I found it hard to read this book without hearing the words from the adapted film Whale Rider (2002). Rawiri Paratene makes a fantastic old paka.

The illustrations are so detailed, right down to the lines of a moko, almost photographic. The wrinkles are so lifelike!

I have never known a picture book to have parts. This story is broken up into four parts. This is probably beneficial for smaller children as there are quite a lot of words on the pages. I wonder how often this happens in picture books?

One word I wasn't sure about: Phalanx. I can't remember the sentence but it was used something like a phalanx of whales? Not sure if this is a word I would use, but it's good to broaden your vocabulary at any age. Just to be nit picky, I thought using the term 'School of Learning' was weird. I'm sure one Maori word would've been acceptable. Wananga isn't too hard of a concept to grasp. Overall, I love this story & the book tells it very well. ( )