KPE Episode 206: "Brave As"

"Brave As" by Janice Marriott
Uani and Xeneqe bring you their final podcast before they leave Pt Engand School and head off to Intermediate School in 2009.
This book is another one by one of our favourite authors at PES, Janice Marriott. It is about a boy called Matt who has a lot of fears. In this story Matt begins to confront and resolve each problem, and as he does this his life doesn’t seem so bad after all. Some of them the girls can identify with, like when he has to give a speech in class. And during the podcast the girls talk about some of the fears they have confronted.
Be sure to leave them a comment and maybe share a fear that you have confronted too!

KPE Episode 205: "Junkyard Dogs"

"Junkyard Dogs" by Margaret Balderson
Moses and Etta introduce this funny rhyming picture book in our latest podcast from KPE. It tells the story of four spoilt dogs called Billy, Bolly, Bella and Blue who live in a flash house. They have everything a dog could want, but they are bored. On the other side of town, two mutts called Molly and Moo live in a junkyard and spend their days having fun and being clowns. One day Molly and Moo cross town and visit their pampered friends. They decide to break them out and take them out for an excursion - to the rubbish dump. The six dogs have a wonderful time, but the four from the hill are in trouble when they get home dirty and smelly. Things change, however, when the pampered pooches' owner goes bankrupt and is forced to sell his big house and move across town. Guess who the new next door neighbour is?

Christmas books from New Zealand

Subscribers to our blog will be aware that we publish podcasts about books written by New Zealand authors. Over the Christmas period we want to remind you of some of the Christmas stories that have been podcast by KPE. These Christmas books not only share the spirit of Christmas but they also remind everyone in the cold, Winter of the Northern Hemisphere that down in New Zealand we do Christmas differently because we are having Summer holidays and we are at the BEACH!
Over the past three years Pt England kids have reviewed several Christmas stories...
Episode 15 of KPE is 'Chimney-less at Christmas'' by Anna-Miringa Scott and was presented by two Year 2 girls, Sela and Paulitia. Their whole class read this very kiwi Christmas book in the lead up to Christmas. They learned a rap which goes with the book, and this podcast featured some very enthusiastic rapping from the whole class of 6 and 7 year olds.
Next was Episode 22 of KPE, presented by Darion and Cindy, and it was about "The Christmas..Hiccup...Play" by Elizabeth Pulford. In this story it’s Abbey’s big night as Angel Gabriel in her school’s Christmas play, and she’s got the hiccups. Time is running out as Abbey is offered numerous hiccup-curing suggestions by her backstage pals—none of which are of any help. This is a light-hearted tale about the magic of the stage and overcoming opening-night nerves.

Then in KPE Episode 161 Tamika and Sam tell us about "The Christmas Caravan" by Jennifer Beck. This book tells the story of Simon and his mother who live in a caravan park on the outskirts of town. They do not have a lot of money, but one Christmas something special happens for them. And isn't that what should always happen at Christmas? Simon sees a competition in the newspaper for decorating your house and he asks his mother if they could decorate their caravan and enter. They have a lot of fun using recycled materials to make their caravan look very Christmassy. Although they can't compete against the flash houses and their lights, they do get a special prize from the mayor. He tows their caravan to the beach so they can enjoy a typical New Zealand holiday at the beach in their caravan!

A very Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all our blog followers and those who subscribe to KPE on iTunes.

KPE Episode 204: "Grandpa's Cat"

"Grandpa's Cat" by Joy Watson
Isara and Wyatt are our newest two podcasters from Year 2. You will love this podcast. They talk about another wonderful book about Grandpa and his ever-patient wife. This time, the family cat is missing. Grandma insists that the cat will turn up but Grandpa is determined to find his precious moggy and searches house and garden before discovering the cat high up a tree. How ever will he get it down? You have probably read Grandpa's Shed and Grandpa's Slippers so these boys know you will enjoy this one too. Have a listen and tell them what you think of this book and their first podcast!

KPE Episode 203: "Destination Disaster"

"Destination Disaster" by Fleur Beale Portia interviews Tamika about this book for episode 203 of KPE. Fleur Beale is an author who Pt England students really enjoy and Lacey and the Drama Queen was one of the favourite podcasts of 2008. Destination Disaster is popular with Year 6 students because it is about something that they really enjoy doing - going camping. You should listen to these girls review the book and then if you want to hear about it from boys' point of view check out the podcast Lorenz and Apelu did in 2007 and see what they have to say. Let us know what you think about the different versions of the story. And maybe you could tell us about YOUR camping experiences too...

KPE Episode 202: "Seadog"

"Seadog" by Dorothy Butler
Taiapa and Mokani have really enjoyed reading Seadog and recommend this tale of Old New Zealand to us. Dorothy Butler seems to like writing stories set in New Zealand over a 100 years ago and we learn lots about life for the early settlers from these books. Last year Kayla and Crystal entertained us with another one of her old tales, "By Jingo".
"Seadog" is set in the wild west coast of Waitakere in 1890. It tells the story of a 10 year old boy called Joseph who is disabled and what happens when a dog comes from the sea and befriends him. Joseph's family has settled by the sea at Karekare during the 1890s. One day, unable to scamper about the rocky outcrops with his brothers due to his disability, Joseph discovers a dog washed up on the beach, injured and exhausted but still alive. Josephs father reluctantly agrees that they may keep the dog until its wounds are healed but no longer. Joseph and his brothers set out to convince their father otherwise.
Let us know what you think of this story and life over 100 years ago...

