Gavin Bishop

Following the success of Aotearoa, Gavin Bishop has produced another fascinating book on New Zealand history. Rather than add to the large number of books about Captain Cook, Gavin has focused on the story of John Thompson, the one-handed cook on board the Endeavour. This allows him to tell the story of Cook's voyage to New Zealand from a novel point of view and include many pieces of interesting trivia. The death of the cook before the end of the voyage doesn't hinder the re-telling as his show more soul slips into a seagull.
Alongside the cook's diary entries are speech bubbles, recipes, labels and, of course, Gavin's inimitable illustrations. Although, to the occupants of the Endeavour, this is a new land, it is already the turangawaewae of Maori and the illustrations reflect this. Maori name labels sit alongside debates over what to name various places and, as in Aotearoa, the geographic features in New Zealand often have faces. This narrative nonfiction book is full of fascinating information with even the end papers pressed into service. One set shows a cross section of the ship while the other has a map of the voyage. Cook's Cook is a great addition to children's books on New Zealand history. show less

When Tama nui te Ra (the Sun) travels too swiftly across the heavens in this Maori myth, resulting in days that are far shorter than they ought to be, Maui and his older brothers set out to capture him, and force him to slow down. Equipped with strong flax ropes made by all the people of the village, the trickster and his brothers lie in wait, at the mouth of the sun's sleeping pit. But though they succeed in capturing the sun, the result is not quite what they had hoped for, with long show more scorching days that make life difficult for all. Finally, in exasperation, Maori takes his rope, and ties the sun and moon together...

This pourquoi tale from the indigenous people of New Zealand - which explains the movement of both sun and moon, and their relationship to one another - has been retold a number of times, and can also be found in other Polynesian traditions. Suelyn Ching Tune's How Maui Slowed the Sun, for instance, comes from Hawaii. Gavin Bishop, himself part Maori, provides a brief afterword explaining his source for this tale. His brightly colored ink and watercolor illustrations will grab young readers' attention, and his narrative will keep it. A nice addition to any folklore shelf! show less

"Maui and the Sun" by Gavin Bishop retells the same story of Maui and his capture of the sun. However, this version does have some differences that can make it more engaging and relateable for children. For example, Maui has the help of his brothers in this version and together they work hard to capture the sun. He also is a much more likeable character than in "The Surprising Things Maui Did" where he is concieved as lazy. In this story, Maui is a strong, hard working man who conquers the show more sun for his people.

The book has engaging pictures that give the story Hawaiian perspective in a way that the other stories about Maui don't. The fact that his brothers are more influential characters also makes this book relateable for students as many of them may have brothers who help them. This book would be great for second or third graders as the language is not too intense but the story goes into more depth than "How Maui Saved the Sun." show less

Absolutely stunning endpapers are an indication of the style and attractiveness of this story about one-handed John Thompson. He is the ship’s cook on board the HMS Endeavour in 1768 with James Cook as they go to record the transit of Venus across the sun. John cooks his way around the expedition with recipes throughout for Pease Porridge, cooking shark steaks and albatross, Dog and Breadfruit Stew, Goose Pie, Poor Knights Pudding, Stingray Soup, Kangaroo Stew and Turtle Soup. The show more scientific party on board are named, as are the provisions taken, and the story is told through speech bubbles, journal entries and text boxes which lend an air of fun to the book. There is great information, such as the naming of Cannibal Cove and the sad story about how the captain traded a bag of sugar with a Māori woman for all her family treasures. There is the malaria that struck the crew, and the many who died, including John on 31 January 1771. Beautifully illustrated and laid out. show less