SunLive Competition

The second Moko book is now in print following the dolphin’s death in Tauranga in July.

First out was an illustrated children’s book by Gisborne’s Andrea Skuse. It was self published and was selling in the Bay of Plenty before Christmas.

The latest Moko publication is a photo essay by Whakatane children’s author Val Bird, illustrated by friend Nikki Slade Robinson.

Val’s book, ‘In Love with Moko – The Story of a New Zealand Dolphin’, was launched in Whakatane last week and is about to be launched in Tauranga.

At 100 pages in A5 landscape format, producing it has been a ‘labour of love’.

Val and Nikki began producing a fictional work at the height of the ‘Moko mania’ a year ago, but the publishers’ interest waned when Moko died, leaving Val and Nikki to carry on alone.

The focus of the book also changed after Moko died, turning into a tribute to the dolphin and including contributions and anecdotes from the public.

The 100-page, full-colour book, starts out with Val’s original fictional story of a young girl’s fascination with Moko, set out in diary format and accompanied by Nikki’s illustrations.
The second part is a biography of Moko, and includes many colour photographs and people’s recollections of incidents and time spent with the dolphin.

“It’s been a wonderful experience for us, and it’s a quality book,” says Val.
“We’ve put a lot of work into this.”

Win: Go in the draw to win a copy of ‘In Love with Moko’ with SunLive. Entrants must be aged 18 years or over. To enter, you must be logged in, if you are new click here to register for free!

Competition Results

Naydene Kerr
Mount Maunganui