KPE Episode 201: "The Boy Who Bounced Around Aotearoa New Zealand"

"The Boy Who Bounced Around Aotearoa New Zealand" by Christine Hurst
This is another special podcast made by two members of the same family. We love it when older family members help the younger ones with their reading and in this podcast you will hear Jordan, who is in Year 6, help his young brother Kingston produce his first podcast for KPE. Kingston has chosen a funny book to share with us (you probably guessed that already from the title) about a boy called Zac who does a lot of bouncing - including bouncing on the bed. And from what we hear in the podcast it is not only Zac who who does this! We wonder how many kids annoy their parents bouncing on the bed?
In the book Zac bounces from one place to another in New Zealand, so if you want to learn more about New Zealand as well as enjoying a fun read you should read this book. Why don't you tell us if you have been to any of the places in the book.....
We have also discovered that a class at Bucklands Beach Primary School got to meet the author of this book and wrote a blog post about it!

KPE Episode 200 - Yes, TWO HUNDRED

"Recycled" by Sandy MacKay
Korero Pt England has published 200 episodes. Well done KPE podcasters past and present!

Jaydn and Elijah are proud to be podcasting the 200th book for KPE. They have chosen a book that fits with the school-wide Inquiry for term 4 -"Go For Green" The book is called "Recycled" by Sandy MacKay and as you can guess by the title it is a story based around the theme that is very important at Pt England School at the moment; reduce, reuse and recycle. At Pt England School we even have a song about this that was written by our own music teacher, Mr Jacobsen. You can see the MTV of this song here.
We enjoy reading books by Sandy Mackay as she is one of our favourite authors. She came to Pt England School a couple of years ago and published a podcast herself with Alosina, one of our past pupils. Click here to listen to "My Dad, the All Black". You may also enjoy "Barry and Bitsa" which is published in an earlier blogpost.

KPE Episode 199 : "Ratso"

"Ratso" by Lorraine Orman
Uani and Mele share another New Zealand story that takes place at the beach. You should be able to tell that Summer is coming here! This book is the exciting adventures of a boy and his pet rat! We have some people at Pt England School who quite like pet mice and you can find out about that on the Room 12 and 13 webpages.
We are sure you will enjoy this podcast, so let us know what you think about keeping rats for pets!

KPE Episode 198: "The Pipi Swing"

"The Pipi Swing" by Sarona Aiono-Iosefa Malama and Kathleen tell us about this cool New Zealand book that talks about something most New Zealanders do every Summer. Even if you have never called it 'the pipi swing', when they start telling you about it you will know what they are talking about. You know when you go to collect pipis, and you dig your toes in the sand and start swivelling your feet so your toes go under the sand until they feel the pipis? And then you bend down and pick them up before a wave washes over you? Well, that's the pipi swing.
Collecting pipis is such a big part of Summer in New Zealand that quite a few books have been written about it. We have podcast "Dad's Takeaways" and "Jive's Pipi Diggers" since we started this blog. Why don't you check them out too - and tell us YOUR pipi experiences....

KPE Episode 197: "The Cindy Limpics"

"The Cindy Limpics" by Michael Wilson
Caleb and Ibyss review a story from the School Journals. This was a story inspired by the Sydney Olympics in September 2000 and their class had been reading lots of books and stories about the Olympics in Term 3 because of the Beijing Olympics.
In this story Cindy Baxter is determined to do well at her class Olympic Games. But Cindy is accident-prone and her training sessions always seem to end in disaster.
This funny story tells us about a series of incidents that eventually wind up with Cindy (who is injured) having an Olympic event made up especially for her. We think you will like this story.
At Pt England School our students celebrated the Olympics with an Olympasifika. You can see some highlights from the opening ceremony if you click on this link.

Preserving Culture

The students in Room 18 have a very cool movie to share with you. Mrs Lagitupu and her class of Year 6 students have been working on this for some time and they are very proud to publish their finished movie. They have not only written, filmed and edited the movie themselves but as you will see when you watch it, they have been all over Auckland in the filming process. You will see the markets in Otara, the Museum in Auckland, a Niuean hair cutting ceremony, Samoan tatooing, visit a Kohanga Reo and much much more. Prepare to be amazed.....

KPE Episode 196 "Brodie" by Joy Cowley

"Brodie" by Joy Cowley
Karen and Robin chose to podcast this book because they really liked it when their teacher read it to the class. In this book everyone in the class knew that Brodie was sick, but they thought he'd get better. Maybe it was because he talked a lot about being a chopper pilot. Brodie was a really talented artist as well and he shared a lot of his dreams with them through his artwork. This book is a happy, funny, sad book that talks about how the class support a very sick friend when he is in hospital and how they cope when he passes away. We are sure you will enjoy their podcast and their discussion about how Karen felt last year when she was sick in the Starship.

KPE Episode 195: "A Booming in the Night"

"A Booming in the Night" by Ben Brown On a still, quiet night, when the moon is full and the stars are winking in the sky, Pukeko is woken from her slumbering by a booming in the night. Kakapo is lonely, so Pukeko sets out to find him a friend. She meets many others but none of them want to come along to find some company for Kakapo, they’re all too busy. But who’s that peering out from behind the leaves of the forest? Perhaps Kakapo doesn’t need Pukeko’s help, for it seems – with a tumbling, blundering flap of feathers – that the booming in the night might have attracted just the right sort of company after all.
This latest podcast is the work of the students from Room 8 and they show us that 6 year olds can podcast too! Jonita and TylerMarie are the podcasters and you will be amazed at how talented they are when you listen to this episode. They know a lot about New Zealand wild life and they tell us that this is a really good book with lovely illustrations and a happy ending. Tell them what you think about their first podcast....

