By his own admission, Hawke’s Bay-born sparkie-turned-best-selling author Hira Nathan (Whakawhetai: Gratitude) didn’t know where to start when it came to making a kids’ book.
But thanks to the help of an old friend and their shared love of te reo Māori, he’s made his first foray into children’s literature with Piki te Ora, a wellbeing-focused activity book for tamariki released this week.
Nathan, who is a co-author with teacher Jessie Eyre, has created a fully illustrated journal for children based on the Māori principles of hauora [health and wellbeing].
“Me and Hira studied te reo Māori through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa in 2019, before Covid. We became friends through a couple of years of study,” Eyre told Hawke’s Bay Today.
“Hira used his lockdown time, very wisely, to write a book. I was telling a teacher friend about it, and she suggested it would be great to have a kids’ version.”
Meanwhile, Nathan was also getting hounded to create a children’s version of his best-selling book Whakawhetai: Gratitude.
“I’d sort of been thinking about it in the back of my head; I got a few comments on Facebook and Instagram about the potential for a kids’ version.”
The wheels were finally in motion in May last year. From brainstorming to the finish line, it took a year and a half, but the writing was done in an impressive six weeks.
“I knew nothing about kids. I don’t have kids, so Jessie was the kids expert,” Nathan said.
“We knew from the start it couldn’t be like Whakawhetai, because if you tell a kid to do the exact same thing every day, they are going to get bored and disconnect.”
Eyre said family involvement and a sense of self were key focuses when constructing the activities.
“We’d like the family to get involved as well. It involves many discussions and activities closely related to whānau.
“A book like this can ground you and help you take stock of where you are.”
Nathan said despite having a different tone to Whakawhetai, the core concept of Piki te Ora remained similar.
“Quite often, with social media, kids are bombarded with negative news and negative information. It’s good to take some time out to reflect mindfully on things and spend time with whānau.”
Artist Huriana Kopeke-Te Aho (Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou, Rongowhakaata, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Kahungungu) contributed illustrations the pair said “brought the book to life”.
“Finding joy in the activities and illustrations was quite cool for me. By the end, I was like, ‘I want one!” Nathan said.
“It was pretty emotional seeing it finished.”
It even got a couple of test runs before launch, both from Eyre’s students and Nathan’s niece from Hawke’s Bay.
“I practised it on kids in my classroom last year, and seeing the joy on their faces was amazing,” Eyre said.
Piki te Ora will be available online and in bookstores nationwide from Tuesday.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
