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Māui and Other Māori Legends

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Synopsis

A beautiful collection of artist Peter Gossage's beloved Māori myths, in one stunning volume.

Peter Gossage’s memorable retellings of Māori oral myths have captivated the children of New Zealand for generations. Their dramatic and distinctive illustrations with minimal yet evocative language form a powerful combination, and each has earned its place among the beloved classics of our literature. These are exciting, magical tales of adventure and intrigue. Several feature the remarkable culture hero Māui – the quick-witted and the trickster – whose exploits include slowing the sun in its course across the sky, fishing up the North Island/Te-Ika-a-Māui, discovering the secret of fire and his attempt to trick the goddess of death and become immortal. Māui and Other Māori Legends contains eight essential stories. In this volume you will find timeless favourites such as How Māui Found his Mother, Battle of the Mountains, Pania of the Reef and many more. The treasury includes:

How Māui Found his Mother

How Māui Found his Father and the Magic Jawbone

The Fish of Māui

How Māui Slowed the Sun

How Māui Found the Secret of Fire

How Māui Defied the Goddess of Death

Battle of the Mountains

Pania of the Reef

RRP: $40.00 NZD

Author: Peter Gossage

ISBN: 9780143309291

Published: 10/2/2016

Pages: 208

Format: Hardback

About the Author

Peter Gossage was the storyteller and illustrator of more than 20 books for children. His powerful retelling of Maori myths and legends have captivated the children of New Zealand for generations.Peter's first job on leaving school was at an advertising agency, and his drawings of Maori motifs on a television commercial drew interest from a publisher. This led to a career retelling and illustrating Maori legends for children. He also worked as a display artist at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and as a graphic designer and scenic artist at TV2.With his first book How Maui-tiki-tiki-a-Taranga Found His Mother published in 1975, Peter's iconic illustration style and deceptively simple storytelling will be familiar to many as classics in New Zealand homes and classrooms. He was a master of retelling important Maori myths, including Hinemoa and Tutanekai and Pania of the Reef. Many of the legends feature the hero Maui - also called the quick-witted and the trickster - whose exploits include slowing the sun in its course across the sky, fishing up the North Island/Te Ika a Maui and discovering the secret of fire.The powerful combination of dramatic and distinctive illustrations with minimal yet evocative text has earned each tale its place among the beloved classics of our literature. Peter's stories will never lose their relevancy for New Zealand children, and many of his stories have been made into short films that are played on Maori Television.In 2013, Peter was awarded the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book for How Maui Slowed the Sun.Peter passed away on July 30, 2016.

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