KPE Episode 194: "The Supertastic Marvelistic Storiez and Poemz"

"The Supertastic Marvelistic Storiez and Poemz" 4 kidz by kidz! John, Tinei, Jaydn and Simone went to Auckland's North Shore to track down the authors of this book. This book is a collection of short stories and poems that have been written by students from Stanley Bay School. We had enjoyed hosting them at Pt England School last year when they came to learn about podcasting from our Year 6 students.
Their goal is to raise money for a local cancer charity, Kenzie's Gift. We read this book and chose our favourite stories before we set out to interview the authors of the stories. It was a treat to meet the students from the 2 classes involved in this project, to hear all about how they set about writing and publishing a book, and to make a podcast for KPE with them. This podcast is different from our usual format because we are actually interviewing the authors and we have a number of people contributing to it. We have really enjoyed making the podcast and we recommend this book as an excellent read. You should go to their website and order copies of the book for yourself (- or for your school library if you are an adult). Let us know what you think of this collaborative episode in the comments below....

KPE Episode 193: "Strange Tales From the Mall"

"Strange Tales From the Mall" by Bobb Kerr
Portia and Tamika have produced this podcast and created the graphics to accompany it. This book is a collection of 6 stories centered on the mall where Rusty and his friends meet to eat and shop, but there's something strange about the mall. Tamika talks about her favourite story in the collection, and what happens when Rusty buys a pair of very peculiar jeans from the shop "Walk on the Wild Side". You will want to check this book out as it not only comes highly recommended by our podcasters, but it also won a NZ Post Junior Fiction award back in 1999.
They tell us that their favourite mall is Sylvia Park. Why don't you tell them which is your favourite mall?

KPE Episode 192: "Sheep Are Not Very Clever"

"Sheep Are Not Very Clever" by Bob Darroch is the latest podcast published on KPE. Jordan from Room 17 has been reading this story and he is interviewed by his classmate Meshaq. Jordan has also drawn some cool graphics to illustrate this podcast.
We live in a country with a lot of sheep - in fact we have about 10 sheep for every person in New Zealand. But that doesn't mean we all know a lot about sheep because we don't have any in Auckland city. So we hope that as you listen to this podcast you will find out a bit about New Zealand sheep farms as well as enjoying the story.
This story is about Sebastian, the sheepdog with the bad attitude, who is about to meet his match! When Sheree the sheep and her other woolly friends decide they're not going to be pushed around any more, things on the farm take an interesting turn.

Happy 3rd Birthday KPE

It is pretty amazing that we have been podcasting KPE for 3 years now. We started back in 2005 and our first podcasters are in Year 9 at secondary school! When we first started out with Mrs Lagitupu, Mrs Tele'a, Miss Meleisea and Mrs Burt, we really didn't have any idea what we were doing (because no-one we talked to knew what a podcast was back then), but we set a goal of publishing one episode every week. We wanted to give our kids a chance to tell the world about the books they were reading and a bit about New Zealand at the same time.
Well today we have published 191 episodes of KPE and we know that not only have we achieved our goals but Pt England kids have read a LOT of New Zealand books.
We have a short movie to celebrate our birthday (thanks very much to Jordan in Room 17 for the fabulous graphics) and we have published a Voice Thread as well. We would love you to figure out how to use the Voice Thread and to leave us a birthday message. We know lots of you have listened to KPE so please join in the celebration with us.....

KPE Episode 191: "Schnitzel Von Krumm's Basketwork"

"Schnitzel Von Krumm's Basketwork" by Lynley Dodd
It is great to see Leander and Brennah from Room 17 back with another podcast. This time they have chosen to talk about a book from one of New Zealand's favourite authors - Lynley Dodd. No kiwi kid grows up without having lots of her books read to them. This is another story from the famous band of dog friends. Schnitzel von Krumm was the little dog first seen in one of Lynley Dodd's Hairy Maclary books and she has gone on to write three books about him. In this one about Schnitzel Von Krumm, he is outraged when his misguided family decides to replace his worn out, beaten up, smelling old basket. He doesn't like his smart new basket and tries to find something else that's cosy and comforting. But no where is quite right. Eventually his family get the message. You will enjoy hearing these girls tell you all about it and why don't YOU tell US which is your favourite Lynley Dodd book....

Congratulations Stanley Bay School

Last year many of you will remember us having a group of students come and visit us from Stanley Bay School in Devonport. We showed them what we had learned about making podcasts and we had some fun making podcasts together. Then we posted a vodcast of the event on kpeTV. We have uploaded a copy of that movie below incase you missed it.
We were very excited for them when we started seeing in the media that these kids have become authors of a book and have published it. Of course we wanted to read it so we ordered a couple a copies for our school library and some of us are reading it so we can be the first to podcast their book. Keep an eye out for that podcast in the near future. And congratulations to Stanley Bay School from the kids at Pt England School!

KPE Episode 190: "Splatter"

"Splatter" by Janice Marriott
Mokani and Colin have been reading another book by one of our favourite New Zealand authors - Janice Marriott. When you listen to this podcast you will be able to tell that the boys really enjoyed this story. It is about a boy called Darryl who joins Greg and Sam for the ride of his life. He goes on a quad-bike tour that involves lots of mud. You probably could guess that from the title and at one stage our podcasters even tell us that their favourite part of the book was all the mud! Of course mud is on everyones' minds after all the rain we have had this Winter. Everytime we go outside we are stepping though mud and lots of our Winter sport has been played in the mud.
We hear from Colin about his experiences when he used to live in Samoa and got to ride a chopper motor bike and a scooter around his family's property. And Mokani tells us about riding a motor bike when he was on holiday in the Cook Islands. Have a listen, we know you will enjoy this one...

KPE Episode 189: "Not NIce Stories"

"Not Nice Stories" by John Parker
Xeneqe and Tanisha are both in Year 6 and they bring us a very entertaining podcast about a book with 4 short stories. By the sounds of it each of the stories is pretty wacky and very funny. They are the kinds of stories created around 'What if..?" situations. They tell us about one of the stories in great detail - "Superbrain". In this story, Barney Jordan, who is an impressive speller, decides that always eating sheep’s brains is the reason why he always achieves top marks in school tests. Things start to happen though, and his behaviour starts to demonstrate some very scarily sheep-like characteristics.
As the girls point out, New Zealand is the land of sheep, but these sorts of things do not really happen down here! Give the podcast a listen and read the book. Then tell us what you think of the stories...

