This is the Māori edition of Te Wai, Tama and the Moon.
E haere ana a Te Wai me Tama ki te marama i tēnei rangi. E māuiui ana te māmā o Te Wai, a, ko tō Te Wai hiahia he kōrero atu ki te marama mōna. Ka haria he kihu parāoa, ka haere ki te tūnga mō te waka ātea.
I a rāua e tatari ana, ka kite rāua i a koro Max, i a Whaea Hoki me Nēni Kate, ka tuari kai rātou, ka rongo hoki mō rāua haerenga mātātoa. I taua pō, ka karia rāua e Kōka Cherrie ki te mātaki i ngā whetū me te marama. E mōhio ana a Te Wai ko tōna māmā tērā ka noho hei whetū ā tōna wā. Kia tae ki taua wā, kei reira tōna whānau me tōna tino hoa.
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.
Te Wai’s mum is seriously ill, and Tama’s mum struggles to make ends meet, but Te Wai’s got a big imagination and is determined to make the day better. The friends plan a trip to the moon, and they wait at the bus stop for the spaceship. Each time the bus arrives, someone they know gets off, and they share something to eat with the children while they wait, and Tama and Te Wai help them with the steps and heavy bags.
That evening, Aunty Cherrie takes them in her little red ‘spaceship’ car to look at the stars and tells them how people’s spirits become stars when they die. Te Wai understands this will not be long for her mum. Some days later, her tangi takes place, and Te Wai is surrounded by the caring support of her whānau, her community and Tama.
Paperback
Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Isobel Joy Te Aho-White
36 pages
H: 180mm W: 200mm