BOOKS FROM NEW ZEALANDBeak of the Moon
Description:
Beak of the Moon was the bestselling novel of 1981, an instant classic that has since been described as 'unique in New Zealand literature'. Using kea as characters, the book is deeply and authentically rooted in this famous alpine parrot's raucous lifestyle and Southern Alps environment. In the remote valley of Kawee, the timeless world of the kea is suddenly disrupted when strange wingless birds appear. The destruction they bring causes hardship and corruption to kea society and forces young Strongbeak to flee the tyrannical boss Highfeather. Inspired by the prophecies of the great yellow kea, Glintamber, Strongbeak leads a group of rebellious young birds in a quest for a new world beyond the mountains. They seek adventure and discovery but instead become involved in farce and tragedy before they discover freedom in an unexpected way. In Beak of the Moon, Philip Temple has given us more than a great novel. It is a celebratory parable of the natural world of which we are all a part, a realm of myth for all to love and treasure.
Reviews:
(3 months ago) |
10 Feb, 2026
Come for the kea, stay for the allegory
Picture the kea, the large, dark-greenish parrot living in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. See them hopping and sidling and strutting. Hear their raucous screeches as they peer and peck and pry, investigating everything they encounter, especially anything new. Now imagine the kea talking with each other, as you read the saga of one particular flock. This is the surface of the book.
I first read Beak of the Moon as a child, but it is only a kids story to the same extent that Animal Farm is a kids story. It is red in beak and claw, with several layers of allegory.
Most reviewers have pointed out the obvious comparison with Watership Down, but the two books are also as different as a garrulous and rowdy mountain parrot is different to a rabbit.
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