The River In Our Backyard Te Awa Patata Rawa Ana – Billingual

Fun story with heritage message for 710 year-olds

Fourth in Sharing Our Stories series following The Castle in our Backyard (2010), The Tunnel in our Backyard (2016) and The Taniwha in our Backyard (2018); publishing ahead of Diwali

Continuing this successful series that connectschildren with local heritage, Tui, cousin Jennifer and whanau go on a voyage of discovery into the history and nature of Auckland’s Te Atatu peninsula and the wider Waitemata Harbour.

The children learn about the impact humans have had on the river and ocean, how places got their names, and how their family friends Komako and Kumar help to conserve nature.

Everyone then joins in the fun of Diwali, attending a local market and watching their friend Rani perform in a dance.

All these adventures are brought to life in Martin Bailey’s vibrant artwork, and the English and Maori text includes words from the Tamil language.