This book is just gorgeous, if you could call giant pre-historic monsters with detailed facial tattoos gorgeous. It tells the custom story of two taniwha (giant mythical sea creatures) that are good friends and live in a big lake at the bottom of the north island of New Zealand.
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| The Taniwha of Wellington Harbour (Penguin, 2011) |
One day one of the taniwha gets so bored that he decides to bash his way through the land to the nearby sea. His action creates what is now known as Wellington Harbour. The other taniwha mourns his loss and tries to swim out through the heads only to be stuck in the sand. The legend tells of a giant earthquake that unearths the stuck taniwha and heaves him ashore to become a hill overlooking the harbour.
My daughter who is almost six was captivated by the illustrations in this book. The two sea monsters look something like dinosaurs or even dragons but the illustrator Bruce Potter has brought to life their emotions. We really empathised with the slower, sadder taniwha that was left behind.
This is a lovely book for bed-time reading for your children.
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