Leo reviews:  Kaewa the Kororā; Written by Rachel Haydon; Illustrated by Pippa Keel

“’Welcome to Penguin Cove!’ Said Captain. ‘Come and meet the Kororā Crew!’”

Kaewa the Kororā has had an accident and hurt her wing, thankfully she is found by kind humans and taken to the National Aquarium of New Zealand to recover. There she meets 13 other feisty and fun Kororā, each one a clever little character! But what’s this!? Someone keeps tripping or knocking Kaewa over! There is a mystery to be solved…

Let’s face it, a lot of books that try to educate or inform can fall a bit flat sometimes. This one, I went in a bit pessimistic. Would this just be an info-dump with illustrations? To my surprise, it was not! We get to take in the real-life Kororā Crew just like the newcomer, Keawa. These penguins really do live at the National Aquarium of New Zealand, and each get their own little backstory. Some are sassy, some are shy, but all of them are 100% their true selves, living each day to the fullest. We get to learn how the National Aquarium of New Zealand works with the kororā, and get to see Kaewa’s journey through rehabilitation.

The illustrations were charming, with the kororā drawn accurately, but stylized enough to show each penguin’s shining personality. I especially enjoyed the list of bird bios in the back of the book with real photographs of the Kororā Crew. Funny, sweet, and touching, this is the perfect book for little kiwis to learn about our wonderful native wildlife.