A bird sets out over the ocean on a single minded mission. It must find food for its chick so it can survive the night.
But this seabird is not the only creature on the hunt. With her mate caring for their chick back in the gannet colony, she spies something happening out across the water.
Other sea animals are making the most of clever dolphins who have corralled a school of fish into a ball of swooping, leaping, frantic silver.
Just one. That’s all this bird mum needs to take back to her chick. She spies a fish on the outside of the whirling action below, tucks her wings in tight, and dives…
She hits the water at 100 kms per hour, slicing through the water. But others want her fish. Bigger, faster, greedier creatures. She must try and try again, so she can take something back to her white fluffy feathered chick waiting for her.
Living in Napier, I know and love the beautiful Gannet. Nearby Cape Kidnappers has the world’s largest accessible mainland gannet colony, hosting around 20,000 birds, and busloads of people visit every year to get up close to these birds.
Ned Barraud has brought this experience to life and taken readers so much further with a mother Gannet, away from the colony and across the waves.
The story reveals a mission and how important it is, and the gorgeous illustrations portray the skill of the Gannet and the action and constant danger she is in just trying to find a meal for her chick.
Other sea creatures feature in this full colour picture book, but the Gannet is the star. To learn more about this amazing bird and the others who try to defeat her mission, flick to the back of the book where there are two whole pages of information on them.
(This book is going to be a hit in Napier for the many visitors who have taken the trip to Cape Kidnappers.)
Author / Illustrator – Ned Barraud
Picture Book
(2026, Allen & Unwin, Non-Fiction, Aotearoa New Zealand, NZ Author, NZ Illustrator, Gannet, Birds, Sea Creatures, Dolphins, Mako Shark, Bryde’s Whale, Fish, Kahawai, Northern Giant Petrel, Common Dolphin, Action, Real Life, Animals)