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Punga: The Goddess of Ugly
In this richly illustrated Maori folktale, Kiri and Maraweia must learn how to dance the haka porperly to ve captured by Punga, the goddess of ugly. The twins use advice from their grandmother, the lizard, and the mudfish to outwit Punga.
- GenresPicture Books
32 pages, Library Binding
First published September 1, 1993
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 13, 2020
The nephew brought this book home from school as homework and we read it together. He doesn’t like to do it, but he’s a good reader now. I’m impressed.
This is set in New Zealand among the Maori people and talking about their myth. It’s about the Haka dance they do and sticking your tongue out. Lizard and Mudfish are part of this myth. It is also about the history behind the chin tattoo the people there wear.
I was a bit confused by the book, really. The artwork was beautiful and it told the myth well, but it kept going on about beautiful and ugly and by sticking out your tongue and being ugly was beautiful or something like that. The thing was, the girls couldn’t stick their tongues out and giggle and be silly. That was ugly. If you could hold the ugly face, then that was beautiful. It was strange. There were a lot of words from their culture. I did learn quite a bit reading this.
The nephew thought this was a good book, but as soon as it was done he wanted to read his Mario Bros. comic. I don’t think he was all that interested, it was a school project to him. He gave this 3 stars.
This is set in New Zealand among the Maori people and talking about their myth. It’s about the Haka dance they do and sticking your tongue out. Lizard and Mudfish are part of this myth. It is also about the history behind the chin tattoo the people there wear.
I was a bit confused by the book, really. The artwork was beautiful and it told the myth well, but it kept going on about beautiful and ugly and by sticking out your tongue and being ugly was beautiful or something like that. The thing was, the girls couldn’t stick their tongues out and giggle and be silly. That was ugly. If you could hold the ugly face, then that was beautiful. It was strange. There were a lot of words from their culture. I did learn quite a bit reading this.
The nephew thought this was a good book, but as soon as it was done he wanted to read his Mario Bros. comic. I don’t think he was all that interested, it was a school project to him. He gave this 3 stars.
November 28, 2019
In this story "based upon" the mythology of the Maori - New Zealand/Aotearoa's indigenous people - two young sisters on the North Island find that they must perform a strong and beautiful haka (a traditional dance) if they are to escape the clutches of Punga, the goddess of all things ugly. Relying upon the teachings of their grandmother, Kiri and Maraweia (whose mischievous play had gotten them into this scrape in the first place) do so well that moko - the sacred facial tattoos used by the Maori - appear on their chins as they dance.
I find Punga: The Goddess of Ugly a very difficult book to analyze, as my knowledge of Maori culture is rather limited, and issues of authenticity might very well slip by me as a result. My own first reaction was one of disappointment, as I discovered that this is not, in fact, a retelling of a Maori tale (as I had thought), but simply uses the Maori tradition as a springboard to tell an original story. I'll probably still keep it on my "folklore-maori" shelf because of the association, but as much as I appreciate the fact that Lattimore is honest about her story being an original creation, I think I would have preferred something more traditional - something to enlighten me as to Punga's significance in the Maori world-view. After all, having a goddess of "ugly" things is an unfamiliar, and therefore quite intriguing concept for me.
I see that some of the online reviews for this item, including one which accuses Lattimore of being "demeaning and patronizing," are strongly negative. Again, I can't speak to any specifics, but I did feel uneasy at a number of points in the story, as it seems to touch on certain subjects (like the moko) which are considered sacred. It's not that I feel the sacred can never be discussed, but in the absence of any knowledge of my own, it's difficult to know whether it was done in a respectful way. All in all, a book I would recommend readers approach with caution, particularly if they're looking for material on traditional Maori culture to use for educational purposes.
I find Punga: The Goddess of Ugly a very difficult book to analyze, as my knowledge of Maori culture is rather limited, and issues of authenticity might very well slip by me as a result. My own first reaction was one of disappointment, as I discovered that this is not, in fact, a retelling of a Maori tale (as I had thought), but simply uses the Maori tradition as a springboard to tell an original story. I'll probably still keep it on my "folklore-maori" shelf because of the association, but as much as I appreciate the fact that Lattimore is honest about her story being an original creation, I think I would have preferred something more traditional - something to enlighten me as to Punga's significance in the Maori world-view. After all, having a goddess of "ugly" things is an unfamiliar, and therefore quite intriguing concept for me.
I see that some of the online reviews for this item, including one which accuses Lattimore of being "demeaning and patronizing," are strongly negative. Again, I can't speak to any specifics, but I did feel uneasy at a number of points in the story, as it seems to touch on certain subjects (like the moko) which are considered sacred. It's not that I feel the sacred can never be discussed, but in the absence of any knowledge of my own, it's difficult to know whether it was done in a respectful way. All in all, a book I would recommend readers approach with caution, particularly if they're looking for material on traditional Maori culture to use for educational purposes.
August 25, 2014
I like the story! Folklore, so cool! But I also got a very strong lol white people vibe, like the writer was just like oh cool story I'm gonna make it As Maori As Possible like hey kids did you know this story is from A Different Culture?
Also the illustrations were SUPER busy, like to the point of distraction and I know the author meant for there to be all these educational easter eggs and I respect that but like, I had to find the words on the page. Too noisy. I'm wondering if that busy illustration style just Lattimore's thing or if it was an attempt to be like, they're in the Wilderness because they are Wild.
Also the illustrations were SUPER busy, like to the point of distraction and I know the author meant for there to be all these educational easter eggs and I respect that but like, I had to find the words on the page. Too noisy. I'm wondering if that busy illustration style just Lattimore's thing or if it was an attempt to be like, they're in the Wilderness because they are Wild.
April 25, 2019
Twin sisters Kiri and Maraweia must learn how to dance the Maori in a beautiful way. They dance with their tongues out and they must do this in a beautiful way or the goddess of ugly may capture them and make them stiff and not move ever again. Maraweia can't help but dance silly running through the forest and the sisters run straight into Punga the goddess of ugly. This tale is based off of the Maori folklore. This book is learning to embrace your culture in a beautiful way and to believe in yourself as a beautiful person. I would recommend this book to grades 4-5.
April 26, 2019
Punga the Goddess of Ugly is based off of folklore from the Pacific Islands. It follows the story of two sisters who venture into the forest and meet Punga herself. When they meet Punga, they decide to do the haka- a traditional dance. I thought the book was really cool because it incorporated native language and the story itself was interesting to read. I think that this book is meant for upper elementary school. I think because of it's cultural folklore, it would be cool to incorporate within the classroom when exploring different cultures.
June 2, 2016
This was a great book to complement our history lesson on the Pacific Ocean Islands. After we read it we googled "Maori" and "Maori haka" and learned so much about the native people - the Maori - who arrived in New Zealand around 800 AD and their customs. Very interesting!
April 16, 2009
this is book is an awesome book about, i think a myth, from the maori. it is a book about sisters and what is the diffidence between ugly and beauty.the illustrations are great.
January 26, 2023
An interesting picture book retelling of a Maori folktale. Includes references to Maori culture including the Haka dance and Moko facial tattoos. My daughter and I enjoyed the story, though my child found the art work too dark and busy (and thus hard to follow).
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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