KPE Episode 188: "Selafina"

"Selafina" by Catherine Hannken

Portia and Uani podcast Episode 188 of KPE and bring us a delighful picture book about a Samoan family and the young heroine, Selafina.
It is Selafina's 10th birthday and Nana is coming from back from Samoa especially for it. Nana used to live in New Zealand but she went back to live in Samoa some time ago. Selafina is very excited and, as a special welcome, wants to dance the siva for her Nana. She has never been brave enough to dance the siva before and so she asks her cousin to help her learn it.
As you listen to this podcast you will not only learn about a very interesting book but you will also learn about some Samoan customs and culture. The girls also discuss Pt England School's upcoming Pasifika festival and tell you about the dances they are learning for it.
Tell them what you think, and let them know if you can dance the siva...

KPE Episode 187: "Uncle Tease"

"Uncle Tease" by Ellen Javernick
This book was podcast by Uani and Tamika from Room 18. It has been a while since they have shared a book with us and it is good to hear from them again.

In this book about friends and friendships a pair of twins are pretty upset over the fact that their uncle is going to get married, because "married people aren't much fun." They try to come up with ways to destroy the romance, and then have second thoughts about it.
At one point in the story Uncle Tease gives the kids torches and tells them how to flash coded messages to each other. The book includes a table of the letters and numbers of the International Morse Code. You will even hear Tamika and Uani having a go at this.
Listen to their podcast and tell them what you think of the book.

KPE Episode 186 - "The Smallest Trolley Racer"

"The Smallest Trolley Racer" by Phillip Simpson
Last year, Tom and Mikaere came last in the annual school trolley race. Not second, or third, or sixth but dead last! But this year, they've got a secret weapon.... John and Colin from Room 18 have been reading this book from the Kiwi Bites series and they let us know all about the story. You need to listen to this podcast because NEXT year Pt England School is entering a crew in the Soap Box Derby. This starts out as a local event in our neighbourhood, but if we get through to the finals we would end up in Akron, Ohio in the United States of America!! How cool is that? We love competition here at Pt England School so we will be looking forward to the challenge of getting our own trolley built and racing it. So Year 5 students, you need to get ready for this, and if you want to volunteer to be in the team, let us know in the comments.....

KPE Episode 185 - "Rough, Tough and had Enough"

"Rough, Tough and had Enough" by Mary Barrow.
Leilani has been reading this exciting adventure story and Alisi interviews her about the book. These girls are both Year 6 students at Pt England School.
Michael, the main character in this book, is a real city boy and he likes playing play station and watching television way more than going outside. Michael’s father is a real outdoors man and he decides to take Michael tramping - which he is not happy about! They stay in a hut in the bush and have a lot of experiences that Michael doesn’t really enjoy at first. And you will have guessed that they end up having some pretty exciting adventures together.
The girls recommend this book as a great read for girls as well as boys (the publishers say it is a boys book!) and Leilani tells us that the message this author is bringing in this book is the same as one of our koreros at Pt England School - "Give it a go!" You have a much more interesting life if you give new things a go, don't you? Have a listen to their podcast.....

KPE Episode 184 - "Pandora's Box"

"Pandora's Box" by Pauline Cartwright
This book is reviewed by John from Room 18 and his classmate Ramona is his DJ for the podcast.If you know anything about myths and legends you might be thinking that this book is a retelling of the story of Pandora' Box. You would be wrong. It is about a boy called Aidan who lives alone with this father and they have some fun times together. They paint the words "Pandora's Box" on a shed outside because they keep bees in there. You could click this link if you are interested in finding out what that has to do with the old legend. You really should listen to this podcast to find out what happens in this book because it has a great plot and they recommend it highly. John tells us that besides writing a fun story the author is telling us that crime doesn't pay! Sounds like a good message.....

KPE Episode 183 - "Duffy's Search for the Pohutakawa Seeds"

"Duffy's Search for the Pohutakawa Seeds" by Alan Duff.
Tinei and Leilani talk about a book that was written by the man who founded the Books in Homes foundation. At Pt England School we all get given wonderful books by Books in Homes. We get to pick them from a catalogue and when they come we take them home to keep. So it is really good that we can tell you about one of Alan Duff's books.
Duffy is the hero of this story and he has to look for pohutukawa seeds for a school project and he isn't very interested. There are many other things he'd rather be doing, like taking a nap, which he manages to do on the back of an old truck.
But when he wakes up, he finds himself in Rotorua and he's about to discover a lot more than pohutukawa seeds: friendship, adventure and knowledge about himself and a fascinating part of his country. He also realises that life is full of exciting choices."
We know that you will enjoy this podcast and the book they are talking about. Why don't you tell us what is the best Duffy book you have ever been given...?

Thank you from all of us at KPE

Thanks listeners We have been posting our podcasts to our blog here at blogspot for one year now and we want to say a big THANK you to everyone who has ever visited our blog or downloaded our podcasts from iTunes. We love it when you leave comments for us and we like sharing our reading with people from around the world. We have read so many cool books in the past year and we have reviewed 112 of them on our podcasts in the last 12 months.
We posted a cluster map widget on our blog when we started it and it has recently been archived. that means they started our map again from nothing. Luckily we took a snapshot of it the day before they took it away and you can see where all our visitors have come from over the last year. There were 4143 people from more than 50 countries. That is very cool.
Tell us if you know about someone from another country who has visited our blog or listened to our podcast. We would love to hear about it.

