Rere Atu Taku Poi!: Let My Poi Fly!
Author:
Tangaroa Paul
Illustrator:
Rebecca Gibbs
Publisher:
Oratia Books
ISBN:
978199004248
Date published:
8 Feb 2024
Pages:
32
Format:
Paperback
RRP:
$22.99
Written in te reo Maori and translated by the author, Rere Atu Taku Poi! is a beautifully illustrated story about gender fluidity in a school setting. Rangi loves doing haka but performing poi is his favourite - even though his classmates say it's just for girls. When the lead poi performer falls sick before a school performance, Rangi has to take her place. How will the other students and audience react - 'Surely a boy can't lead the poi?' Promotion will carry through to Te Matatini 2025, which will take place in Ngamotu New Plymouth in late February that year.
Author Biography: Tangaroa Paul (Te Whare Tawhito o Muriwhenua), a poi expert who identifies as gender-fluid, is a lecturer in te reo Maori at the Auckland University of Technology, where they have recently submitted a doctoral thesis in gender studies. Rere Atu Taku Poi is Tangaroa's first book. Rebecca Gibbs (Rongowhakaata) has been a primary school teacher and gained a Bachelor of Design (VisCom) in 2015, since when she has worked in illustration and publishing. She lives in Christchurch.
