Aloha Everything
Written by Kaylin Melia George ● Illustrated by Mae Waite
Verdict:
A brightly colored fantasia of flowers, animals, landscapes, and island life that celebrates life, tradition, and language in Hawaii.
What is it about?
Since the day that Ano was born, she has felt connected to her island home. But this adventurous child has a lot to learn! When Ano begins to dance hula — a storytelling dance form that carries the knowledge, history, and folklore of the Hawaiian people — Ano comes to understand the true meaning of aloha.
Our take:
This beautiful book is a vibrant, brightly colored fantasia of flowers, animals, landscapes, and life. Its pages are printed on high-quality paper, and the dust jacket is a textured, gilded symphony of shapes, alive with movement, light and shadow, and the meeting of sea, sky, and land.
Some pages include text, while others unfold into spreads of pure, energetic color, depicting life in all its forms — large and small, on land and in the sea — along with the creatures’ stunning natural habitats. It’s the kind of book to be savored slowly, inviting readers and young listeners to explore both the imagery and the story during over the course of many readings.
The author incorporates native Hawaiian words and includes a helpful glossary at the end for clarity. Having grown up within this culture, Kaylin Melia George tells the story from a place of personal experience and deep feeling. The illustrator, who also lived on the islands, uses eye-popping colors and generously detailed compositions to create a warm, enveloping visual world.
Perfect fit for:
Parents and teachers will find this book a helpful launching point for study of Hawaii and other island cultures. Readers of almost any age will find this book interesting on several levels, quiet study of the pictures, engaged discussion of the text, or developing a knowledge of a people, their history, and way of life. It could also be a lovely way to introduce a bit of language study. The back of the book has a basic introduction to the formation of the Hawaiian language, its alphabet, and pronunciation.
Conversation Starters
Where is Hawaii? Let's find it on a map.
Let's look at Hawaii’s alphabet. How is it different from the alphabet used in English. What letters are added? Are some letters not there? How is the pronunciation different?
What are all the things the word “Aloha” can mean?
Do you know the story of your ancestors? Let's look at where they came from, what they did and thought.
What sorts of things do you need to learn as you grow up?
What kinds of things should we be able to do by hand?
Why is telling stories and reading books so important, even though there are machines that can make entertainment for us?
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