August 21, 2013
Where do books come from?
A new series of children’s books is getting the Māori language makeover.
Taranaki journalist and publisher Rob Tucker started the series after his grandson Eben asked him where does milk comes from.
The resulting book of that name quickly sold out, and with the help of Te Reo ō Taranaki and translator Heni Jacob a Māori translation, Nō hea tēnei mea, te miraka?, was prepared to go alongside the second English edition.
Mr Tucker says got the idea for the book over breakfast when Eben declared that milk came from the supermarket.
"Eben and I had great fun finding where milk comes from using a beautiful new modern dairy farm at Tikorangi. They milk 1100 cows twice a day so it was quite a spectacle for Eben to see. As a city kid he didn’t really appreciate what exactly went on in a farm so it was a lovely journey for him and even walking in cow pats which townies seem to do," he says.
He has since written Where Does It Come From? books on paper, bread, wool, honey and natural gas, which will also be translated into te reo Māori.
Copyright © 2013, UMA Broadcasting Ltd