Emergency preparedness storybooks

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'You Ready?' series

The You Ready? series follows a group of friends as they face dangerous weather events and natural disasters. From cyclones and tornadoes to flash floods and thunderstorms, the children use their quick thinking, knowledge and resilience to prepare for and stay safe in emergencies. The characters take you to different communities – Māori, Samoan, Hindi and Chinese – and teach you how to get ready too.

Tāwhirimātea’s Tornado
Te Reo Māori + English
Tāwhirimātea’s Tornado
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It’s a sunny Saturday at the market and Aniwa and her whānau are excited to dig into their mussel fritters. But their plans are quickly derailed when Tāwhirimātea, the God of Weather, decides to cause some mischief. The wind starts to pick up, rain begins to fall, and soon, a tornado is headed straight for the market. Will the whānau know what to do to stay safe and protect themselves from the force of Tāwhirimātea’s tornado?

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Surviving the flood
Hindi + English
Surviving the flood
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It’s been raining for days and Navtej, his family, and their dog Charlie have been stuck at home. But things are about to get much worse – the weather forecast says a flash flood might occur! When the creek behind their house keeps rising, they need to act fast to keep everyone safe. Have they prepared well enough? Will they know what to do and make it through the flood?

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Lupe and the mango tree
Samoan + English
Lupe and the mango tree
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It’s their baby brother’s birthday, and Lupe and Kitiona are picking mangoes from their Great-grandma’s tree. Suddenly, the sky turns dark, the wind starts to blow and thunder rumbles in the distance. A cyclone is on its way, and Lupe and her family must act fast to stay safe. Will they know what to do and how to stay safe in the cyclone?

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Adventures with the Weather Gods
Chinese + English
Adventures with the Weather Gods
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It’s Chinese New Year and Yun Chen and his friends are flying their kites. Giant stingrays, dragons, centipedes, and even jellyfish are swooping across the sky. But the children’s celebration takes a turn when the Weather Gods decide to add some excitement of their own. They send wind, rain and lightning down to earth, and the friends must think quickly to stay safe. Will they make it through the storm or will the Weather Gods take things too far?

Useful resources:

 

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Rūaumoko's Walk

Rūaumoko's Walk is a bi-lingual children’s book based on Kahungunu legends and dialect telling the story of what to do in an earthquake with a subsequent tsunami threat. It was developed by representatives from Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group, Ministry of Education and Te Puni Kōkiri, Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated, Te Ūranga Waka at the Eastern Institute of Technology, and Kahungunu Kōhanga Reo Tari.

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More resources

What's the Plan Stan? Activity Book: Help your children learn about and prepare for emergencies by downloading this fun kids book filled with lots of great activities from colouring-in to word searches.

Play What's the Plan Stan? Game: Get your emergency kit together, watch out for hazards and find out what to do in an emergency with this What's the Plan Stan? game.

  • For more resources in different languages, visit our resources library and filter by language.