Ariki and the Island of Wonders

This sequel to Ariki and the Giant Shark continues the Pacific Island adventures of the impetuous, courageous girl who can read the stars, navigate the ocean and communicate with sea creatures. When Ariki and her friend Ipo are washed up on an unfamiliar island they meet a fellow castaway and help him to save the wonderful, gigantic blue birds that live there.

This is a magical adventure story with appealing characters and an exotic Pacific setting, all beautifully brought to life in Nicola Davies’ descriptive text and Nicola Kinnear’s gentle, curving and expression-filled illustrations. Nicola Davies is both zoologist and author, and this shows in her ability to present such eco themes as biodiversity, non-native species threat, seed dispersal and extinction danger whilst telling a fast-paced adventure story and conveying the sheer wonder and beauty of the natural world. These further tales about the intrepid Ariki should appeal to newly confident readers who love animals, adventure and unusual settings.