Takahe¯ pair go on an adventure
Sally Sutton is a popular children’s book author of junior fiction and picture books. Book six of Miniwings was nominated for Best Junior Fiction in the 2020 NZ Children’s Book Awards. She enjoys writing for different age groups but tries to bring the same qualities to all her writing: a strong plot, lively language, and a big dose of fun. Her most recent book is Takahe¯ Trouble.
Tell us a little about Takahe¯
Trouble.
Takahe¯ Trouble is based on the real story of Walter and Manaaki, two takahe¯ who escaped from their predator-free sanctuary in Auckland’s Ta¯wharanui Regional Park and went walkabout for 10 days, before they were recaptured.
What inspired you to write this book?
I was actually invited to write Takahe¯
Trouble by Scholastic. I was very happy to, because it’s not something I would have come up with on my own. The challenge when you’re writing about things based on fact is to make the story exciting and meaningful. Two birds going walkabout is not enough to make a good story on its own — there needs to be danger, there needs to be depth. And a touch of poetry!
What research was involved?
A trip to Ta¯wharanui Regional Park was essential! I’d been there before, but I’d never looked at it through the eyes of a runaway takahe¯ . . . I wanted to get a feel for the place, to see the lie of the land and listen to the sound of the wind and the sea. And to check out the predator-free fence! Small details can be really important. For example, I’d imagined that Manaaki wanted to see cars for the first time during the Great Escape, but of course, cars are allowed inside the fence, so the takahe¯ would have already been familiar with vehicles, albeit driven very slowly. Little things like that are important because if you get it wrong and a child realises, it will completely ruin the story for them. I also found out as much as I could about the real-life Walter and Manaaki — although when it came to their individual personalities, I had to make it up. That’s poetic licence!
What do you hope families will take away from reading this book?
I hope they’ll be able to identify with those mixed feelings we all have when it comes to taking risks
versus staying in our comfort zone: the tug of adventure, the safety and pleasure of home . . . And that they’ll realise wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, a good friend by your side means the world! Hopefully, they’ll also gain a new respect for our cheeky and gorgeous New Zealand takahe¯ ! I know I did!
If you had to choose a favourite part of the book, what would you choose?
My favourite part (and my favourite illustration!) is when Walter and Manaaki huddle on a moonlit hillside at night, because that marks a turning point in the story. This is the moment when their two characters rub off on each other. Walter becomes braver and more adventurous,
Manaaki more conservative but also more poetic. At its heart, Takahe¯ Trouble is a story about friendship, and to see them there cuddled up in a feathery little ball on a hill under the Moon is super-cute!