Extinct NZ Animals Come Back To Life In Dawn McMillan's Third Nature Story Book

‘I thought a child’s view of extinct animals was a fun idea with an important message of conserving endangered species,’ says bestselling author Dawn McMillan.

From that idea emerged There’s a Moa in the Moonlight, published by Oratia this week as the third in Dawn’s series of bilingual nature stories, following There’s a Tui in our Teapot (2018) and There’s a Weta on my Sweater (2020).

In the beautifully illustrated book in English and Māori, an inquisitive girl peers out her back window as night falls, only to see a moa in the garden munching all the melons! Before long moa is joined by a laughing owl hooting in the night, huia eating grubs in the hibiscus tree, a Haast’s eagle soaring in the sky, and a kawekaweau lizard gobbling fallen guava.

What will Mum say when she sees all these animals in her garden?

A spread of fact boxes about the animals follows the story, helping kids to learn more about our disappeared fauna, and the publishers have prepared teacher resources for this and the other books in the series.

Concludes Dawn: ‘I enjoyed meeting moa and friends and hope that readers will be pleased to meet them too.’

Dawn McMillan is an internationally recognised writer of children’s books who lives north of Thames. Among her many popular works are I Need a New Bum! and Sir Singlet. Nikki Slade Robinson is a widely published author and illustrator who also illustrated There’s a Tui in our Teapot. Ngaere Roberts is a teacher and translator of te reo Māori who lives in Helensville.

There’s a Moa in the Moonlight / He Moa kei rō Atarau

by Dawn McMillan, illustrated by Nikki Slade Robinson, with Māori text by Ngaere Roberts

Published by Oratia Books

ISBN: 978-0-947506-96-4 | $25.99 | HB, $25.99

https://www.oratia.co.nz/product/theres-a-moa-in-the-moonlight/

https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/2111/Theres_a_Moa_in_the_Moonlight_Teacher_Resource.pdf

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