The Lost Words | Kimberley Kearney

Weaving a beautiful narrative of heritage, culture and the enduring strength of family bonds, The Lost Words is a daughter's account of her mother's journey through the rich tapestry of te reo Māori.

My Mum is collecting words. You see, a long time ago, lots of the words were left out or replaced. Slowly they were forgotten.

A powerful and moving story that will appeal to young readers and adults alike.

Kimberley Ngāreta Kearney (Ngāti Maniapoto, Tūhoe) spent many years as a primary school teacher where she developed a love for sharing stories with young minds. Embarking on a journey to re-indigenise her whanau and reclaim the language that was lost generations before, Kim was inspired to write The Lost Words as a tribute to her and many others' rediscovered treasure, te reo Maori. You can find Kim on Instagram @kimkearney_author.Taylor Terewai Tiave (illustrator)(Ngāpuhi) was raised in California and now lives in beautiful Hawai'I, creating stunning art that you can see on Instagram @by.terewai. She visits Aotearoa as often as she can and has whanau to visit, sharing waiata and purakau to nourish her roots to te ao Maori.