Books
written by Kamalani Hurley
illustrated by Harinani Orme
Millbrook Press, 4 February 2025
ISBN 979–8765605011
ages 7 and older
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Hardcover
Kaho’olawe
The True Story of an Island and Her People
In the middle of the great Pacific Ocean is a little island. Her name is Kanaloa Kaho‘olawe.
Discover the story of an island sacred to Native Hawaiians. Beginning with her birth in a volcanic eruption, Kaho‘olawe thrives surrounded by animals on land and in the sea. When Polynesian voyagers arrive and begin to raise their families there, the island is happy. As the years pass, invasive goats devastate the ecosystem, and during World War II and the decades that follow, the US military claims the island for target practice. Kaho‘olawe is hurt. Yet activists never give up on the island, and they finally succeed in reclaiming her.
Kaho‘olawe endures.
Author Kamalani Hurley and illustrator Harinani Orme present the remarkable story of the smallest Hawaiian island, encompassing loss and erasure, sacrifice and dedication, and ultimately restoration, highlighting hope, resilience, and aloha ‘āina (deep love of the land).
- The author has pledged 100 percent of her proceeds from sales of this book to the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana.
Awards and Recognition
- Junior Library Guild Gold Standard