Book Review: Rata and the Totara tree

Name of the Book: Rata and The Totara Tree

Author Of the Remake: Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira

Journal Number: SJ level 4, March 2012 pp32-37

My Name: Jedida

Age: 11

School Pt England School

                         Book Review: Rata and the

                    Totara Tree

This book (as you might know by the many titles) is called Rata and the
Totara Tree. I don’t know if I have ever read the original version, but this
version is pretty cool, and as you might see at the top of the page, that
his story is retold by Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira.

So this book is about someone named Rata. Rata is a professional canoe
builder. So his chief asked him to make the biggest canoe he could make,
that would be great for exploring more islands and things. And to make
the biggest canoe he could, he had to find the biggest tree (and one of the
lightest as well,) so him and some other guys, went out and looked for the
perfect tree….

...4 days later… after a while, they finally found a tree. This tree was a
Totara Tree. Rata was so excited that he had found the perfect tree, that
he forgot to ask Tane (god of the forest) if he could make a canoe out of it.
So him and his guys, spent all afternoon cutting down the tree, and they
knew the exact spot.

So the next day they went back ready to start actually carving the tree into
a canoe, and they cut it down once again. And then they went back the
next day, and it was back up again! And then again, and again. (Well, three
times actually..) But one day, when they cut it down, Rata decided to stay,
so he told his men to go back after a long day, to get some rest. So they
went back, and Rata stayed to see who, what, and how was the tree just
magically appearing each day.

So he spent the night hiding in a bush, right next to the tree to find out that
the birds, insects and creatures of the forest, were putting the tree up, and
all of the little bits and pieces of the tree, back into its place. Rata was
amazed, and at the same time he realized that he forgot to ask Tane if he
could *borrow* the tree!

So the next day, he left the tree as it was, and saw the birds and insects
cutting it down, and carving it into a canoe, perfectly. So even though Rata
forgot to ask (because he was so excited,) he was still able to give the
canoe to his chief.

Over all, I think that this book is pretty good. It is able to teach some
lessons to Rata and maybe some people who read the story as well. I give
this book 3 out of 5 stars. Even though I have not yet read the original
version, I still think that Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira did a great job! If you
have reached this part of the review, thank you very much for reading, and
feel free to leave a comment on my blog.