- Published by Reed Publishing (NZ) Ltd June 2006.
- Reprinted twice during 2007.
Kingi Kereru wakes up one moonlit night to find a possum about to raid his nest and attack his
baby, Kuku. He and his mate Queenie chase the possum away, leaving Grandpa Kereru guarding little
Kuku’s nest as they fly up to investigate. As they fly further they see hundreds, then thousands,
then millions of possums gorging on leaves and berries and stealing eggs and chicks from nests.
Sad and exhausted, they fly homewards. When they stop for a rest they are encouraged by the sight
of people working to save the kereru, setting traps for possums and other pests.
This charming rhyming book tells the story about the kereru, our native wood pigeon, which is
now a threatened species. At the end of the book there are facts about the kereru and the dangers
facing them, as well as information about possums and the terrible damage they’re causing to New
Zealand’s native flora and fauna.
The Author - Erin Devlin
Erin Devlin supplies puppets and children’s book to early childhood institutions and schools
around New Zealand through the company she founded, The Kiwi Puppet Company. Erin began creating
puppets many years ago when her children were preschoolers and now specialises in the creation and
marketing of NZ wildlife puppets, among them baby Kuku, her kereru family and the predator possums.
These and other wildlife puppets can be found in most educational toyshops and other stores around NZ.
When Erin was asked if she was interested in writing a story to heighten awareness to the plight
of the kereru her brief was to put some emotion into the story and to “pull some heartstrings” in
the process. She found that the possum was the obvious choice for the villain of the peace – there
are about 70 million of them out there in the lush New Zealand bush.
Though Erin now lives in central Auckland, as a youngster she spent many hours playing with her
siblings in the native bush on her family’s Waikato farm. When she gets out into the bush these days,
Erin is reminded of just how little birdsong there is compared to when she was a child.
The Illustrator – Annie Jeannes
Annie Jeannes is an Illustrator and Artist who works from her studio at her home in central Auckland.
Annie and the book’s Author, Erin Devlin, met over 15 years ago when they shared a studio in an
Auckland Art Co-Operative on Ponsonby’s College Hill. Since then, their shared passion for New Zealand’s
wildlife, countryside and environment, has led to collaboration on a number of New Zealand children’s books
and projects.
Annie has completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland.
