KPE Episode 156 - "The Waka"

'The Waka' by Jean Prior is reviewed by Iese from Room 18 and Tari is his DJ. Iese says, " I recorded this podcast with Tari and it's my second podcast. I enjoyed podcasting with Tari because we sang a song to our podcast. The song relates to the book because it's about all the waka that brought the Maori people to New Zealand."
The story is similar in parts to the story of Noah's Ark from the Bible, but this version has a very kiwi flavour, with Rangatira in charge of the waka and all the creatures going on board are native to New Zealand. Have a listen (or a read) and see how many you recognise. And don't forget to let Iese and Tari know what you think!

KPE Episode 155 - "The Donkey Man"

'The Donkey Man' by Glyn Harper is another ANZAC story.
Kelvin from Room 17 has been reading this book and Leauma is his DJ.
This story is told from the viewpoint of a donkey. This donkey was taken to Gallipoli to carry supplies to the soldiers fighting in World War 1 and they carried wounded soldiers back to the hospital boats. It was a really hard life for the soldiers and the donkeys. They were in danger from the guns shooting at them and from the heat and bad food. The donkeys had another problem too - if they had a cruel man looking after them they were treated very badly. The donkey man in the story had a cruel man looking after him, but after a while things changed and he had a new donkey man. He was a New Zealand soldier called Richard Henderson. He was really kind to the donkey and together they saved lots of soldiers lives. We know you will love this story and it will help you to understand ANZAC Day a bit better too. Tell us what you think...

KPE Episode 154 - "The Super Duper Pooper Scooper"

The Super Duper Pooper Scooper' by Susan Frame is another book in the Kiwi Bites series. Leauma has been reading this story and Kelvin is his DJ. These boys were interviewed by a reporter from Radio New Zealand while they were recording this episode and were on National Radio on Sunday November 25. There is even a podcast of the interview on the Radio New Zealand website. How cool is that! The story is about a boy who resents having his Grandfather come to stay but discovers he is very useful to have as a friend when he gives him a winning idea for his Science Fair project. The boys tell us the the message the author is telling us is one we know well at Pt England School.... "Better Together". It sounds like a really good read.

KPE Episode 153 - "School Lunches"

'School Lunches' by Margaret Mahy. This is another story in the Wibble Wobble anthology. It is presented by Lanivia and Moses from Room 17. We know some of you will have read this story yourselves. Why don't you have a listen and tell the boys what you think of their podcast. For anyone who hasn't read it yet, this is a story about two girls and what they eat for lunch. You will also get to hear about healthy lunches at Pt England School in this podcast. And Moses shares his very yummy looking lunch with us too!

KPE Episode152 - "Pania of the Reef"

'Pania of the Reef' by Peter Gossage.
Rasil and Iese from Room 18 introduce this well known and loved New Zealand story. This is Iese's first podcast.
It is a legend about a sea maiden called Pania who lived on the reef. She fell in love with a man who lived on land and they had a son called Moremore. Every morning Pania would return to her sea people, but her husband was afraid that one night she would not return with their son but stay with the sea people. He tried to keep Pania on land by placing cooked food next to her and their son while they were asleep. He hoped she would eat it and never be able to go back to the sea again, but his plan didn’t work and she did go back to the sea people and never returned.

KPE Episode 151 - "Beyond the River"

Beyond the River by Joy Cowley.

This book is a collection of short stories for young people aged 10 - 14 years.
These stories for young people are set firmly in the South Pacific. Most of the stories are from Aotearoa/New Zealand and most are fantasy. All of them are water stories, according to John who has been reading it. Matthew is DJ for this episode and he interviews John who is his classmate in Room 15. Both boys are in Year 5. John tells us all about one of the stories in the book called the "Sea of Peace". This story is set on a farm in New Zealand and is about a boy called Brian who is having his 18th birthday. He is going through a hard time because he failed his end of year exams and can't get a job. The boys recommend this book and think that you would enjoy reading it too.

KPE Episode 150 - "Walking Lightly"

"Walking Lightly" by Fleur Beale. Tiana has read this book and teamed up with Mele again for Episode 150 of KPE. Wow, can you believe that? We have been podcasting KPE for two years now and have published 150 episodes.... that means we have read 150 books too. Ka pai Pt England!

