Whetu a really cool book, and I really liked it because it was the first book about blue ducks that I read. Blue ducks are native New Zealand birds that are called whio in the Māori language and they are rare and endangered and have special things unlike other ducks or birds. They are one of the only birds in the world that like rapid water mountain rivers instead of flat ponds or lakes. They have special features, like a ‘lip’ on their bill.

Whetu is the only egg that survives when his siblings’ eggs are all washed away. He has to survive predators, find food sources and places to make a home. Then a hiker gets lost in the bush, but they are saved when they hear Whetu’s call, which sounds likes ‘whio’, so they know a river is nearby. Later, the hiker and her friends protest against a mine that would destroy Whetu’s habitat, and then she visits Whetu and he has his own family and ducklings.

The writing flows and the illustrations are natural and fit the story well. It’s a good book and easy to read again and again. I recommend it, and one day I want to write my own book about whio, which are amazing animals.

Reviewed by Maddie, Year 5, Singlegate Primary School, London

Age Guide 4+

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Beck, a former teacher and psychologist, Jis the author of more than 50 children’s books, many of which are still in print. She is the recipient of numerous prizes. Her picture book The Bantam and the Soldier won the Picture Book Category and the Book of the Year Award in the 1997 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards, and in 2006 she won the Children’s Choice Award, voted for by more than 30,000 children throughout New Zealand.