Pick up any pop­u­lar chil­dren’s book in Hawai’i, and chances are that it is illus­trat­ed by Yuko Green. The award-win­ning author/illustrator of dozens of chil­dren’s pic­ture and activ­i­ty books, Yuko’s mixed-media art­work is unmis­tak­able with its vibrant col­ors and delight­ful sub­jects that chil­dren love. Her work cel­e­brates the peo­ple, nature, and tra­di­tions of our islands. We are so pleased to talk sto­ry with Yuko Green today.

Native Hawaiian/Guamanian author Cather­ine Payne lives by the ancient Chamor­ro mak­ing things right. An impor­tant part of inafaʻ maolek is that the whole com­mu­ni­ty, not just the nuclear fam­i­ly, is respon­si­ble for rais­ing healthy, hap­py chil­dren. The author of five chil­dren’s books, Cathy believes that pic­ture books can be key to open­ing con­ver­sa­tions between chil­dren and grown-ups. We cer­tain­ly agree. Wel­come, Cathy, to our talk story! 

Native Hawai­ian author Megan Kamalei Kaki­mo­to is a rare lit­er­ary gem: a sto­ry­teller of YA and adult sub­ject mat­ter that is authen­ti­cal­ly root­ed in Native Hawai­ian life expe­ri­ences. Her USA Today Nation­al Best­seller, Every Drop is a Man’s Night­mare, is a short sto­ry col­lec­tion that review­ers describe as “pow­er­ful com­ing-of-age sto­ries,” “rich and wise, hum­ming with con­fi­dence,” and “a blaz­ing, rau­cous jour­ney through con­tem­po­rary Hawai­ian iden­ti­ty and wom­an­hood.” We are so pleased to talk sto­ry with Megan today.

Artist Mae Waite is a mas­ter of col­or and tex­ture. She loves to exper­i­ment with a vari­ety of tech­niques and sur­faces. Work­ing in ink, oils, acrylics, and water­col­ors, Maeʻs work is a bold expres­sion of the world around her. “I cre­ate for myself and for you,” she writes. We are so pleased to fea­ture our talk sto­ry with Mae Waite.