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كلب الرعي المنشطر: أساطير وحكايات خيالية من نيوزيلندا
" مرحبًا بكم في نيوزيلندا ذات الأساطير والحكايات الخيالية... أرض الزوارق الوهمية ، والقاع المتداعية، والمغامرات الرومانسية في الأيام السالفة لصيد الحيتان، وكلاب الرعي السحرية، وجراد البحر العماق. هنا يوجد بلد نصف مألوف، ونصف مُتخيَّل، حيث يصير الماضي غريبًا وجديدًا. فلتخطُ إلى الشاطئ، واعتبر نفسك في بيتك. كما هو الحال مع الحكايات الشعبية في جميع أنحاء العالم، فإن الروايات الواردة في هذا الكتاب هي نتاج آسر للخيال البشري. إنها حكايات خالدة، ومذهلة، بل عجيبة حتى، وتعكس بعضًا من أعمق آمالنا ومخاوفنا، وعاوة عى ذلك تبقينا مسحورين"
160 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2024
1 person is currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Michael Brown
4 books8 followersMichael Brown writes about New Zealand music, digital culture, and vernacular culture. He lives in Lower Hutt.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 11, 2018
The Heading Do Who Split in Half is a charming Book that retells select examples from New Zealand's rich history of tall tales and local folklore in whimsical chapters.
How does the story work?
The Book, as a Graphic Novel, relays these folk tales in a visual medium. Functioning as an Anthology (collection of stories), the Book is broken down in to chapters that relay each tall tale in its own independent segment with an epilogue; the epilogues in this instance act as both a resolution act and an educated guess on how that particular part of Kiwi folklore came to be.
All chapters of the Book are written and illustrated by the same Writer and Artist team, with an introduction and epilogue/bibliography that is, again, curated by the same aforementioned team.
What works?
Let's start at the beginning: The Book design and layout are beautiful, equally so. The Graphic Novel is in the oversized European tabloid size with beautifully illustrated covers. The design and content to the introduction is attractive on the large-sized pages and sets a professional pace for the contents of the Book to follow.
The stories are complete within their own chapters, reaching a resolution in an epilogue given to each folktale; this is achieved in such a way as to not over-bloat the story nor to leave anything to the imagination at the same time. An educated guess is made as to the origins to each tale in each epilogue, but in such a finessed way as to not be spoon-feeding information to a captive audience.
The illustration is beautiful, not just in the chapters/stories, but also in the wonderful illustrated chapter divider pages.
A fair divide between Maori and Pakeha (White New Zealander) folklore is dished out in the Book and, as a result, The Heading Dog Who Split in Half feels like an even keel of Aotearoa's (New Zealand) cultural folktales.
What doesn't work?
This Book is very difficult to find any fault with. The only real fault to be found is that the Book's length feels a little short by the time you get to the end, seeming to end just as you're getting really stuck in to the quirkier myths of New Zealand's history.
The Verdict
An absolute must-read for anyone who's a fan of quirky stories and folklore alike. If that sounds like you, then be sure to grab a copy.
How does the story work?
The Book, as a Graphic Novel, relays these folk tales in a visual medium. Functioning as an Anthology (collection of stories), the Book is broken down in to chapters that relay each tall tale in its own independent segment with an epilogue; the epilogues in this instance act as both a resolution act and an educated guess on how that particular part of Kiwi folklore came to be.
All chapters of the Book are written and illustrated by the same Writer and Artist team, with an introduction and epilogue/bibliography that is, again, curated by the same aforementioned team.
What works?
Let's start at the beginning: The Book design and layout are beautiful, equally so. The Graphic Novel is in the oversized European tabloid size with beautifully illustrated covers. The design and content to the introduction is attractive on the large-sized pages and sets a professional pace for the contents of the Book to follow.
The stories are complete within their own chapters, reaching a resolution in an epilogue given to each folktale; this is achieved in such a way as to not over-bloat the story nor to leave anything to the imagination at the same time. An educated guess is made as to the origins to each tale in each epilogue, but in such a finessed way as to not be spoon-feeding information to a captive audience.
The illustration is beautiful, not just in the chapters/stories, but also in the wonderful illustrated chapter divider pages.
A fair divide between Maori and Pakeha (White New Zealander) folklore is dished out in the Book and, as a result, The Heading Dog Who Split in Half feels like an even keel of Aotearoa's (New Zealand) cultural folktales.
What doesn't work?
This Book is very difficult to find any fault with. The only real fault to be found is that the Book's length feels a little short by the time you get to the end, seeming to end just as you're getting really stuck in to the quirkier myths of New Zealand's history.
The Verdict
An absolute must-read for anyone who's a fan of quirky stories and folklore alike. If that sounds like you, then be sure to grab a copy.
August 15, 2020
Entertaining tale tales and myths from Aotearoa depicted in short graphic stories. With added background info to the stories and their provenance, this is a great way to get familiar with some old tales - who knows some might even have a sliver of truth to them!
July 6, 2019
A visually stunning book with intriguing stories from New Zealand folklore. Michael Brown's research into the country's recent mythology has led to a entertaining collection of short stories that lend themselves well to the graphic novel medium. His tales are complemented well by Mat Tait's stunning artwork that include several striking double-page spreads. The illustrations are detailed and provide interesting perspectives and framing of action that enhance the stories.
May 8, 2020
Great collection of Kiwi folktales. They run the gamut from silly to serious, and the illustrations are quite good if you have a taste for black-and-white comics.