KPE Episode 182 "The Magic Noodle Show"

"The Magic Noodle Show" by Janice Marriott
Leoden and Campbell are in Room 15, a Year 5 class, and they have written and recorded this podcast. They tell us about a book by an author who has taken time out to visit Pt England School because she heard about our podcasts. This story is about a boy called Hong. Hong's class is having a careers afternoon, and his grandfather is coming to talk about his job. Hong's family runs a Chinese restaurant, and he's nervous about what his classmates will think when his grandfather speaks. How can making noodles be interesting? Well you will find out as you listen that making noodles is VERY interesting and that these boys love to eat them!

Tell them about your favourite noodle dish.

KPE Episode 181 "First Flight"

" First Flight" by Wendy Macdonald
Colin and Elijah from Room 18 have branched out in this episode of KPE and bring us a book written by an Australian author. They say they chose the story because they were learning about flight in class when the whole school was doing an exciting theme called "Up, up and away!". They really enjoyed the story and did an excellent job of letting us know a bit about it and telling us about some of their own experiences with flying. They both agreed that they do not want to have an experience like we read about in this book though. Listen to the podcast below and tell us about YOUR flying experiences.

KPE Episode 180 " Tahi: One Lucky Kiwi"

"Tahi: One Lucky Kiwi" by Melanie Drewery was podcast for KPE by Caprice and John.

This wonderful book was the winner of the Picture Book category in the 2008 New Zealand Post Book Awards.
It’s the story of a boy who for his news item at school tells the class about coming across a kiwi caught in a possum trap, and how the kiwi lost his leg in the trap and had an artificial one made for it. Anyone who knows how to count in Maori will understand why the kiwi was named Tahi! If you don't know, click here for a clue....
This book is based on the true story of the work by Weta Workshop, the Artificial Limb Centre and Wellington Zoo to save a kiwi that lost its leg. Weta Workshop recently created a special hand made cast for Tahi, a Kiwi who had lost his leg in a possum trap. You can read more about it here.

KPE Episode 179 "Mouse Opera"

"Mouse Opera" by Richard and Pamela Wolfe
has been podcast for KPE by Jaydn and John from Room 18.
They tell us about this picture book where all the mice are preparing for a grand opera show. From conductor to cleaner, all are busy preparing as they count down to their opening night. It is a race to see if they can get everything done- from learning their lines to making sure the toilets are clean- before opening night.

"There's something quite exciting,
Behind the walls you know..
Inside the cast are frantic,
Preparing for a show."

During this podcast Jaydn and John tell us about their most recent experience of a school production and they show us some photos from "X-Stream", the Pt England School production.

KPE Episode 178 " Freaky Fish"

"Freaky Fish" by Feana Tu'akoi is brought to you by Simone and Kathleen from Room 18. In this latest book from the Kiwi Bites series they tell us about Richard and Braden who have to enter a Wearable Arts competition and come up with an idea that is a little bit strange. They really want to win this competition because they want to beat Candi and her mates AND Braden's famous dad will be there with a television crew. Braden is desperate to show him that he can be a winner too. They create a Freaky Fish and enter it in the Oceania section of the competition. In the podcast Simone doesn't tell us whether they win or not - but if you have read this book you could give us some clues in the comments!
And FYI (for your information) don't forget to keep checking out some of our first podcasts because you would be surprised how many people visit older ones and still leave us comments- including this author who visited today...

"Rock Our World" with Maui

"Maui and the Sun" retold and illustrated by Gavin Bishop
At Pt England School we are fans of Gavin Bishop and like reading the books he has written and done the artwork for. A group of our Year 5 and 6 students have recreated this story to share with students around the world as part of the Rock Our World project we have been involved in. One of the things were were learning about with ROW08 was the sun, so we decided to share this Maori legend.
We have published several podcasts about books by Gavin Bishop. Check out Bidibidi and Kiwi Moon and Chicken Licken to see some of them.

If you like what we have done, you could check out more of our Rock Our World work posted on our Flickr account.

KPE Episode 177 "Matatuhi"

"Matatuhi" by Robyn Kahukiwa is presented by Sela and Destiney from Room 15.
It is the story of Mata, a young Maori girl, who has been adopted into a Pakeha family. She knows very little about her Maori heritage.
A long time ago, Matatuhi, a fabulous weaver and a woman with special powers, dreamed of making a special cloak, and of meeting a young girl with fair hair and green eyes. Many years later, in modern times, a girl named Mata is adopted by Pakeha parents. She has fair hair, but brown skin. On a class visit to the museum one day, Mata is entranced by a beautiful cloak, and a carved female figure with a chin moko who seems to speak to her. Later, she dreams of feathered cloaks and an old Maori woman with a moko. After the visit, Mata discovers her whakapapa and decides to use her original Maori name – Matatuhi.What happens next changes her life forever.
To download a Quicktime version click here.
Let us know what you think of this podcast.

KPE Episode 176 "Lacey and the Drama Queens"

"Lacey and the Drama Queens" by Fleur Beale.
Leilani from Room 18 has read this book and is interviewed by Ramona. Fleur Beale is a popular author at Pt England School and she brings us another slightly whacky story with an interesting message.
First we hear all about the wedding of Lacey's cousin in Perth, Australia and all the drama that the bridesmaids create as they get ready for the big day. Then when Lacey returns to New Zealand her best friend Vanessa acts really mean. And when the new girl at school, Belinda, tells the girls that their beloved hip hop teacher doesn't know what she's doing, things get really tense. Lacey just wishes everything could get back to normal.
Leilani tells us that there is another book in this series and she is hoping that our school library will get it in soon coz she wants to read it.
Another book by Fleur Beale that we have podcast is here.
If you would like to download this podcast click here. And if you haven't yet subscribed to KPE then click here and you will be taken to iTunes....

