Books

  A stun­ning­ly beau­ti­ful book that tells the sto­ry of destruc­tion, dev­as­ta­tion, and resilience, of both the human and nat­ur­al world. Kaho‘olawe is a small island in the Pacif­ic that has sur­vived a string of man­made dis­as­ters. With the help of sci­ence and the care of ded­i­cat­ed humans, the island is recov­er­ing. From import­ed inva­sive species, to war and envi­ron­men­tal degra­da­tion, Kaho‘olawe has faced a range of threats to its very sur­vival. A deep love and ded­i­ca­tion to the island’s his­to­ry and cul­ture com­pelled activists and vol­un­teers to invest time and ener­gy to rebuild and pro­tect the island’s ecosys­tem. The art­work tells the sto­ry in dra­mat­ic, com­pelling, and beau­ti­ful ways. Togeth­er, text and art will engage read­ers from the first page. Ani­mal lovers will lose them­selves in the fas­ci­nat­ing depic­tions of the island’s wildlife, and stu­dents of his­to­ry will be enthralled with the role the island played in WWII and sub­se­quent decades. VERDICT Suit­ed for class­rooms and browsers, this is an excel­lent choice across the cur­ric­u­la and a win­ner across the board. (Dar­by Wal­lace, School Library Jour­nal, starred review)