Pomare School children now published illustrators

It’s finally here! School News reported back in September that children from decile one Pomare School in Lower Hutt will soon see their illustrations published in a fairy tale written by actress Geraldine Brophy. Well, the book is finally hitting shelves…

Launching March 14 at Taita Library in Lower Hutt, the idea for a book came from a play of the same name written by Ms Brophy which was staged in Lower Hutt for many students from low decile schools.

Charity dare2discover, which partners with low decile schools in The Hutt Valley to provide fun and educational experiences for children, covered the cost of schools’ transport to the play, and trustee Sue Avison thought the play would make a delightful book.

“After seeing the show and the delight on the children’s faces, I had a chat with Geraldine and we decided that the story would make a great children’s book. We also felt it was a wonderful opportunity to involve some students with the illustrations. dare2discover has worked with Pomare School in the past so we took this idea to the principal Katrina Day.”

Day was delighted that Pomare school was being given an opportunity to showcase their school to the community and to demonstrate that a small school in the northern end of Taita could be involved.

“For a little school, being part of this project has great mana. It fits our values of perseverance, responsibility, integrity, diversity and empathy. The children are getting an opportunity to learn about the environmental impact rubbish carelessly tossed away can have — in a fun engaging way. They get to learn art skills that the art curriculum doesn’t offer and they get to be part of something that is bigger than themselves. We can show the community that Pomare School, though small in numbers, is big in heart.”

Dr Hannah Mckenzie Doornebosh tutored the students over term two and three last year

The book is published and can be ordered online or it can be purchased at Paper Plus Lower Hutt.

The story is set in Taita and is full of characters such as Prince Farming, Red Finding Hood, the Who Cares and the Human Bean. The book is funny and thought-provoking, with a clear message about what can happen if we don’t take care of our environment.

There’s an English version sprinkled with te reo and a full te reo version, check out the book’s website here.