Walking Lightly is a great read about a bunch of really rich kids who do all the things that we see rich kids on TV doing. But one of them is different. her name is Millie and she is into pretty ordinary things for a rich girl. She likes the same kinds of things ordinary kiwi kids do - camping, canoeing, fishing, sport - and she doesn't go off on flash holidays or spend lots of money. This makes the other kids at her school think she is pretty strange - until one day they end up on an adventure and they come to realise that she is independent and extremely resourceful. And they really need her help. Tell them what you think about the podcast....

KPE Episode 149 "Midnight Rescue"

"Midnight Rescue" by Robin Kerr is the book reviewed in this episode. Lanivia from Room 17 has been reading the book and asked Kelvin to be his DJ. This is Kelvin's first podcast.
Midnight Rescue is a story about a girl called Kate who moves to a new town with her family and has to leave her friends behind. The first kids she meets at her new place are two boys called Chris and Alex. They think they are really cool because they got a book out of the library about abseiling and they are trying to teach themselves how to do it. They don't know that Kate is a very experienced abseiler and even owns her own gear. They tell her that she can't join in with them because girls are scared of heights. Well you can guess from the title of the book that someone has to get rescued, and we can tell you that it wasn't Kate! She was the one who was DOING the rescue. Lani is sure you will enjoy reading this book as much as he did. Why don't you get it out of the library and see for yourself?

KPE Episode 148 - "Furze the Fixer"

"Furze the Fixer" by Lorraine Orman is podcast by Tiana and Mele from Room 17. These girls bring us another fantastic podcast from a book that Mele has been reading.

The main character in this story, Dougal, is not at all happy when he has to do loads of jobs at his Nan's place on the farm during the holidays. But the jobs become a lot easier when he discovers Furze, a boggart, when he is cleaning under the stairs. Furze has been shut in a suitcase since 1889!

Dougal soon becomes less selfish when he discovers that Furze's old home has been turned into a wind farm and he won't be able to send Furze back to Scotland as he had promised. This sounds like a fun book to read. Tell the girls what you think.....

Kiwi Kids Use ICT

Kiwi Kids Use ICT
http://interwritelearning.shycast.com/contestant/90/
Kia ora from Pt England School in Auckland, New Zealand. We have entered the Interwrite Learning Classroom Makeover Video competition and we made the finals!
Can you believe it? We can't! 4 schools from America and our entry from New Zealand. Talk about taking on the big guys - what are we thinking you might ask? Well we are thinking about having fun, but we are also thinking about the cool things we could do with that prize. So come on, vote for Us! Pleeeease?
The song we used for our movie is a parody of “Stop, drop and roll” which is a song originally performed by talented NZ hip hop artists ‘Mareko’ and the ‘Deceptikonz’.
This movie is a collaborative effort by the Senior school team starring a group of 9-10 year olds and our very own rap star in the making: Mr Palmer. Our school uses ‘ICT’ or ‘e-learning’ to help raise student achievement as well as to celebrate our learning. Produced and masterminded by Miss Erick!

So click on the link above and vote for us. You will need to create a username and sign in to be allowed to vote. And you only get one vote. While you are there, why not support the other kiwi school who are finalists in the Grade 6-8 section, Ilminster Intermediate from Gisborne.

Finally, if you would like to view/have a high quality version of our entry, subscribe to kpeTV on iTunes because it is available there.

KPE Episode 146 - "To JJ From CC"

"To JJ from CC" by Caroline Bindon.
This story is brought to you by Tamika and Lani. Tamika is a Year 5 student in Room 16 and Lani is a Year 6 student in Room 17. They tell us about a girl with an extraordinary number of names- all beginning with 'C'. And when her mother is mad with her she calls her by every single one of her names. CC doesn't like it and starts talking in a strange way - all the words in her sentences start with the same letter. The teacher thinks that is weird and calls her mother into school. Then she discovers that her teacher has an awful lot of names beginning with JJ. Tell them what you think of this podcast...

KPE Episode 147 - "The Big Block of Chocolate"

"The Big Block of Chocolate" by Janet Slater Bottin.
A fantastic Kiwi story.... "Miss Jenny brought some chocolate, a great big block of chocolate. She said, "This block of chocolate is mine and ALL for me." But others have different ideas..... Kaiser and Joseph from Room 17 bring us this story. If you have not read this one yet you are missing a treat. It is the story of a succession of greedy creatures who try to hide away a block of chocolate so they can eat it later - all by themselves. This is a rhyming story, and this catchy tale has all the greedy creatures missing out until along comes the ant who shares the chocolate with his whanau. And oh, the delight of it! This book is a favourite with everyone who reads it. You should read it yourself!

