When Rena grounded on 5 October 2011, spilling an estimated 350 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into Tauranga Moana, the impact was devastating for the people of the Bay of Plenty.

Motiti Blue tells the story of a little blue penguin who was rescued and treated at the Te Maunga Oiled Wildlife Response Centre, his recovery, and release back into the wild.

In 2015 Motiti Blue was selected as a White Raven by the International Youth Library in Munich, one of 200 outstanding children’s books published around the world. It won the Best Non-Fiction category in the NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and was chosen by the NZ Blind Foundation to be produced in braille, large print and e-text.

REVIEW: Really nice book, good work - John McIntyre (The Children's Bookshop, 2014).

REVIEW: This book is going to be a very useful resource for the classroom. Social Studies teachers could use it when studying 'disasters' and Science teachers could use the book when looking at the affects of oil spills on wildlife. Highly recommended - Maria Gill (KidsBooksNZ, 6 December 2014).

REVIEW: Every detail in this outstanding book has been lovingly laboured over – timeline, maps, acknowledgements, additional information. It has an evocative cover, resonating endpapers, thoroughly thoughtful design. And the heart of the story – the fate of Motiti Blue – nimbly engages the reader in both of our spoken languages for deep and recursive reading. Hats off to this small independent publisher for caring enough, for being persistent enough to get it so right. Awesome. (New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, Annemarie Florian, Judge, 13 August 2015).

Author: Debbie McCauley Translator: na Tamati Waaka i whakamaori Cover: Elliot Mason Designer: Sarah Elworthy Publisher: Mauao Publishing (Tauranga) First Published: October 2014 ISBN: 9780473268695

Mauao Publishing is an indie business passionate about connecting Aotearoa’s tamariki with beautifully produced books telling stories from our own backyard.