Kiwi night creatures come out to party

The Midnight Adventures of Ruru and Kiwi By Clare Scott, illustrated by Amy Haarhoff, Penguin Random House, $19.99

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A Kiwi twist on the Owl and the Pussycat story, this is what happens when our native nocturnal creatures come out to play.

Kiwi and Ruru decide to hold a midnight party and invite all their friends.

Under the stars in the bush and with manuka honey to share, come frogs, centipedes and we¯ ta¯ . Ka¯ ka¯ po¯ and skinks with bats and eels join in the meal of grubs, worms and larvae, as they all dance by the light of the moon.

The illustrations by Amy Haarhoff are beautiful and the gentle rhyme a soothing bedtime story.

At the back is an illustrated list of the nighttime guests.

A great bedtime story.

— Ann Kilduff