Title: Rere Atu Taku Poi!
Let My Poi Fly!
Author: Tangaroa Paul
Illustrator: Rebecca Gibbs
ISBN: 978-1-99-004248-5
RRP: $22.99
Specs:  PB, 270 x 210 mm portrait, 32 pp, colour
Publishing: 8 February 2024

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Written in te reo Māori and translated by the author, Rere Atu Taku Poi! is a beautifully illustrated story about gender fluidity in a school setting.

Rangi loves doing haka but performing poi is his favourite — even though his classmates say it’s just for girls. When the lead poi performer falls sick before a school performance, Rangi has to take her place.

How will the other students and audience react – ‘Surely a boy can’t lead the poi?’

As Rangi steps on stage, the familiar movements of poi take him from scared and unsure to standing as his authentic self.