Birds, birds, birds – Christchurch writer Kate Preece has teamed up with architect and illustrator Pippa Ensor to produce a children’s book on the rare and endangered bird species of Rēkohu Chatham Islands.

One Weka Went Walking (Bateman Books) shines a spotlight on some of Aotearoa’s rarest birds, including one of the rarest seabirds in the world, the tāiko. The featured birds are all endemic to the Chatham Islands, except for the buff weka, which was introduced in 1905.

You’ll know Kate – she’s written for and edited several magazine over the years, including editor of Style. Pippa is usually found behind her desk at Athfield Architects in Christchurch but Kate roped in her childhood friend as illustrator, thinking she would be the perfect person to bring the words to life.

Pippa’s delightful drawings confirm Kate’s choice. Meanwhile the rhyming and repetition in the text is a guaranteed hook for young ones, and the facts and figures alongside will be a draw for older readers.

One Weka Went Walking has all the hallmarks of an instant classic. One to put on the Christmas list for the little people in your life.