Andrea Skuse

This gorgeous picture book by Gisborne’s Andrea Skuse is about the playful antics of New Zealand's beloved bottlenose dolphin Moko. The 36 page story covers some of the highlights of the time Moko spent on the East Coast of New Zealand as well as a foreword by Jamie Quirk from the Department of Conservation who kept an eye on Moko during his time here. The poetic rhyming verses are complemented with charming watercolour backgrounds by Madrid-based illustrator Nikoleta Sekulovic. There are two photographs of Moko, one of him playing with his favourite toy, a blue buoy and the other when a cheeky Moko took off with a boogie board from a swimmer at Mahia Beach. Included is a postscript about Moko’s life from when he was first spotted in Gisborne in early 2010 to when he was found dead on the shores of Matakana Island off Tauranga at the end of that same year. There is a map of New Zealand providing a visual guide to Moko’s travels, a page with a diagram showing the parts of a bottlenose dolphin, two pages of facts about bottlenose dolphins and a section on boat rules when boating near dolphins, and tips about swimming with dolphins. Altogether this is a fascinating, wonderful book that will be a delight both to children and those people who are familiar with Moko’s story. The amount of work and the empathy and love for the subject matter are very apparent. Absolutely fabulous, highly recommended.… (mehr)