Rua and Sea People nā Ron Bacon i tuhituhi; nā Para Matchitt kā whakaahua. Auckland, N.Z.: Collins, 1968.
These two books are the earliest children’s picture books with illustrations by a Māori artist found in Heritage Collections. They are also significant for being the first commercially published children’s picture books about Māoritaka. In both books, grandmothers share with their grandsons traditional customs and stories. The Boy and the Taniwha is set in pre-European times while Rua and Sea People describes the arrival of Captain Cook. Para Matchitt’s illustrations incorporate kowhaiwhai and tukutuku designs, which reinforce the themes and feeling of the text.
Para Matchitt (Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Porou. 1933-2021) was an innovative artist who combined European and Māori influences in his works. He was also an educator; he spent many years working for the Department of Education as an arts and crafts advisor, along with other Māori artists such as John Bevan Ford, Kāterina Mataira, Cliff Whiting, and Ralph Hotere, to help define new directions for art education in Aotearoa.
Rua and Sea People nā Ron Bacon i tuhituhi; nā Para Matchitt kā whakaahua. Auckland, N.Z.: Collins, 1968.
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