New Zealand Fish of the Week - Nga Ika o te Wiki product reviews

I am glad I saved New Zealand Fish of the Week/Nga Ika o te Wiki for a time when we had a family get together as I had a variety of people present to look at it and give me feedback. The age range spanned eight decades, with the youngest just three and the oldest in his mid-eighties. Although advertised as suitable for younger children, this review book was a winner with everyone irrespective of age!

Mr Three was the first to look at it. Although the text was too challenging for a child so young, he loved the graphics and was able to shout "another fish!" each time a page was turned. He was unsure of the crayfish and seahorses because they were not shaped like regular fish, but accepted that they lived in the sea so might be visiting the others. His older cousin (Miss Four) came up with that suggestion.

The older children were interested in the text. The three teenagers were interested in the background information on the various sea creatures. One was heard rather irreverently talking about fish and chips for dinner, and describing how he used to join his grandfather on fishing trips! Another, a keen amateur photographer, was impressed by the quality of the pictures. She has done some night photos at car rallies and understands the difficulty of achieving good focus in difficult conditions.

I liked the way the material was organised, using an old rhyme to provide the pattern. Six of the days present just one sea creature, but the seventh offers a variety - completely filling the second half of the book. The oldest person present was impressed with the layout as a whole. He has always been a keen reader and said that the balance between words and graphics was just right. At the end of the get-together, he took it home as he wanted to read it again without interruptions.

This is the sort of book I would choose when selecting a gift for a family rather than a single child. Older children can enjoy the book in its entirety, while younger ones can still gain a lot of pleasure and knowledge by simply looking through the pictures. Not one person had a negative comment; everyone thought it was a wonderful idea and would like to see further publications from the Torckler team. We were further happy that the names were all presented in both English and Te Reo Maori since fish are among the most important taonga of our island nation.