“Thoughtful, informative, monumental” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Reviewed in the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books at Johns Hopkins University - May 16, 2022:

Drawn from script and artwork of Kapaemahu, the 2020 animated short by the same name, this dual text retelling of a traditional tale explains the origins of a group of sacred stones buried beneath the tourist development of Waikiki.

Centuries ago, four healers arrived from Tahiti. “They were not male. They were not female. They were mahu—a mixture of both in mind, heart, and spirit.” Their kindness and skill made them beloved by the people of Waikiki, and in gratitude the islanders erected four stone monuments, into which the healers transferred their powers and their mahu spirit. The mahu disappeared, but the stones remained sacred until missionaries, colonists, and tourists altered indigenous folkways and landscape, and the stones passed into legend. When they were rediscovered at the site of a bowling alley demolition, much of their story was recovered from oral and written sources. While the stones themselves were moved to a protected site, their mahu spiritual significance was suppressed, and visitors eager to learn their destination’s indigenous history are presented an edited version.

Daniel Sousa’s illustrations portray the healers as chiseled, monumental forms reminiscent of the stones that house their spirits; the inky shadows and rich red-gold light of the ancient tale contrasts dramatically with the sand-reflected brightness of modern Waikiki. In thoughtful, informative end notes, Wong-Kalu comments on their mahu identity, their choice of Olelo Niihau for the bilingual text, and the source material for the film and book.