if you are keen want to give waiata a go, why not try the Nga Pihi series? Trust me, they are tino pai.

Squirrel seeks Chipmunk: The Anti-Peter Rabbit?

I’m not the only one at the library who loves David Sedaris. When I saw a new title of his appear on the “Just Ordered” feed on our website, I wasted no time placing a hold.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but neither did it fail to amuse me.  Sedaris has written a collection of short stories (illustrated by Ian Falconer, the genius creator of the Olivia picture books) told from the perspective of animals…if they were human. However, do not mistake it for a nice cutesy read like the stuff by Beatrix Potter. Some of the stories and the illustrations accompanying them are more than a little disturbing.

Sedaris is a clever man. This book  is a satirical observation of human thought, behaviour, and relationships, played out by household pets and common rodents. You can’t help but shake your head and chuckle at the ridiculous-ness of human nature at the end of every story. 

I also loved the fact that the stories were only a few pages long, each one easily devoured within minutes, squeezed in between other activities.

So what short stories have you enjoyed reading this summer?