KPE Episode 175 " If You're an Apple, You Can't Be a Banana"

" If You're an Apple, You Can't Be a Banana" by Pauline Cartwright.
Pheonix and Colin tell us about Charlie, the hero of this story, who is always being asked what he wants to be when he grows up. Charlie doesn't really know so he tries lots of things. He works on an orchard, he cleans windows, he becomes a singer for a while. But really he just likes messing about. Only Charlie's Mum seems to understand and she says to him " If You're an Apple, You Can't Be a Banana". To find out more about what she means you will need to listen to this podcast. Well done to Colin for his first podcast and we hope you do become a doctor when you grow up Colin!
If you would like to download the Quicktime version click here. And if you have not yet subscribed to KPE on iTunes we have made it easy for you. Just click here and you will be taken straight to the iTunes Music Store!

KPE Episode 174 "Famous"

"Famous" by Elizabeth Pulford.
Alisi and Lyn from Room 17 present this podcast about a boy who is desperate to become famous. He tries all kinds of things in his effort to become famous and none of them work. All of the other members of his family are famous - including the cat - but he just cannot manage it.
We have podcast this very popular book before, in episode 130, but you will see that these two girls have chosen a very different tack to take with their presentation. You should have a listen to both of the podcasts about 'Famous' and tell us what you think.
If you would like to download the Quicktime version click here. And if you have not yet subscribed to KPE on iTunes we have made it easy for you. Just click here and you will be taken straight to the iTunes Music Store!

KPE Episode 173 "Family Surprises"

"Family Surprises" by Margaret Mahy
This podcast is letting you know about another book in the Kiwi Bites series. We really love the Kiwi Bites books here at Pt England School! Pheonix and Jaydn present this story by one of New Zealand's most famous authors, Margaret Mahy. We always expect to see unexpected characters in her books and this one has them all. A dragon who is different from the rest of her family who becomes friends with a boy who is different from the rest of his family. Together they show their families that they are pretty cool kids (or should that be dragon and kids?) and have some fun and adventures along the way. We know you will enjoy the podcast and reading the book.
Click here if you would like to download the Quicktime version of the podcast, or better still, subscribe to KPE on iTunes and get them all :)

KPE Episode 172 " To the Harbour"

"To the Harbour" by Stanley Palmer.
Matthew and Wayjo from Room 18 are the producers of this podcast. They have chosen a book that is one of the finalists in the picture book section of the2008 "New Zealand Post Book Awards". They tell us they have really enjoyed this book and give us three main reasons.
First they say that it tells us a lot about what New Zealand was like in the time our grandparents were young.
Second they really enjoyed the pictures in the book. The author painted the pictures himself and photographs of them are used to illustrate the book.
And finally, it is a really interesting story about some kids who set out on an adventure. They run into danger and have to get themselves out of it and get home safely.
If you want to see a higher resolution version of the podcast, click here to download it.
Tell us what you think of our podcast by clicking on the comments link below.

KPE Episode 171 "The Astonishing Madam Majolica"

"The Astonishing Madam Majolica" by Eirlys Hunter
Wouldn't it be lovely to only have to brush your teeth once a year? Toby, the hero of our story, could hardly believe his ears when Madam Majolica told him that if he bought her special toothpaste he would only have to clean his teeth once a year. It was a dream come true. But Toby was not prepared for what happened when he tried it out! This crazy story is presented by Sam and Uani from Room 18 and they are sure you will enjoy it as much as they did.
You can enjoy the podcast below or click here to download a quicktime version.

KPE Episode 170 "Grandma McGarvey Joins the Scrum"

"Grandma McGarvey Joins the Scrum" by Jenny Hessell. This picture book is presented by Tanielu and Tyler in Room 15.
In this funny story Grandma's car breaks down, and when she gets out to go and find help she finds herself in the middle of a rugby match - on the team! She is surprisingly tough for an old lady and she even scores the match winning try.
Tanielu and Tyler are both very keen on their sport and during this podcast you will not only find out about the book but you will also find out about the teams they play for. Tanielu's season has got off to a winning start and you will see some cool photos of him in action on the field. If you get a bit confused about rugby or league, then leave the boys some questions - they will be only too pleased to help you out.
Click on the podcast below to watch it, or if you would like to see a quicktime version, click here to download it.

KPE Episode 169 "Sydney and the Whale Bird"

"Sydney and the Whale Bird" by David Elliot is presented by Kathleen and Uani from Room 18.
This picture book tells the story of Sydney the penguin who is also an inventor. Things go disastrously wrong when he invents a whale-powered nest builder. You might well ask, "What is a whale-powered nest builder?" and if you listen to the podcast you will find that out. The whale ends up on the beach and that is where the Whale Bird thing from the title comes in.
We think this is a very good book to read when we are learning all about flight during our 'Up, up and away' inquiry at Pt England School this term.
Play the podcast below and tell us what you think. If you want to watch a quicktime version, click here to download it.

KPE Episode 168 "The Tar Dragon"

"The Tar Dragon" by Joanna Orwin is presented by Beau and Meshaq from Room 17.
In this picture book a boy tells the story of what happens to him one day as he was walking home from school. He came to a sign that said 'Road Closed' and he had to take a closer look. There was a big black machine spreading hot, sticky tar on the road and it was bubbling. He stopped to have a closer look and then a play and before long he was covered in tar. You can imagine what happened when he got home that night!
Listen to the podcast below, or if you would like to download a Quicktime version, click here.

