Pūkeko Who-Keko by Toby Morris

From Toby Morris, award-winning Auckland-based illustrator, comic artist and writer, comes a hilarious new picture book in which Detective Clue-keko has the job of tracking down who spilt a can of blue paint all over the floor and made a terrible mess!

As the story unfolds and Detective Clue-keko follows a trail of pūkeko feet covered in blue paint he meets a bunch of other pūkeko getting up to all sorts of antics.

In the question and answer format of this book, each of their names rhymes with pūkeko e.g:

What do you call a pūkeko who thinks they are a cow? A Mookeko.

Or a pūkeko who thinks they are a chicken? Cock-a-doodle-doo-keko

Or a pūkeko with lightning-fast reflexes and a deadly flying kick? Kung-fu-keko.

What do you call a group of pūkeko enjoying a delectable Italian dessert? Tiramisu-keko.

Toby has a soft spot for these iconic New Zealand birds and has even dedicated his book to ‘All the pūkeko of Tāwharanui even if you tried to steal my lunch.’

Pūkeko are plentiful in this open sanctuary, but they can also be found all over New Zealand, so most New Zealand kids will be familiar with these birds. They are often out and about and by lakes, ponds and rivers or by the roadside and are easily spotted because of their vibrant blue-purple plumage, brilliant red frontal shield and the way they strut around on long slender legs. Toby’s brilliant funny comicky illustrations of this cheeky bird complement the rhyming text and will make them laugh out loud.

By the end of the book, the mystery is solved and the culprit has been found (I won’t do a spoiler and disclose who it was, but its name, of course, rhymes with pūkeko). However, this is unlikely to be the end of the story because Pūkeko rhyming is very contagious!

Pūkeko Who-Keko was inspired by a long-running game Toby has been playing with his two sons in which they have to come up with words that rhyme with pūkeko. And after reading this book, undoubtedly more pūkeko rhymes will go flying around New Zealand. I have already got some Newkeko words up my sleeve before challenging my whanau to join in a game of pūkeko rhyming. Anyone can join in! It’s amazing how many words rhyme with  pūkeko.

I have long been an admirer of the way Toby Morris has used his comic drawing skills and words to great effect to draw public attention to some important social and environmental issues in Aotearoa in The Spinoff’s non-fiction comic series The Side Eye.,

But as Toby says Kids’ books don’t always have to be worthy and serious. It’s okay -and important even- to have kids’ books that are simply fun and playful. I think this one will make kids and their parents laugh, and that’s something I feel good about.’

And Pūkeko Who-Keko fits that bill perfectly!

Reviewer: Lyn Potter

Penguin Random House New Zealand