Noho ai a Riwia, tōna māmā me tōna pāpā ki tō rātou wēne - te Mātai Arorangi. I wehe mai rātou i te kāinga kia noho tata ai ki te taina a Riwia, a Tawa, kei te hōhipera.
Engari Ka māuiui tonu a Tawa. Kātahi ka mate ia, ā, kua whakahopkia a ia e Riwia me tōna whānau ki te kāinga kia tangihia.
Ā, kua ara mai a Matariki, e tohu ana i te tau hou. Kua noho a Riwia me tōna whanau ki te Mātai Arorangi ki te whakamaumahara ki a Tawa, ki te rapu hoki i tōna whetū i te rangi.
He wāhanga tēnei pūrākau o te kohinga e pā ana ki te aroha me te poipoi i te manawaroa o te hunga tamariki kua pākia ki ngā momo tūkinotanga. Ko te whāinga he āwhina i ngā mātua me ngā tamariki ki te whakawhiti kōrero mō ēnei āhuatanga, ka tautoko ake i a rātou me tō rātou oranga wairua, oranga tinana oranga hinengaro, oranga whānau hoki.
The English language edition is Riwia and the Stargazer.
Since he was born, Riwia’s baby brother, Tawa, has been in Auckland Hospital, and his family has come to stay in Auckland. While Riwia goes to school and Dad works as a cook, Mum stays with Tawa. Their Aunty Sue’s house is full, and renting is expensive, so Riwia and her parents live in a van, the Stargazer, in the park. Sometimes it’s scary at night when people shout at them in the park, but the weekend is good when they go to Aunty Sue’s and Dad cooks a boil-up and they all have a shower. But Tawa is getting sicker, and he dies.
The family travels back to Te Teko, taking Tawa to the marae for his tangi and burial. Riwia learns about the journey Tawa’s spirit will make to farewell Aotearoa and join the waka of stars that gathers the spirits of the dead. And at Matariki, the family remembers Tawa and gathersto see his spirit burning brightly as a star.
Paperback
Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
36 pages
H: 180mm W: 200mm