Dad's Takeaways by Melanie Drewery

KPE Episode 145 is "Dad's Takeaways" by Melanie Drewery. Sarah has been reading this story and SharonRose is her DJ. The story is a play on words about a kiwi family on holiday at the beach. The kids want takeaways for dinner and Dad says yes. However his idea of takeaways is different from the kids. They are thinking of buying something like fish and chips or McDonald's but Dad takes them down to the beach. He knows you can take away enough kai moana from the sea to have a good feed. In the end the family enjoy getting in the water and finding food like mussels and oysters to eat. They learn that you should try things before you moan about it! We hope you enjoy this story too.

KPE Episode 144

"Beanbag" by Janice Marriott is the book reviewed in Episode 144 of KPE. Lani from Room 17 has been reading this book and his DJ, Moses points out that it is another cat story. Lani has podcast a few cat stories this year and he tells us that this is his last one. He is going to move on to other kinds of books after this! Beanbag is the name of a cat and his owner takes him to school one day to the class pet show. Beanbag is not one of those quiet cats and he escapes from his box and chases a dog around the classroom and creates a huge mess. Then he runs away... The boys enjoyed recording this story, though we are sorry there are a few problems with the microphone in this episode. We hope you enjoy it!

KPE Episode 143: "The Refugees"

"The Refugees" by Janice Marriott.
Tanisha and Keletiola from Room 15 have been reading this book and bring us episode 143. It is the story of a family who have to leave their war-torn country as refugees. A young boy and his sister are separated from their parents and are forced to leave their home, after soldiers ransack it. The children end up in a refugee camp for a month before being allowed back to what remains of their home.

"Hangi" by Trish Puharich

KPE Episode 142 is about a book called "Hangi" by Trish Puharich from the School Journal Story Library. Johnny has read this book and has Cruz as his DJ for the podcast. Both boys are Year 6 students from Room 18 and this is their first podcast. Hangi is a cool book which shows us how to make a hangi using wonderful photos taken by Sarah Hunter. The kids in the story get to make a hangi at school. We see how they prepare the food and the hangi pit, and of course we get to see them eating it at the end.
We were surprised to find out that Johnny has never eaten a hangi! Cruz is very fond of them though. Do you like eating hangi?

KPE Episode 141 - "The Path to Ponga Pond"

This episode of KPE is presented by Kaiser and Joseph from Room 17. Kaiser has been reading "The Path to Ponga Pond" which was written and illustrated by Errol McLeary. The boys really enjoyed this story about a boy called Felix who lives on a farm in New Zealand. One hot day in Summer he decided to go for a swim and set off on his bike. Along the way he gathered up some of his friends - a pig, a duck and a frog! When they got to a steep hill they all got off the bike and worked together to push it up the hill. Then at the top they all jumped on for a fantastic, speedy, exciting ride down the hill that ended with a big SPLASH in the pond. The boys said that this was a story about how you can have lots of fun while you are helping each other. They said they really like this book. Tell us what YOU think.

Mele's Holidays

Our students teaching Teachers

Some of our students have been working hard these holidays showing teachers how to Podcast. On Wednesday October 3 Mele, Sarah, SharonRose, Leauma and Lorenz attended a conference for teachers called ULearn at Sky City in Auckland. We were in a big room along with students from 5 other schools. More than 100 teachers from schools around New Zealand came and watched what we were doing and lots of them asked our students to show them how to make a podcast or a vodcast. They were very busy for an hour and a half, but they had lots of fun AND got to eat some yummy food.
One of the teachers we made a podcast with comes from Scotland and he showed us his friend's school's podcast. His name is Ewan McIntosh and he has come to ULearn to talk to the teachers about how they can make school more exciting for us - yay!
After we had told the teachers all about podcasting went we went up the Sky Tower for a look. We even had our faces painted.

