TITLE: PETER LITTLE WING AND THE BAY OF ISLANDS
AUTHOR: Regan W.H. Macaulay
ILLUSTRATOR: Gordon Bagshaw
PUBLISHER: Pandamonium Publishing House
PUBLISHED: 2025
ISBN: 978-1-998467-47-1
In PETER LITTLE WING AND THE BAY OF ISLANDS, Regan Macaulays’s sequel to PETER LITTLE WING, the first book in the series, the adventures continue for Peter and his friends, old and new, feathered and furred.
This story finds Peter and his cousin, Bess, mistakenly released in the Northland, New Zealand rather than into the wild of the South Island as intended. Peter and Bess are third generation kiwi raised in captivity to see if they can modify their behavior and live in family units which is not typical of their kind. Peter and Bess are doing so well and have finally grown up enough to be released back into the wild to see if they can spread this new way of life among others as part of the kiwi recovery program, a mission to battle their endangerment, in hopes they can pass on this new behavior and create family units of their own to help the tokoeka thrive. However, they are mistakenly released in the wrong place due to confusion from a “storm of destruction” in the exam room of Taraute Springs where they are held for one night. Peter and Bess face many struggles as they’ve been dumped in an area that is not their natural habitat. Angry and territorial Northern brown kiwi as well as a large dog, KurÄ«pango, who has been wreaking havoc on the bird population, are just some of the challenges they face.
Fortunately, Peter’s friend, Onion, had heard Peter’s warning trill of fear and spread the word among their friends of Peter and Bess’s capture and need for saving, and a plan, therefore, was hatched. There are many ups and downs on their recovery adventure to find Peter and Bess, all the while Peter and Bess are on a mission to travel back south and get home to their friends and family. Once again, The Sheep Network and new friends along the way work to try to bring the groups back together in a very special place, called Waitomo Caves. But, will each group be able to reach the meeting place in the face of all the dangers that lie ahead? And, if so, what will it mean for the future of all?
There are so many stories within the story that are so engaging. Macaulay sprinkles beautiful and fun language throughout (“water sparkled like stars falling gently over a cliff,” “we should rattle our dags”), and her voice and language paint a picture of vivid scenery that is easy to imagine. All characters, old and new, are relatable and engaging, and we see much friendship and compassion throughout which is understandable and familiar for children and adults alike.
Macaulay again, as in PETER LITTLE WING, weaves a beautiful story of friendship, family and legacy with beautiful language and vivid imagery, creating a book that is hard to put down. Perfect for middle grade, animal-loving adventurers. Highly recommend!
In addition, the ending hints at possible adventures yet to come which is a delightful way to end leaving readers yearning for the next book in the PETER LITTLE WING series (the first chapter of which is provided).
***DISCLAIMER: I received a PDF copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest review. This review consists of my honest opinions, not influenced in any way by the author. I did not receive any monetary compensation nor any other incentive in exchange for my review.
