Kara the Kākāpō loves gazing up into the sky at all the birds above her. Kara’s fondest dream is to be up there with them. Kara yearns to fly. She wonders and worries and wishes and hopes. She spins and hops and twists and jumps, but no matter what she does, she cannot lift off the ground and into the sky.

All her friends say,

“Just give up Kara, it’s hopeless.”

But Kara isn’t that kind of bird. She is determined to find a way to achieve her dream. She begins to read and research what she needs to do. She’s done it! Kara has found her solution.

This fun rhyming picture book about a determined wee bird is delightful. The yellow text pops against the muted backgrounds of the night sky and the New Zealand native bush. But far from dull are these illustrations. Beautiful colours almost glow from the page with layers of shapes, shadow, flora and fauna.

Author Danni Rae is a Wellington based zookeeper and passionate conservationist. She has spent 6 months travelling the 3000km Te Araroa Trail alone to raise money for wildlife conservation in Aotearoa.

Illiustrator Evan Heasman is also known as Soju Shots – taking inspirations from nature and fairytales. Looking through the picture into the illustration backgrounds is fun. Can you guess the creatures by their shadows?

Kākāpō’s determination shows any young kiwi what they can achieve if they don’t give up, keep trying, and give it a go!

Author – Danni Rae

Illustrator – Evan Heasman

Picture Book

(2022, Mary Egan Publishing, Kākāpō, Native birds, Aotearoa New Zealand, Determination, Wish, Fly, Finding solutions, NZ Native flora and fauna, Zookeeper, Conservation, Plans, Research, Dreams)