Kuwi’s Rowdy Crowd
by Kat Merewether
Kuwi the kiwi tries to find a moment of peace and quiet in the chaos of parenthood, but everywhere she turns the volume just gets louder.
Tap-dancing tomtits, karate-kicking Kōkako and other noisy native friends join in the rowdy fun, until Kuwi can’t take it anymore.
It has unique appeal to both adults and children – the humourous storyline will be familiar to parents everywhere and you can’t help but feel for poor Kuwi. Children will also recognise themselves
within the pages, and will have fun replicating the noises to match each illustration and guessing which creature will appear next.
Onomatopoeia litter the pages, and Merewether’s trademark alliteration make it a joy to read aloud. The rhyme and flow of the story keep it fresh for repeated readings, as do the endless hidden jokes within the illustrations. A handy pronunciation guide and dictionary of Ma¯ori terms has also been included on the back end page, making it a nice taster for anyone keen to introduce the next generation to te reo Māori.