KPE Episode 140 - "Harry Hobnail"

"Harry Hobnail and the PungaPeople" is written by Barry Crump.
Cynell has read another story about the wild and crazy PungaPeople and SharonRose is her DJ for this episode of KPE. The PungaPeople do not like humans at all and humans can not see them, only their reflection. So if humans invade their territory they had better watch out because they will play all kinds of nasty tricks on them. Harry Hobnail is a nice man who likes to go tramping in the bush. Unfortunately he chooses a place where the PungaPeople live and they do everything they can to make him leave. He doesn't know who is doing this to him and blames the Kea. Until after one bad incident he notices a green face reflected in his billy lid.... The girls know you will enjoy this story, and Cynell recommends all the PungaPeople books.

KPE Episode 139 - "Glow Worm Night"

"Glow Worm Night" by Don Long.
Moses and Kaleli share this book with us. It is a story about two children who are taken glow worming by their parents at Matariki. In order to reach the bank beside the river where the glow warms are the family must walk through the bush. They see lots of night time animals like moreporks, possums and crawlies.
Our podcasters are both in Room 17 and they recently saw Glow Worms when their class went on a trip to the Waitakeres. They are hoping they will see more on their class camp next term at Kawau Island.

Room 15 is visited by the Mayor

The Mayor of Auckland City visits Room 15.
You have already heard the podcast in the previous post, and now we have a video to show you - of the day the Mayor of Auckland City, Mr Dick Hubbard, came to Pt England School. His media people made this clip and said we could post it on our blog. It is also playing on the Mayor's own website - how cool is that!

KPE Episode 138 - Legs on Everest

KPE Episode 138 - Legs on Everest by Mark Inglis
This special episode of KPE is brought to us by Leauma and the Mayor of Auckland, Dick Hubbard. Yes, you read it right! Mr Hubbard is a KPE fan AND he has read a New Zealand book AND he wanted to learn how to make a podcast. So he did the best thing he could and made an appointment with the podcasters of KPE for a lesson. Mr Hubbard brought his wife along for the session too (because she used to be a teacher you know) and they listened to Lorenz, SharonRose and Sarah tell them how to do it. Then they watched Mele and Tiana give a demonstration. Finally Leauma sat the Mayor down at the microphone and interviewed him about the book he has been reading. "Legs on Everest" is a story with a very important message and we know you will enjoy hearing all about it on this podcast. And well done to Tinei and Simone who took the photos for this podcast. All round, it was a great team effort. Tell us what you think!

KPE Episode 137 - Aquarius

"Aquarius - My Ohu Year: the diary of Starshine Penny 1975" by Jill Brasell. Sharon Rose has read this book from the 'My Story' series and Elizabeth is her DJ for the podcast. Early in 1975, Estelle's mum leaves home to join a commune in the country, taking Estelle, aka Starshine, with her. At Aquarius, everyone lives together as one big family. But living off the land, without money, electricity or running water, isn't the paradise they all hoped for...
As the girls discuss in the podcast, it is hard for people living in the 21st century to understand why anyone would choose to live like that - with no electricity or television and wearing those hippy clothes!

KPE Episode 136 - Whitebait Fritters

"Whitebait Fritters" by Kingi McKinnon.
Leauma has read this book and Sam is his DJ. These boys are in Room 17. This is the story of a boy and his Dad who go on a fishing trip for the weekend to the Waikato River. Wiremu's father is going whitebaiting - and Wiremu wants to go too. His father thinks he is too young and may fall in the river. Then Mum takes Wiremu's side and his father gives in. But his father's turns out to be right about the falling in. As Leauma says in his podcast, this book has lots of fishing, lots of cooking, lots of eating- perfect for boys! What do you think?

KPE Episode 135 - Google Eyes

"Google Eyes" by Diana Noonan. Mele from Room 17 has read this book and Tiana is her DJ for this podcast. Google Eyes is a story about a boy who buys an old recipe book at a Garage Sale, and discovers an amazing recipe inside when he starts reading. He finds a recipe for reading minds! All he has to do is to look at something google eyed, say the magic words and he can read their minds! He has lots of fun with this new power and our podcasters know you will really enjoy this Kiwi Bites story. have a listen and tell them what you think....