KPE Remembers ANZAC Day 2008

This year ANZAC Day has landed right in the middle of our school holidays so we have not been able to record new podcasts as part of our remembrance.
We would like to remind you that over the years Korero Pt England has published several podcasts of books with ANZAC storylines. Links to the podcasts are included in this post. You may need Quicktime to view them, and kids, if you are at school you will need to type in your passwords to get through schoolzone :) We have chosen three stories that are all about animals! Tell us what you think...
First we have a link to the final podcast made by Kelvin and Leauma in Episode 155. They talk about "The Donkey Man" by Glyn Harper - a story told from the viewpoint of a donkey who carried wounded soldiers and supplies at Gallipoli.
Next we have a story about a very brave dog called Caesar and his handler ‘Uncle Tom’ who helped save the lives of ANZAC soldiers during the First World War. This podcast about 'Caesar the ANZAC Dog' by Patricia Stroud is published by Victor and Montell who are now in Year 8.
Finally we recommend you listen to Alosina and Wilmenna discuss "The Bantam and the Soldier" by Jennifer Beck. They are also in Year 8 now and this story takes place in the midst of the fighting in France during World War I when a soldier named Arthur forms a special friendship with a bantam he calls Bertha.
So there you have it. We bring you a donkey, a dog and a bantam who are all involved in special ANZAC stories.

KPE Episode 167 "Fiapule"

"Fiapule" by Catherine Hannken is reviewed by Paulitia and Sela from Room 15. These girls are year 5 students and they give us some very interesting ideas about family, culture and different ways of doing things as they talk about the book.
Fiapule is invited to his best friend Liam's birthday party, and he really, really wants to go. But there is a problem. The party is on the same day as his sister's christening, and his family won't let him go. Fiapule is taught about fa'a Samoa and learns that sometimes you have to put your family first. You can find out more about this author by clicking here.
Leave us a comment and let us know what you think about this. What would your family have said if you were invited to Liam's party?

KPE Episode 166 "Mere McKaskill's Boil-Up"

"Mere McKaskill's Boil-Up" by Tracy Duncan.
This wonderful picture book is reviewed by Tiulipe and Keletiola from Room 17. They tell us about the story AND about eating a "boil-up".
In this book Mere McKaskill goes shopping to buy the ingredients for cooking a boil-up. By the time she finishes her shopping she not only has all the food she needs but she also seems to have invited everyone in the neighbourhood home to eat it with her! You will even find a recipe for boil-up in the book.
We know you will enjoy hearing Tiulipe and Keletiola talk about the book. If you want to find out more about the author you could click here.
You can subscribe to KPE on iTunes if you would like to see high quality versions of our podcasts. There is a link on the sidebar on the right that will take you to the iTunes music store where you can subscribe for free to KPE.

KPE Episode 165 "Charlotte Frisbee and the Slime Attack"

"Charlotte Frisbee and the Slime Attack" by Sally Sutton is a new book in the Kiwi Bites series. This book has been reviewed by one of our young readers, Litia, who is in Room 11. She is 7 years old. She asked her big sister Tinei to be her DJ for her first podcast. We know you will love this one!
This is what the publisher says about the book on their website:
"Charlotte Frisbee is the president of a secret club called PAWS (the Perfectly Amazing Word Society). Along with the other members of PAWS – super-brain Podge, extra-serious Bugsy and freaky-looking Simon – the big excitement of Charlotte's week is getting the club together for word games and general language silliness. That is, until one day when strange things start to happen around the school. What has caused the stinky green slime the kids have noticed around the place? And who stole the S's from the school sign and ripped the S section out of Pugsy's dictionary? Charlotte and her friends strongly suspect the Bookbashers . . . but are they really smart enough to plan such a direct attack on what PAWS loves the most? Soon the cause of the mysterious circumstances is revealed . . . and who would have thought that such a sweet little slime monster could have caused so much confusion?"
Listen to Litia and Tinei and tell us what you think. They would love to hear from other people who have read this book too.

KPE Episode 164 "Otto"

"Otto" by Tomi Ungerer
This is a special episode of KPE for us for two reasons.
First of all it is the first time we have podcast a book written in French!
Second it is sad to be saying 'Adieu' to M Barborin who has been working in Room 18 for a couple of months. M Barborin is a student teacher from France who has been in New Zealand for a teaching practicuum. We have loved having him at Pt England School and will sure miss him.
He gave us this book, "Otto", and helped us to understand it. We will let you listen to this podcast to find out about the book.
We know you will enjoy it.
Tinei and Jaydn
Room 18

KPE Episode 163 "Nightmare"

"Nightmare" by Elizabeth Pulford is reviewed by Jordan with Jama'l as his DJ. Jordan has also drawn this graphic to enhance his podcast.
In this story a group of boys try to keep a girl out of their club by making a rule that you can only belong if you have short hair. Cindy has a lovely long plait and so they think that will fix her. Of course it doesn't! She gets out a pair of scissors - and I think you can guess what happens next.
The boys have a bit of a chat in this podcast about the Niuean custom of the oldest son keeping his hair long. Anyone who knows Jordan will understand why this came up in the conversation. Have a listen to the podcast as Jordan explains what it is all about.

KPE Episode 162 " Skitterfoot Leaper"

"Skitterfoot Leaper" by Barbara Else
Wayjo and Elijah bring us this podcast about a book with a very strange name. It is about a girl called Lindsay, and when her parents are having problems she is sent to stay with her Aunty Jen.
She meets a strange alien creature, a bit like a cat, and they pass through a waterfall and visit a Winter world. Wayjo tells us that this is a book about friendship and helping others. Have a listen and tell them what you think.

KPE Episode 161 "The Christmas Caravan"

" The Christmas Caravan" by Jennifer Beck.
Tamika is back with her first podcast for 2008 and she has invited Sam, one of her new classmates in Room 18, to be her DJ for this episode. Tamika tells us all about the book and Sam gives us some tips on recycling as part of the podcast.
This is the story of Simon and his mother who live in a caravan park on the outskirts of town. They do not have a lot of money, but this Christmas something special happens for them. And isn't that what should always happen at Christmas?
Simon sees a competition in the newspaper for decorating your house and he asks his mother if they could decorate their caravan and enter. They have a lot of fun using recycled materials to make their caravan look very Christmassy. Although they can't compete against the flash houses and their lights, they do get a special prize from the mayor. He tows their caravan to the beach so they can enjoy a typical New Zealand holiday at the beach in their caravan! Some more good things happen for Simon and his Mum too, but as Tamika says, you should get hold of the book and read it for yourself!

