Tale
The Adventures of Hutu and Kawa
Avis Acres · 1955
Synopsis
In an old pōhutukawa planted between the forest and the sea live two tiny sprites born of the tree, Hutu and Kawa. Grandfather Kiwi teaches them to carve a canoe from a branch of tōtara, and they go up the river to discover the forest. Along the way, they meet Mrs Grey Duck, the flax sprite, the clematis elf and the orchid fairies, before a fearsome bush hawk gets in their way.
Context
The idea came to her from the Gumnut Babies of the Australian May Gibbs, for which she wanted to give a local equivalent. The strip appeared weekly on the children's page of the New Zealand Herald, from September 1950 to July 1960, and A. H. & A. W. Reed drew three albums from it between 1955 and 1957, this one first. The author checked her details in museums, in libraries and in the field; her drawings of native species are realistic and show a concern for the protection of nature. Heinemann Reed reissued the series in 1990.
Who it is for
An illustrated picture book for young children, never translated into French, in which the image counts as much as the text and lends itself to reading aloud.
Prizes and reception
The first three volumes sold very well; the album, reprinted many times, is regarded as a classic of the country's childhood.