KPE Episode 134 - It's all in your mind, James Robert

"It's all in your mind, James Robert" by Rebecca Weber. Matthew from Room 15 has read this book and Jama'al is his DJ for the podcast.
James Robert Howard just can't stop day-dreaming! No matter where he is, his imagination runs away with him. Real life just can't compete with the adventures he creates in his mind. Or at least, that's what he has always thought...
While he is on holiday with his parents, James Robert stumbles across something strange - a real adventure! Does he have the courage, the know-how, the ability to see it through? Maybe, with a little imagination....
The themes in this story match what we are learning this term at Pt England School in our study of the "Wonderful World of Water" . The boys discuss the impact of water pollutants on the environment in the light of what they have been learning over the past weeks.

KPE Episode 133 - "The Midnight Feast"

"The Midnight Feast" by Elizabeth Pulford.
Mele has been reading this book and Lani is her DJ for this podcast. These girls are both in Room 17. The story is about two girls, Tilly and Rosie, who are best friends, but then Margaret comes to stay. Why did she have to come and spoil it all with her tap dancing shoes and make-up? The Midnight Feast they had planned for Tilly's birthday looks like it is going to be ruined.

KPE Episode 132 - "The Dog I Share"

"The Dog I Share" by Janice Marriott.
Tanisha and Ramona from Room 15 tell us about another one of Janice Marriott's books. This story is about a girl who lives in a block of flats in the city. When a new tenant with a dog moves into her block of flats, Becky gets very excited. But the new neighbour isn’t very friendly, so Becky has to think of a plan if she is going to get to play with the dog.

KPE Episode 131 - "Don't Worry Nan, I'll Drive"

"Don't Worry Nan, I'll Drive" by Raymond McGrath. This story is reviewed by Caleb and Jordan, Year 5 boys from Room 16. It is a lovely picture book telling us about the adventures a small boy and his Nana have with a cardboard box. There's no looking back for Nana when she takes an adventurous drive with her grandson. They dodge dangers in the sky, get a little bit lost, check out what's happening under the sea and survive a crash landing!
The pictures are also drawn by Raymond McGrath.

KPE Episode 130 - "Famous"

"Famous" by Elizabeth Pulford. Tiana and Jaydn present this podcast about a boy who is desperate to become famous. But why would a kid be so worried about being famous anyway? Because this kid comes from a family of famous people and he just wants to be like the rest of them. Grandad is famous for his sunglasses collection; Grandma is famous for her wonky woodwork; Mum is famous for her heart-covered car; his sister is famous for her tattoos. He tries all kinds of things in his effort to become famous and none of them work. Then one day fame arrives in a most unexpected way!
Tiana is in Room 17 and Jaydn is in Room 15 and they worked together on this book that both of them had read.

KPE Episode 129-"Peggy's Pig"

"Peggy's Pig" by John Tarlton. Rose has read this book and Brennah interviews her about it. The girls enjoyed this wacky story about a girl called Peggy who lives on a pig farm and gets teased all the time by her classmates who have horses for their pets. Peggy's pet is a pig called Laffy and one day after the kids have been teasing her again she tells them she is entering Laffy in the local kids' horse-racing derby. She she will be racing against them - on a pig!
These girls are Year 5 students in Room 14. Rose says, "I liked this story because Laffy beat the horses and the other horses went around in circles and three riders fell off!" Brennah says, "It has a funny picture on the cover. It must be a fast pig."

KPE Episode 128 - "The Curse of Being Pharoah"

"The Curse of Being Pharoah" by Janice Marriott. Sarah from Room 18 has read this story and discusses it with Joseph.
Janice Marriott is one of our favourite authors and we have fond memories of the day she spent at Pt England School.
From the beginning of time until last Monday, Matt was the bully and know-it-all in our class. Karen Kwon was the quiet kid at the back who no-one remembered to ask to birthday parties.
But last Monday, everything changed. Now Matt sits at the back of the class, as quiet as an Egyptian mummy. Karen is giggly and happy... This story is about how this big change happened!

KPE Episode 127 - Kiwi

"Kiwi" by Jane Stephens and Judy Lambert. This book is presented by Coltrane with Pheonix as his DJ. They are Year 5 students in Room 16. This is a non-fiction book which is written in rhymes and both boys greatly enjoyed gaining information in this way. For anyone who thinks they know everything there is to know about kiwis, this book has some surprises....