My copy of the book wasn't quite bound right (the cover and inside weren't aligned), but I think it was only $10, so cheap and well worth reading.
My copy of the book wasn't quite bound right (the cover and inside weren't aligned), but I think it was only $10, so cheap and well worth reading.
May 3, 2016
Really enjoyed these tall tales from NZ. Loved the graphics.
June 24, 2019
Great book.
May 15, 2022
A hard case yarn.
Funny tall tales that you can imagine a Kiwi joker enjoying telling.
The heading do g who split in half - always fresh as just turn him up the other way to keep him running
The Priness and the Come-Shore Whaler - interesting story relating to local Wairarapa history and Jury Island.
Tunnel beach in Dunedin - been there and fun to think of this story.
Loved the Tale of old Waihi and the Crayfish - using the eyeballs as bowling balls, the tail as a cradle and the body shell as a dunny with useful spikey hooks for toilet paper.
The phantom canoe - very interesting story about Lake Tarawera just prior to the Eruption. Te Paea Hinerangi referenced.
Funny tall tales that you can imagine a Kiwi joker enjoying telling.
The heading do g who split in half - always fresh as just turn him up the other way to keep him running
The Priness and the Come-Shore Whaler - interesting story relating to local Wairarapa history and Jury Island.
Tunnel beach in Dunedin - been there and fun to think of this story.
Loved the Tale of old Waihi and the Crayfish - using the eyeballs as bowling balls, the tail as a cradle and the body shell as a dunny with useful spikey hooks for toilet paper.
The phantom canoe - very interesting story about Lake Tarawera just prior to the Eruption. Te Paea Hinerangi referenced.
November 11, 2015
"The Heading Dog Who Spilt in Half" is a charming blend of tall tales, shanties and legends from New Zealand, all bound up in a visually pleasing collection. The tales themselves are simple and narrated in a light, yarn-like style, complemented well by the stark black and white lineart of the images. Some of the illustrations are a little ghoulish - there's a bag of scattered limbs on one page, the cross-section of the heading dog (that was split in half) on another. All are wonderfully rendered.
This is an insight into New Zealand history that you do not normally read in the text books - although there is one well-known tale here: the story of the "Phantom Canoe", the ghost waka on Lake Tarawera that was sighted before the 1886 eruption. Other inclusions range from the sorrowful (and slightly fanciful) story behind The Cliffs and Tunnel Beach of Dunedin, to the bittersweet romance between a Maori princess and a whaler, a tale woven together in the 1960s from an 1830 legend. We have several songs - a sea shanty (Ranzo) and a pub song (The Day the Pub Burned Down), both brought to life with the lively, sometimes darkly humour, illustrations. A yarn about the giant crayfish (koura) in "A Tale of Old Waihi" and, of course, "The Heading Dog" of the title, hwo was split in half and stuck back together again.
And, if you want to know a bit more about the story behind the story, the appendixes offer further details, along with information on the source material. Within themselves they are also a greater insight into our more fanciful history.
Overall, this is an engaging and appealing read that should connect the youth and urbanite adults of today with our heritage, weaving together the Maori and the Pakeha, with a hearty dose of the colonial English. It is a part of our heritage that has long been overlooked - with most myths and legends concentrating on the rich and elaborate Maori culture - and one that has still contributed to make New Zealand what it is today. I hope there are more to come!
This is an insight into New Zealand history that you do not normally read in the text books - although there is one well-known tale here: the story of the "Phantom Canoe", the ghost waka on Lake Tarawera that was sighted before the 1886 eruption. Other inclusions range from the sorrowful (and slightly fanciful) story behind The Cliffs and Tunnel Beach of Dunedin, to the bittersweet romance between a Maori princess and a whaler, a tale woven together in the 1960s from an 1830 legend. We have several songs - a sea shanty (Ranzo) and a pub song (The Day the Pub Burned Down), both brought to life with the lively, sometimes darkly humour, illustrations. A yarn about the giant crayfish (koura) in "A Tale of Old Waihi" and, of course, "The Heading Dog" of the title, hwo was split in half and stuck back together again.
And, if you want to know a bit more about the story behind the story, the appendixes offer further details, along with information on the source material. Within themselves they are also a greater insight into our more fanciful history.
Overall, this is an engaging and appealing read that should connect the youth and urbanite adults of today with our heritage, weaving together the Maori and the Pakeha, with a hearty dose of the colonial English. It is a part of our heritage that has long been overlooked - with most myths and legends concentrating on the rich and elaborate Maori culture - and one that has still contributed to make New Zealand what it is today. I hope there are more to come!
December 2, 2015
What a cool and interesting book! The author and artist have chosen seven urban legends I guess you could call them, from New Zealand history. A particular favourite for me was The Phantom Canoe. Anyone who comes from the Rotorua area will know this legend and the story always gives me goose bumps so of course I loved the depiction of the phantom canoe and its unearthly paddlers. I recommend this if you enjoy reading a good old yarn from Aotearoa.
April 14, 2017
Some of the art work was really strong and nicely rendered and I thought it really brought across the rural Kiwi feel to the text. I think a drawback with this book was the actual stories themselves. I understand they are traditional tales and the point of this book is about celebrating and preserving these stories in a tangible and enjoyable form, so that is no criticism to the people responsible for this book, which I enjoyed and would recommend.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews