Loredana Cunti

Kicks, blocks, strikes and stances, Kakapo is great at them all in this lovely debut picture booby Toronto author Loredana Cunti. Illustrated by Stacy Curtis, Karate Kakapo will have your reader trying out all their karate moves.

Kakapo is getting ready for her black belt test and is a little worried about having to do a flying kick, you see kakapos can’t fly. On the day of the big test, Kakapo breezes through all the kicks, blocks, stikes and stances until she is last asked to do the dreaded flying kick. With a little encouragement from her Sensei and a change of perspective, Kakapo achieves her goal of earning her karate black belt.

Before reading Karate Kakapo, I had never heard of a kakapo, a flightless bird native to New Zealand. What a treat it was to do a little investigating with The Bear and The Bee to find out more about this bird. I love stories that lead to questions and investigations. While this is a nice little story about perseverance and perspective, it also offers the opportunity to dig a little deeper into the martial arts or different types of birds. The book ends with a lovely message about trying. How often in a day do I hear the words, “I can’t!” knowing full well they can and just don’t want to try. By offering a story like Karate Kakapo we can show readers even if they think they can’t, with a change in perspective, a new way of thinking about a task, they can turn their can’t into a can.

Stacy Curtis nails the illustrations, bringing Kakapo’s karate prowess to life in the lively illustrations. Bright and colourful, the illustrations side kick their way right off the page… (meer)

Kids, especially boys will love this book. When astronauts go off into space where there is zero gravity, there are a lot of things we take for granted that become a problem. When the book explains about going to the bathroom in space, how to dispose of the waste etc. it is actually quite interesting. Other fun information including haircare, brushing your teeth, blowing or picking your nose, Space fashion (including diapers), getting exercise, eating and more are all presented in short bubbles that are sure to tickle the fancy of the reader. A great book for reluctant readers, especially it they are interested at all in space or space travel.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)