KPE Episode 126 -"Boxer"

"Boxer" by Ian Charlton is presented by Brennah and Rose from Room 14. Both girls are in Year 5. Boxer is a pig - the nastiest, greediest, rudest pig in the world. He spends his life escaping from his pen and destroying the garden. Dot, her Mum and brother Charlie have to rely on Dad to show Boxer who is boss. But then one day the postman brings a letter that will change all that. Dad is called up to join the army and Dot is given a new responsibility while Dad is overseas - looking after Boxer. Brennah says, "Boxer was a big mean pig. The book was a bit sad because Dad left for the war." Rose says, "I didn't like it when Boxer kept on breaking out of his pen."

KPE Episode 125 - "The Video Shop Sparrow"

"The Video Shop Sparrow" by Joy Cowley. Sean from Room 18 read this book and Tari is his DJ. This is a lovely story about two boys who discover a sparrow trapped in their local video shop over the New Year holidays. They have to go to great lengths to convince an adult to help them rescue the sparrow. They are surprised by how many adults tell them that 'sparrows don't matter' because there are so many of them. The beautiful illustrations are done by Gavin Bishop. Tell them what you think of their podcast...

Our Recent Podcasters

Have a look at some of our podcasters from a website called animoto.

KPE Episode 124 -"Really Rotten Rufus"

"Really Rotten Rufus" by Jonathan Dunstan.
Tanisha and Tinei from Room 15 present this podcast.
He's strong. He's Arnold Schwarzenegger with feathers. He's a prize-winning Red with a bad temper and a mean streak a mile wide. As the title ssays, it is the story of a really, really rotten rooster who's about to face the biggest lesson of his life. Can Rufus EVER learn to behave himself? Tanisha tells us what she learnt when she read the book.
Tinei says, " I liked it when Tanisha told me about how Rufus learned his lesson and finally kept quiet. And I liked the pictures in this book."
Tanisha says, " I liked the part when Uncle Angus let him have one more chance to win a ribbon and 2 boys came and poked him with a stick and he fell out of the cage..."Tell them what YOU think of this podcast.

KPE Episode 123 - "Professor Ponsonby, McIntosh and the Wool Bug"

"Professor Ponsonby, McIntosh and the Wool Bug" by John Parker.This episode of KPE is presented by Uani and Keletiola from Room 15. Both girls are in Year 5. When the dreaded Wool Bug appears in Baaville, the world famous sheep town is in trouble. So Professor Ponsonby, assisted by his cat McIntosh, decides to come to the rescue. The only trouble is, Professor Ponsonby's inventions never work quite the way Baaville wants them to....

KPE Episode 122 - "Happy Birthday Mrs Felonius"

"Happy Birthday Mrs Felonius" by Joy Cowley is presented by Caprice and Ramona from Room 15.
These girls are both in Year 5. What do you give a pirate for a birthday present? After you have listened to this podcast you will have plenty of ideas! In this story Captain Felonius grants his wife's birthday wish to go to Piratesville to see her grandchildren. But their voyage runs into problems - getting lost, storms and blizzards, hostile strangers, running aground, and pirates! Caprice says, "It was really funny, especially the ending. Mr and Mrs Felonius think the other ship is their enemy but it's their grandchildren coming to surprise them. It's really good to read. Big kids might find it really interesting and funny." Ramona says, " I really liked hearing about when they blasted the catapult because it was really funny. Caprice made it sound like an interesting book..." Tell them what you think of their podcast...

KPE Episode 121 - " The Screaming Mean Machine"

"The Screaming Mean Machine" by Joy Cowley.
Pheonix from Room 16 has been reading this story and Lorenz from Room 18 is his DJ. This is a story about a girl who loves going on the rides at an amusement park, but has had to wait until she grew tall enough to go on the roller coaster - which is something most kids can relate to. This is the year when she gets to ride on it and we hear about the fun and excitement of the ride.
Pheonix says: "I've been to Rainbow's End about 9 times and my favourite ride is the roller coaster. It was a great book to read because it brought back good memories..."
Lorenx says, "This would be a really great book for people to read. If you want to go to Rainbow's End in Year 6, keep on working hard."

KPE Episode 120 - "Fish Tale"

"Fish Tale" by Lorraine Orman is presented by Braxton and Leauma, Year 6 boys from Room 17.
This is a story of a family who have to change their life when their Grandfather comes to live with them. Ever since Great-Gran died he's been living with Kathleen and her mum, and Gramps has been very quiet and sad-looking all the time. And on top of that, Kathleen's mum has been working long hours now that Gramps is around to 'look after' his granddaughter. He brings one box of treasures with him when he moves in and one of the things in the box is a grumpy looking garden gnome. The gnome comes to their rescue in a surprising way when Kathleen is grumbling about their family's problems. This is another story from the Kiwi Bites series.Have a listen to their podcast....

