Review by STELLA

Aotearoa: The New Zealand story is an impressive illustrated history by children’s writer and illustrator Gavin Bishop. Beautiful to behold, each page contains a myriad of small details, snippets of information that build to give the reader a wealth of information and thoughtful consideration to how our history is told. Covering mythology, early migration, European exploration, the impact of colonisation, our flora and fauna, famous New Zealanders, what we ate and wore, how we lived and changed over time this is a book that simultaneously has great scope and an eye for microscopic detail. With such a broad scope and aimed at children, it’s not a definitive history, yet it successfully tells our story and gives us insights into areas that are often overlooked in more scholarly works. It’s heartening to see more than a cursory treatment of pre-European history, plenty of te reo Māori included seamlessly in the text (there’s a glossary at the back), to have the New Zealand Wars and its impact on Maori populations highlighted, alongside New Zealand’s place in the wider world during the two world wars of last century and the influence of post-war European migration on our ever-changing cultural landscape. And while there are some of the usual suspects on the 'famous people' pages, it’s great to see our best creative minds (writers, performers and artists) stepping out on their own pages. Running throughout the book is the importance of the land, its flora and fauna - and the responsibility we all have to ensure its environmental well-being. This is a delightful and informative book is for all ages - perfect as a family gift.