Run, Rabbit: Easter Surprise / E Oma, Rapeti: Te Kura huna O Te Aranga product reviews

Mr Seven loves books that are bilingual - thanks to his time at a Kohanga Reo and more recently at his Kura Kaupapa, he is equally at home speaking English or Te Reo Maori. However, he is still working on his. reading. His parents are less fluent so they appreciate having the two languages on the same page. Pania Papa's Maori version flows just as easily as Norah Wilson's text in English, although his mother did say she would like a glossary included as well because she sometimes has issues with word order.

Before we had so much as opened the book, the adults had a long discussion as to why the book title did not translate exactly from one language to the other, and this opened up a whole conversation about single words needing to be understood in context. However, Mr Seven was anxious to get started on the story proper. He has read others in the same series and was looking forward to Little Rapeti's latest adventure.

As in the previous books about Little Rapeti, repetition is used to effect. For younger children this is a useful technique to aid memory. Mr Seven had forgotten the Maori word for snail (ngata), but was quickly reminded when he encountered it twice in succession. Moreover, he was fascinated by the tiny snail-sized letterbox!

Reading the story together led to a long discussion on why we have Easter eggs only once a year. Mr Seven is too young to understand all the background - the Christian story and the spring symbols of regeneration (eggs etc). His family is not Christian so the imagery is rather complicated, although he did wonder if you had to be Christian to get some Easter eggs! We assured him that all children in Aotearoa New Zealand can enjoy them irrespective of their background.

Kimberly Andrews' soft watercolour illustrations capture the lovely relationship between Rabbit, his mother, and his friends. They are utterly delightful, from the clear printing on the envelopes (down to the Rabbit Post/Te Pohi Rapeti impression) to the beautifully presented images of the various creatures. Mr Seven lives in the country where there is a large population of pukeko in the nearby wetlands, so of course he was especially fascinated by them.

I had wondered if Mr Seven was too old to enjoy the story, but I was wrong - the vivid illustrations and the way the text is woven through both languages mean that it can be enjoyed on many levels, from early childhood right through to adult. I imagine he will enjoy the series for years to come.

I've seen a few of these books now and always thought that the illustrations looked bright and fun, and having a good read through this book, they certainly are bright and fun. This is also perfect timing for this years up-coming Easter celebrations and those who like themed books.

The story follows Rabbit, who has decided to act as the Easter bunny and hide treats for all of their friends, gaining some help from their mummy to deliver all the letters to Eel, Cow, Chicken, Pukekho and Snail. It is fun watching little Rabbit make the cards and then seeing each of their friends find their hidden basket of treats, each individualised (ie. Cow gets milk bottles, Eel get chocolate fish) with something that suits them, plus the standard chocolate eggs. Rabbit then ends up with their own Easter basket, which their friends put together for them.

What I really like about this book, is that the Te Reo is first on the page, with the English underneath (it's a nice little change from all the book with Te Reo under the English or at the back of the book). One thing that would have been helpful, would be a page at the back with some handy pronunciation, because I don't know enough that I would be able to read both languages without mangling some of my words and I would have been the mum wanting to read both. Other than that, this is a sweet little book that would be perfect for any toddler and a lovely book to send to family overseas.