KPE Episode 232: Ron Bacon Books

In this episode of KPE Gaby and Maree from Room 17 discuss two books they have read by the same author, Ron Bacon.
"Pania the Woman from the Sea" and "How Weaving Came".
These are both retellings of Maori legends and the girls discover a surprising number of similarities between the two stories. have a listen and see what you think.
If you are a Ron Bacon fan you will discover several more of his books that our Pt England students have podcast, including "A Mouse Singing in the Reeds", "Banjo Man" and "The Clay Boy".

KPE Episode 231: "Walking Lightly"

Jarna and Seini-Mino have published their first podcast for KPE. It is about the book "Walking Lightly" by Fleur Beale.
This story is about a rich girl called Millie who wasn't like the rich girls we see on TV. She didn't like shopping and stuff like that - in fact she didn't spend lots of money. She liked doing things outdoors that don't cost money like camping and tramping. Of course this didn't make her popular with the other girls in the class at her school for rich kids. They thought she was weird.
You will have guessed that something happens in this story to make them realise that Mille is a resourceful and clever girl, as well as good to have around. Listen to the podcast and find out more. And if you really want to know more about the story, you could check out Mele and Tiana's podcast too and see what they had to say back in 2007!

KPE Episode 230 :" The Refugees"

Two Year 5 students, Erene and Joshua from Room 15, bring us this book as their first podcast for KPE. They have joined the
Janice Marriott fan club at Pt England school and tell you about 'The Refugees'. This book has been podcast before by Tanisha and Keletiola so you could listen to their podcast too by clicking here.
The boys give us a lot of detail about what happens when a family is torn apart during a war and the children are left to look after themselves when their parents are taken from them.
They also introduce us to one of their classmates who understands this experience only too well. Have a listen to their podcast and give them some feedback. Maybe you will have some questions for Jephte as well.

KPE Episode 229: "Evil Fred"

KPE Episode 229: "Evil Fred" by Kylie Begg
Matthew and Lepa who are both Year 5 students in Room 15 tell us about this book. They tell a story of a family who sound evil and a dog called Fred who doesn't sound evil - well not the way they tell the story. You had better check this out and see what you think. And if you want another view of the story, we recommend Elizabeth and Sharon Rose's podcast of this book here. Listen to both and give us YOUR opinion of the story....

KPE Episode 228: "The Christmas...Hiccup...Play"

"The Christmas...Hiccup...Play" by Elizabeth Pulford
Rachael interviews Shaniah in this episode of KPE about another book in the Kiwi Bites series. This book is about a girl called Abbey who was really excited because her wish had come true - she was going to be the Angel Gabriel in the school play. On the night of the performance she had a terrible fright and began to hiccup, and hiccup, and hiccup... In the story everyone offers ways of curing the hiccups and she tries them all.
Have you ever had the hiccups? What do you do to stop hiccuping? If you would like to listen to another podcast about this book that was published in 2006, you could click here to check it out too...

KPE Episode 227: "Akimbo and the Elephants"

"Akimbo and the Elephants" by Alexander McCall Smith
TeRangi interviews Rachael about this book, which they say is a story about bravery, doing the right thing and looking after animals.
In this book 10 year old Akimbo lives on a game preserve in Africa. His father is the head ranger, and Akimbo is keen to help him whenever he can—even if it means getting into some pretty dangerous situations. In Akimbo and the Elephants, ivory poachers are killing grown elephants for their tusks and leaving the calves to die. When the authorities can't find out who is doing this, Akimbo sets out to save the elephants by pretending to be a hunter himself.
These girls are in Room 18 and this is their first podcast together.

KPE Episode 226: "Grandma McGarvey Paints the Shed"

"Grandma McGarvey Paints the Shed" by Jenny Hessell is podcast by Sylvia and Mubasshira from Room 15.
This is another cool story about that crazy granny, Grandma McGarvey and we know you'll love it. When Grandma McGarvey decides to paint the shed, she does it with her own distinctive style! You'll never see a shed quite like this one! We know you will love this story, and if you want to listen to another story about her, try Grandma McGarvey Joins the Scrum...

KPE Episode 225: "The Immigrants"

"The Immigrants" by Alan Bagnall
In this podcast Ala tells Angela about a book set in 1856. You will learn a lot about what it was like for the early settlers who came to New Zealand during the Gold Rush. We are sure you will enjoy this lively discussion and you may well be inspired by this book about people who never give up. Tell us what you think...

KPE Episode 224: "The Day of the Snow"

"The Day of the Snow" by Joy Cowley
Tanielu and Blessing review this very popular book by Joy Cowley. One of the reasons it is so popular with our students is because she wrote it about a school in Auckland, where we live. Two years ago Jordan and Pheonix also published a podcast about this book, so if you have iTunes on your computer we recommend you have a listen to their podcast as well (KPE Episode 67 on 28 May 2007). Tell us what you think of both reviews of this book.