KPE Episode 160 " The Short Division of the WSS : Case Two"

"The Short Division of the World Secret Service - Case Two: Stolen Children" by Robin Kerr.
This is the second book in the series and Tinei read it during the school holidays and Simone is interviewing her about it. We hope all our blog readers have listened to the podcast before this and have caught on that this is a series we are talking about here. And if you are following the comments you will see that the author has told us a bit more about it too.

In this book Lucie and Rodney are back on the case. Lucie and her best friend, Rodney, have been officially made agents for the Short Division of the World Secret Service. The World Secret Service resolves dangerous situations threatening the world. The Short Division is responsible for solving the Service’s cases that involve young people.

During Case One: Bobblings, they discovered Lucie’s mother hadn’t died in a car accident years ago, but had been kept as a prisoner all that time. She is undergoing counseling to help her recover from her her terrible experience. Lucie and her family are waiting anxiously for their mother’s return.

Meanwhile, toy company’s websites are being attacked with a virus that paralyzes them. At each attack, a code is left behind. Lucie and Rodney are assigned the case. They have to discover if the virus author is teasing his victims by leaving behind a calling card—or whether the codes are a call for help. At the same time, homeless aid organizations are reporting street children are disappearing. Is it possible the two events are related?

Using their many talents Lucie and Rodney discover where the attacks are coming from. They have to do international travel, rock climbing and a carry out a terrifying underground race before a wicked man’s plans can be stopped.

At Pt England School we really appreciate both the talent and the support of Robin Kerr. First she writes stories we enjoy reading. Second she actually listens to our podcasts and reads our blog! You should read these books too - they are cool!

KPE Episode 159 " The Short Division of the World Secret Service"

"The Short Division of the World Secret Service - Case One: Bobblings" by Robin Kerr.
This is a podcast we have all been waiting for. Robin Kerr sent us her books just before the Xmas break and some of our students took them away for a read while on their long Summer holiday. Simone read this book and tells Ramona all about it. They also drew a few pictures in Photoshop to enhance this podcast.

There are three books in this exciting series, and in Case One Lucie Lakewood and her best friend Rodney Keino start a new life as agents for the World Secret Service when a secret code arrives in the mail. They use cyber-tracking, wit, fast running and huge brains to discover the lure of the ugly Bobblings. Like all good secret agent stories they have to save the world from a mad villain.

Simone says it is a really exciting story to read and also has a message for the readers; even if you're young, you can still do the right thing and make a difference. At Pt England School we talk a lot about 'doing the right thing', so it is pretty cool to think that Robin Kerr seems to think it is important too.

There are two more books in this series, so keep visiting this blog because we'll be podcasting the next one soon.

KPE Podcasters 2008

Waitangi Day - Te Tiriti o Waitangi

February the 6th is Waitangi Day in New Zealand and we have all had a holiday from school. To recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi KPE is publishing on this blog a podcast made many episodes ago by Jadyn and Shonty Lee. It is published on iTunes as KPE Episode 76.

"The Tree Hut Treaty" by Wiremu Grace is a book that all schools in New Zealand have in their libraries. Shonty Lee and Jaydn tell us about the story and also give us an overview of the Treaty of Waitangi as they discuss the themes of the book.

The picture book follows the adventures of four young New Zealanders looking for a way to resolve a disagreement over a shared tree hut. They come up with the idea of a treaty and the book follows the process and principles that are agreed upon to create their treaty and resolve their disagreement.

The story is presented twice: once in English and once in Maori, with each of the two covers being the beginning of each version (upside down to each other, meeting in the middle - and at the centre is a page about the Treaty of Waitangi).

It was published as part of the Treaty of Waitangi Information Programme, which was established to increase public knowledge of the Treaty of Waitangi. It gives us a simple introduction to the concept of a treaty.

This is the first podcast these two students had published.

Tell us how YOU spent Waitangi Day in 2008.

KPE Episode158 - "Girl Saves Tree"

"Girl Saves Giant" by Lesley Jane. In this podcast Xeneqe interviews Tanisha about the book she has been reading. This story is about a courageous young girl who saves a 400 year old tree from being cut down to make way for a new carpark! It has a really good message about looking after our environment. The heroine stages a protest by sitting in the tree and refusing to come down until the mayor and the council take notice of her. She is a determined young lady and succeeds in her quest.

This is what our podcasters have to say:
Hi, my name is Tanisha. I read "Girl Saves Gialnt". The book tells a good story and I enjoyed reading it. My favourite part of the book was when she was saving the tree and when she had an interview with Ronnie King. I enjoyed doing the podcast with Xeneqe, she was a good D.J. I can't wait to do another one with her.
Hi my name is Xeneqe. I enjoyed doing the podcast. My favourite part was when Sally got mentioned on the radio. I hope you enjoy listening to our podcast.
From Tanisha and Xeneqe.

Why don't you leave a comment for them?

Podcasting with KPE in 2007

Sharon Rose, Sarah and Lorenz put together this movie to summarise what has happened with Korero Pt England in 2007. You will be surprised at how many different opportunities our podcasters had because of KPE! These three people have had the opportunity to tell heaps of adults all about KPE in 2007 and they have become very polished public speakers - as well as good readers. This was their final publication for KPE before they left Pt England to go to Intermediate school.
Good luck in everything you do team. You have been fantastic!