The Biggest Kiwi in the World by Colleen Brown

Originally carved to keep New Zealand troops busy while they waited for the ships to take them home after World War I, this book tells the story of the world's biggest kiwi. The kiwi was carved into the chalky slopes of Beacon Hill, above Sling Camp in Southern England in 1919. 

Readers follow Danny Fisher, his granddaughter, Pru, and his dog Kiwi as they walk the hillside together. Fisher, a British soldier, used to run up Beacon Hill with his dog each day. He saw the state of the giant kiwi and got his men to 'clean' it up before they were posted to Turkey in 1980. The British government made the Bulford Kiwi a scheduled monument in 2017 to honour the New Zealand soldiers who fought in Belgium.

Author Colleen Brown uses Fisher to narrate the story, bringing a part of history to life for another generation. Brown intended to write this story more than a decade ago, but her research side-tracked her to produce The Bulford Kiwi; The Kiwi Left Behind. The Biggest Kiwi in the World is the children's version of that story.

There is a lot of information in this creative nonfiction picture book. The end pages include a little quiz of objects soldiers might fit into their backpacks, while a section at the back highlights more about the Bulford Kiwi and the people involved in its creation and restoration. Photographs, diagrams and timelines are included, as are QR codes which direct readers to videos about the monument.

Illustrator Emma Lay uses colour in a simple yet effective way to tell the story visually. She moves readers through time using sepia images, while Fisher and his granddaughter exist in the present world in full colour.

It's an informative and interesting read about the kiwi emblem and an important part of our collective history.

Reviewer: Rebekah Lyell

Colleen Brown Books