Rua and the Sea People

I’ve been reading some great blogging about children’s books this week, in particular here http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com/   I can’t wait to find the time to sit down with a pint mug of tea and a packet of macaroons to peruse her blog of several years in depth, especially since I found out she used to work for the Muppets! Me and the hubby have amassed quite a collection of New Zealand specific, retro and art related children’s books since our wee whippersnapper was expected.

The 16 month old has been a fan of the illustrations in Rua and the Sea People, by R.L Bacon & Para Matchitt (1968) since she was very small indeed; and there is much about the writing and the story which lend its self to remaining a favourite in the future.

 

 Matchitt is a relatively well known New Zealand artist, whose work successfully blended traditional Maori art and mid-century modern art. The art for this book is representative of his work and is done primarily in the traditional Maori pallet of black, white and red.

Being European I find the drawings unusual and interesting, and certainly not typical of a children’s book, then or now. Like the folklore story itself, of the Maoris first impressions of the arrival of Captain Cook in New Zealand/Aotearoa; they are drawn using a Maori specific representational style.
If you imagine them from a very young child’s point of view, the limited colour range and simple outlines are the sort very young children are able to visually grasp. A little more interesting and absorbing than the typical book for infants of animal outlines!