KPE Episode 119 - "Black Dog"

"Black Dog" by Pamela Allen.
This podcast is presented by Cain from Room 14 and Tari from Room 18.
Christina and Black Dog are best friends. They live in a house in the forest and are always together. But one day Christina catches sight of a strange and wonderful bird and from then on can think of nothing else. Poor Black Dog is quite forgotten. This is a story about the things someone will do to attract the attention of the person they love most. Tell us what you think of this.

KPE Episode 118 - "Bidibidi"

"Bidibidi" by Gavin Bishop. This picture book was introduced by Carl and Hawea from Room 17. They tell us the story of an adventurous sheep (named after that most annoying plant that all New Zealanders have got stuck in their socks at some time of their life) who went off chasing rainbows. The surprising thing was that after a series of adventures she found her rainbow. As Hawea discovered during the podcast, to enjoy this book you really DO need to use your imagination.
Carl says, " It was an interesting book and I had fun reading it. Making the podcast was fun because I haven't made one in a long time."
Hawea says, " The sheep had a funny name. I wonder how he came up with it. Hey, Gavin Bishop, I have just finished podcasting another one of your books. Could you tell us why you called th sheep Bidibidi? Did Carl guess right?"

KPE Episode 117 - "Wibble-wobble"

"Wibble-wobble" by Margaret Mahy is presented by Abraham and Lanivia from Room 17.
This is Abraham's first podcast and he tells us about one of the stories in this collection from Story Chest. The boys enjoyed this story and the discussion about the best way to even up the legs of a wobbly table.
In the story a man was trying to eat his soup but the table kept going wibble-wobble. He thought he had solved the problem by putting a book under one leg to even it up. He had to come up with a better solution when the girl from next door came visiting and wanted Mr Wiggle to read her a story from the book .... that was under the table leg...

KPE Episode 116 - "The Boy With Two Shadows"

"The Boy With Two Shadows" by Margaret Mahy is brought to us by Rasil and Sarah from Room 18.
It is the story of a boy who takes such good care of his shadow that a witch notices and asks him to look after her shadow while she goes on holiday. This was not a good move on his part for two reasons. First of all he scared everyone as he walked around towing the witch's shadow. Secondly, the witch's shadow had a mean streak and tormented his own shadow until it ran away.
The girls enjoyed this story even though they tell us that, from their knowledge of shadows, it was not possible!

KPE Episode 115 "The Lost Watch"

"The Lost Watch" by Philippa Werry and Alice Bell.
This podcast is presented by Tiana and Kayla from Room 17. Both girls are Year 6 students.
This story is about a boy who takes his father's birthday watch to school and loses it.
That would be bad enough, but Henry lets his baby sister take the blame for it. When the watch turns up Henry has to find a way to return it to Dad without letting on that he was the one who took it....
Tiana enjoyed the story, but she thought that the way Henry let his baby sister take the blame was pretty sad. See what you think when you read the book....
Click here to visit Room 17's web page

KPE Episode 114 "A Pinch of Salt"

"A Pinch of Salt" by Peter Jacks is presented by Leander and Rose from Room 14.
This is a story of a boy who's big brother is always playing tricks on him. His mother always says "You must take what your brother says with a pinch of salt". Leander talks about what this saying means and tells us about some of the tricks the big brother played.

KPE Episode 113 "Legend of Speed"

"Legend of Speed - the Burt Munro Story" by Tim Hanna with David Larsen.
From the book:
Everyone said Burt Munro was mad - mad about motorcycles, mad about souping them up and, mostly, mad about speed. One of the original speed freaks.
As Burt raced along the beaches near his home in Invercargill, New Zealand, he dreamed of one day taking his bright red Indian motorcycle to the enormous salt flats of Utah, USA. The Bonneville salt flats are the flattest, whitest desert in the world and the place to set and break land speed records. Here Burt would find out just how fast he could go....

