Synopsis
One summer’s day, Kiwi and Bat
find something unexpected at the edge of the forest. As it’s causing no harm
they decide to ignore it. Meanwhile, summer is proving too windy and rainy and things
in the forest aren’t growing as they should. Bat and Kiwi are worried, but
things are about to get a lot worse. When a sudden downpour comes too hard and
too fast the forest is flooded and Bat and Kiwi have to think quick. Using the unexpected
‘thing’ and lots of hard work our two heroes manage to rescue their friends and
bring them to safety.
About the
Author
Melinda Szymanik is an award-winning
author of picture books, poetry, short stories and novels for children. Her
books include The Were-Nana, winner of the Children’s Choice award at
the 2009 NZ Post Children’s Book Awards, and Fuzzy Doodle, an international
White Raven award winner in 2017. Melinda lives with her family in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland). This
is her third BatKiwi book and her ninth picture book with Scholastic.
About the Illustrator
Isobel
Te Aho-White (Ngati Kahungunu, Ngai Tahu) is an illustrator based in Te
Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington). Her book Santa’s Worst Christmas, written by Pania Tahau-Hodges and Bryony
Walker (Huia, 2019) was nominated for the 2020 NCYA Book
Awards across four categories, and her book Whiti: Colossal Squid of
the Deep (Te Papa Press, 2020) written by Victoria Cleal, won a
Whitley award for best children’s book. He Tārū Kahika, the te reo Māori
translation of her 2023 picture book Sun Shower, written by Melinda
Szymanik, was shortlisted for Te Kura Pounamu Award at the 2024 New Zealand
Children’s and Young Adult’s Book Awards.
Comprehension Questions
1. What do Bat and Kiwi find at the start of the story? Where do they find
it? How did it get there? (A plastic shell-shaped paddling pool. It is near the
road and fell off a truck).
2. What is the ‘thing’ compared to/how is it described? (Like the top of a
turtle shell).
3. Kiwi asks Ruru why the rain is bad. After all, doesn’t rain makes things
grow? What does Ruru reply? (“Rain isn’t enough on its own … You need some sun
too.”)
4. Why is Kiwi confused about what time of day it is before it starts
raining? (The clouds are so heavy and dark that day looks like night, and Kiwi
and Bat are nocturnal creatures).
5. The paddling pool is out of control in the flood waters. How does Kiwi
take control and steer it? (by putting his strong legs into the water and
kicking).
Shared Learning and Discussion
Points
1. The blue paddling pool is plastic. The manufacture, use and disposal of
plastic is bad for the environment and contributes to climate change and
pollution. What can we do to cut down on using plastic? (Use alternatives like
paper and reusable shopping bags) What can we do to lessen the impact of
plastic on the environment? (recycle or reuse it, or buy less of it).
2. There have been more floods around the world than usual in the last few
years. What contributes to extreme weather?
3. What do Bat and Kiwi do at the end of the story to reduce the impact of
plastic on the climate? (They decide to keep and reuse the paddling pool rather
than dispose of it). What else could they use the paddling pool for?
4. On page 25 (opposite the page with the text, ‘Where
they were going, nobody knew, but all would be well …), the shell is filled
with forest creatures. How many can you see? How many can you identify/name?
(Ruru, Bat/pekapeka, Kiwi, Skink, Wētā, Kauri snail/pupurangi, Tuatara, Kākāpō,
Kererū).
5. Pig is able to swim herself to safety. Are any other New Zealand forest
animals good swimmers?
6. What famous story does this tale remind you of? (Noah’s ark)
Activities
1. What else could Bat and Kiwi and the other forest
creatures use the paddling pool for? Make a list. Draw a picture of one of the
uses on your list.
2. Using a clean plastic meat tray (like the ones
supermarkets put sausages in), conduct an experiment: float the tray in a sink
full of water, adding ‘passengers’ to the tray to see how much it can carry
before it capsizes or sinks. What happens if the passengers are corks? What if
they are heavier objects? Does it matter where in the tray the ‘passengers’ are
placed? Test out which kind of passengers the tray can carry the most of.
3. There are some interesting and poetic descriptions
and expressions used in the story
a.
‘… the clouds
clumped together in big angry bunches.’
b.
‘Drip, drip,
drip became drop, drop, drop became kerplop, kerplop …’
c.
‘The earth
couldn’t drink fast enough.’
d.
‘Drops became
puddles, puddles became pools, and the pools became a sea … ‘
Using one of these lines as inspiration, write a poem about the weather.
Melinda Szymanik
February 2025
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