What’s Your Property Worth? Rachel Cole

just like the song in this book,” says Rebecca.

e 32-page full-colour book, for three-to-seven-year-olds, comes with a CD and is bursting with vibrant illustrations and fun actions, all to the tune of the well-loved song ‘When You’re Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands’.

Rebecca is the well-loved author of ‘Row, Row, Row your Waka’, ‘Tane Mahuta has a Forest’, and ‘Twinkle Twinkle Matariki’.

An avenue

With ‘Strum a Tune’ she’s providing an avenue for children to tap into their feelings.

“I wanted to bring emotions to the forefront but express them in a way that’s approachable and fun.

“I chose to put this into a waiata so emotions are broken down in a way that are easy to understand, that can be aligned with actions, musical instruments and colour.”

Easy-to- nd instruments can be played with the book – which has English and te reo Māori words on every page and includes the musical score. Each emotion is represented by a colour and musical action. Yellow is happy, strumming a tune; worried is green, whistling; anger is red, banging a drum. Orange is silly, with the cheeky kea clapping his feet, then all the colours form a rainbow with the love bird ringing a bell — the only non-native bird but chosen due to a special memory for the author.

“Something I included from my childhood in the book, was a stage that used to be set up in Foxton beach, it was a rainbow stage, we used to go as kids, there were free concerts in summer, and we’d sit in the stands and listen to music. is was a really happy memory. To me all the colours represent love, love is the rainbow and acceptance.” e Weekend Sun has one copy of ‘Strum a Tune when you’re happy Kei Te Pai’ by Rebecca Larsen to give away to one lucky reader. To enter, tell us what emotion in the book is expressed by the colour yellow. Enter at: www.sunlive.co.nz under the ‘Competitions’ tab. Entries must be received by Tuesday, July 25.