Leauma read this book and Dyrarn interviews him in this podcast.
Leauma met Tim Hanna at the Storylines festival this year and had the opportunity to talk to him about the book. He then read the book for himself and has produced this episode about it.
Click here to visit their class web page

KPE Episode 112 - "The Great Pavlova Cover Up"

"The Great Pavlova Cover Up" edited by Jo Noble.
This is a collection of New Zealand stories for children and was read by Sarah. Her DJ for the podcast was Elizabeth. Both girls are Year 6 students from Room 18.
Sarah chose three stories from this anthology to review in the podcast; 'Jonathon Peabody's Extraordinary Mother', 'Porridge', and the 'Great Pavlova Cover up'.
This book comes highly recommended by the girls. They found the collection of stories interesting and varied. 'Great Pavlova Cover up' was the favourite, though Sarah and Elizabeth both tell us that their mother's would know if the dog ate something that they had cooked and the family tried to replace it with a bought one!
Click here to visit their class web page

KPE Episode 111 - "A Mouse Singing in the Reeds"

"A Mouse Singing in the Reeds" by Ron Bacon and Mary Taylor.
Set in a distant time and place this beautifully illustrated story tells us of how a young boy discovers the magic of making music.
One day a young boy is sent by his mother to cut reeds by a river. As he walks home with his bundle of reeds he hears mysterious whispering sounds. What are these sounds he wonders? Where are they coming from? And as he walks through the rising wind, the whispering sounds grow louder.
Cain from Room 14 has been reading this story and Jaydn from Room 15 interviews him. Both boys are Year 5 students.

KPE Episode 110 -"Killer Moves"

"Killer Moves" by Denis Edwards.

Mikaela has published her first podcast and Latisha is her DJ. Both girls are Year 6 students from Room 18. This is a book in the Sport Max series and is a good read for kids who enjoy sport - and Mikaela is very good at sport!
The story is about Jack, a boy who plays in a Rugby League team. He needs to pull out some Killer Moves if his team is going to beat Carlton Park in the finals. He finds his inspiration in some interesting places, including his ballet dancing, karate playing sisters.
Mikaela is sure that you will enjoy this story too.
Click here to visit their class website

KPE Episode 109 - "Jam- A True Story"

"Jam - A True Story" by Margaret Mahy. Simone from Room 15 has been reading this story and Tinei interviews her for this podcast. In this funny, but true, story the father stays at home and runs the house while the mother goes to work as an important scientist. Father solves the problem of having too many plums on the tree by making jam... lots of jam... Simone says, "I enjoyed reading it. I thought it was a great story. I liked it when he made lots of things out of the jam...."
Tinei says, " I want to read it myself now coz there was a part where they had a nightmare about jam and it made me want to read it..."

KPE Episode 108 - "The Robber and the Millionaire"

"The Robber and the Millionaire" by Eirlys Hunter.
Kayla from Room 17 has read this book and teams up with Tiana for the podcast.
Once there was a robber who had robbed all the houses in Lamington and a millionaire who had just moved to Lamington and was terrified of being robbed. See what happens when they join forces in this story and both try to help each other change their ways.

KPE Episode 107 - "Pigtails the Pirate"

"Pigtails the Pirate" by David Elliott.

Dominique has been reading this book and Jaydn is his DJ. Both boys are year 5 students from Room 15. This is the story of Jess who sets sail to find her father. She runs into a giant and has to overcome some rather large problems before the happy-ever-after ending.
Click here to visit their class webpage

KPE Episode 106 - "The Pumpkin Man and ..."

"The Pumpkin Man and the Crafty Creeper" by Margaret Mahy. Lanivia has been reading this story and Moses is his DJ. Both boys are Year 6 students in Room 17. In this story Mr Parkins is a keen gardener who loves to grow huge pumpkins. He invites trouble when he takes home a creeper as he finds it a very demanding plant to care for. Lanivia tells us "It's a crazy story. The plant is really annoying. It is a moaner. Mr Parkin should have left the plant there!" Moses tells us,"It was exciting doing my first podcast and being a cool DJ. I felt really sorry for Mr Parkin." Visit their class web pages here

KPE Episode 105 - "The Tree Girl"

"The Tree Girl" by Pauline Cartwright is presented by John and Matthew from Room 15. Both of these boys are Year 5 students. The story includes themes of conservation and land ownership.
John says " I think it was a pretty interesting book. Before I had read the book I had no idea that some progress and development companies can just steal land off other people..."
Matthew comments "When I first read the script I thought it sounded pretty interesting.."
Visit their class web pages here