Moko the dolphin remembered in children's book

Mahia's famous dolphin is immortalised in print with a Moko picture book just released and a book of stories and photos planned for next year.
Gisborne's Andrea Skuse had been thinking about writing a children's book for years and when husband Matt suggested Moko would make a great subject she started with enthusiasm.
Two years of work sees Moko the Dolphin on shelves, and the feedback has been good with 1200 sold in the first week.
"A lot of people come up to say well done and thanks for writing the book," Mrs Skuse said. "Some have bought them to send overseas for relatives who visited and swam with Moko."
Her three children, aged five to nine, were editors and critics and Mrs Skuse asked her daughter Emily, 9, to read it aloud so she would know it flowed well.
The couple self-published the book so there was no compromising. Designed at their graphic design business and locally published everything had to meet Mrs Skuse's own standards.
"If there was something that wasn't quite right I would go away and have a think," she said. "By the time I let it go I was completely happy. I'm really thrilled with the way it turned out."
Illustrated by a friend who lives in Spain, words swirl around waves and Moko grins from the page.
"There are so many anecdotes, I wasn't short of things to write about," Mrs Skuse said.
The story was started while Moko was in Mahia and she originally hoped to write further stories as the dolphin's adventures continued. The dolphin's death this year changed that and while the story ends happily, a note at the back explains what happened. "It's a sad ending, but he will be remembered and immortalised in the book."
Another author is looking for help putting together a book about Moko, this one a collection of stories and photos.
Whakatane's Val Bird and Nikki Slade Robinson are compiling a book titled In Love with Moko and hoped to collect pieces from those who remember him.
"Whenever I heard Moko was visiting I would go down and sit and watch him," Mrs Bird said. The book would span everywhere Moko visited and would include parts about his life and about dolphins.
A portion of the proceeds of the book would go to WWF which was involved in dolphin conservation and marine ecology. Anyone with stories to share could contact Val Bird on thebirds@xtra.co.nz or phone 07 308 4133.