"This book is about a bird's life cycle," said 8-year-old Paige Conley after reading Toroa's Journey.
"It has good describing words and interesting facts. I like the pictures, they look like paintings," Paige said.
Toroa's name means "albatross" in Maori and he is not a fictional bird but was in fact the 500th chick hatched at the Taiaroa Head colony near Dunedin.
The book's author Maria Gill, and illustrator Gavin Mouldey will be at Paige's Book Gallery in Whanganui this Sunday.
"This will be the first time Maria and I will meet in person," said Mouldey from his home in Raumati.
"We first met online as part of a writer/illustrator project called The Sketchbook.
"When Maria was ready to write the book, she asked me to illustrate it."
Kapiti is his current home but the artist has lived and worked in many parts of the world. But it all started at the Wanganui Chronicle when he was still a school boy and his mother Beryl was a proof reader at the paper.
"Mum helped me get a part-time job as an illustrator and I also did work for Tearaway magazine.
"I was inspired and went on to get a Waikato degree at the Wanganui School of Design."
Gill has been touring in the South Island where she is promoting another of her books Abel Tasman: Mapping the Southern Lands.
"I am looking forward to coming to Whanganui and presenting Toroa's Journey with Gavin for the first time.
"I really wanted him to illustrate the book because I knew he could do very good ocean and underwater scenery."
Gill said she obtained Department of Conservation permission to spend time at Taiaroa Head when Toroa was a chick in 2007 and returned after the bird arrived back from his long overseas journey in 2014.
Maria Gill and Gavin Mouldey will talk about their own journeys to produce their book at Paige's Book Gallery, 60 Guyton St at 2pm this Sunday, November 19.