Cat on the Island by Gary Crew and Gillian Warden

Cat on the Island
 (Harper Collins, 2008)

I borrowed this picture book to read to my kids and found it quite disturbing. It's based on the true story of what happened to the wildlife on Stephens Island, New Zealand in the 1890s. The folk who came to man the lighthouse brought a cat with them. The cat had kittens, which turned feral and these killed all the little wrens that lived on the island. What is so tragic for science is that these wrens were unique because they were the only flightless wrens in the world.
   Although the subject matter is confronting, it lead to lengthy family conversations about feral cats and pet cats.
   Gillian Warden illustrated the book and the cats are depicted as red with needle sharp teeth and huge eyes. Quite frightening really.     I think this is a good book for introducing young children to conservation issues.


A Kind of Eden by Amanda Smyth

I listened to this tale as a talking book and the voice of the narrator, played by Lloyd Notice, was just brilliant. I try to listen to talking books when I drive and if I like the resonance of the voice I'll keep listening through to the end (that is if the story is engaging too). Nothing makes me hit the eject button faster than if the reader has an annoying voice.


A Kind of Eden (Serpent's Tail)

So, what's this book about? Essentially it's a crime novel, but it's also full of mid-life crisis angst and the guilt that won't brush off when you betray someone. The hero, Martin, is a fifty-something ex-cop doing an expatriate stint in the Caribbean as an advisor to the Trinidad police. He has found life in Trinidad exotic and has fallen in love with a much younger local girl, Safiya.
Meanwhile Martin's wife and teenage daughter have arranged to come over to Trinidad for a holiday. Martin hides the truth from his family but a serious crime exposes all his deceptions.
Smyth describes the heady aromas of Caribbean food, the squalor of the local villages, the vivid scenery and all the frustrations of culture shock with great clarity.
Although Martin is hard to like at times, the story is engaging because the reader wants to know if justice will be done in the end.

NZ/Samoan poet

I'm listening to an interview with NZ/Samoan poet Tusiata Avia on Radio National today. A great insight into Samoan custom. I must check out more of her poetry. Click on the hyperlink above to hear the interview.