July 2026 - Kamalani Hurley

After a full day of travel, Tim and I finally landed in Chicago for the American Librarians Association (ALA) Convention to be held the weekend of June 26 through the 28. Kaho’olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People, illustrated by Harinani Orme, was being honored with the APALA (Asian Pacific ALA) Pasifika Picture Book Award! Hundreds of vendors and thousands of people filled the vast McCormick Center. On our first day, we made a beeline to Lerner’s exhibition space where I finally met my dream editor, Carol Hinz, in person! I got to meet authors I’ve followed for years, including Carole Boston Weatherford (Unspeakable), Miranda Paul (One Plastic Bag), Jilanne Hoffman (The Ocean’s Heart) and illustrator Lauren Tamaki (Seen and Unseen), as well as new friends Calvin Alexander Ramsey (The Library in the Woods) and Florence Migga (Summer Scrapbook.)

The whirlwind weekend culminated in the awards banquet at the New Furama at Chicago’s historic Chinatown. The restaurant reminded me of home, and so it was the perfect venue for what felt like a family reunion rather than a formal banquet. The space was filled with so much aloha, thanks to our new friends. A very special mahalo to the team at Lerner Books, who were there to cheer us every step of the way: Carol Hinz, Adam and Maryann Lerner, Andy Cummings, Megan Ciskowski, and Lindsay Matvick.

Harinani and I are so thankful for the honors our book has received. Our hope is that more kids will learn the story of Kahoʻolawe and how the little island and her people continue to thrive.

Please enjoy a few photos from the convention. Mahalo nui!

After a full day of travel (10 hours!) from Honolulu, we finally arrived at the ALA Convention in Chicago!
What a thrill for Harinani and me to meet our amazing editor, Carol Hinz, for the first time.
Executive VP Andy Cummings, Editor Carol Hinz, me, author Calvin Ramsey, and Harinani Orme at Lerner’s Exhibition Space at ALA Chicago 2026. So excited to be here!
As you can tell, I was so happy to finally meet Carol Hinz, who helped bring this book to life. She is even more warm and gracious in person than she is in our Zoom calls.
It was a joy to meet author Florence Migga. Here she’s getting read for her first book signing for Summer Scrapbook.
Just some of my favorite pins from the ALA convention. Librarians are superheroes!
Meeting one of my idols, Carole Boston Weatherford was another highlight of the trip. Ms. Weatherford’s picture book, Unspeakable, inspired me to tell Kaho’olawe’s story.
Tim was amazing. He was so helpful — carrying books, taking photos, sitting in the worse seats on the Uber so others would be comfortable, patiently waiting (and waiting and waiting) for me — and so it’s no wonder everyone pretty much fell in love with him.
The highlight of the trip was receiving the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) Pasifika Picture Book Award. The awards banquet was fun! It was held at a Chinese banquet hall on the edge of Chinatown, and honestly, it felt familiar and comfortable, like being back home. Mahalo nunui, APALA!
Dream Team! Harinani and me with Art Director Danielle Carnito and Editor Carol Hinz (mahalo for the photo, Carol)
Signing books, talking story, and sharing laughs and hugs — the best way to end the convention before heading home to Hawai’i. Mahalo nui loa to Lerner, ALA and APALA for the wonderful weekend! (photo from Carol)