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Puanani and the Volcano
Kilauea's eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii affected an elementary school girl Puanani. It is her encouraging this meaningful story that shows Puanani turning her feelings of helplessness about the lava flowing into the ocean into a dogged determination to save as much sea life as possible—especially the turtles. Her persistence inspires her family and canoe club to help her in the quest to make beaches and shorelines a cleaner and safer place for the animals and people who love them.
"Puanani and the Volcano" is a Montaigne Medal Finalist!
Each year, the Eric Hoffer Award presents the Montaigne Medal to the most thought-provoking books. These are books that either illuminate, progress, or redirect thought. The Montaigne Medal is given in honor of the great French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, who influenced people such as William Shakespeare, René Descartes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Eric Hoffer. This is an additional distinction beneath the Eric Hoffer Award umbrella.
"Puanani and the Volcano" is a National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA) Finalist!
The National Indie Excellence® Awards celebrate independent publishing as a strong and vital sector of our industry. Recognizing excellence in all aspects of the final presentation, NIEA champions self-publishers and the independent presses who produce the highest quality books across a spectrum of metrics. Established in 2005, NIEA’s entrants are meticulously judged by experts from various facets of the book industry profession including publishers, editors, authors and designers.
After the 2018 eruption of the Kilauea volcano, a young girl organizes a beach cleanup in this debut illustrated chapter book for kids ages 5 to 8. Puanani, a brown-skinned Hawaiian elementary schooler who loves turtles, is feeling nervous about giving a science presentation to her class. Then a mysterious earthquake interrupts the day’s lessons. After the students emerge from under their desks, school ends for the day. Puanani and her brother, Kua, learn from the night’s news reports that Kilauea is erupting and sending lava into the sea. Both of them are afraid until their parents talk with them about how to stay safe if another earthquake strikes. Puanani gives her science presentation without a hitch the next day, but she’s sad when a park ranger at Volcano Park later tells her that Kilauea’s lava kills sea life, including the turtles she loves, as it spills into the sea. She’s also unhappy to hear that people cause more harm to the sea than volcanoes—she wants turtles and other creatures to have “a clean place to live”—and sees refuse like fish hooks and partial fishnets along a shoreline that she and her family visit. Puanani begins to pick up trash and eventually gets help from her parents and a hui wa’a (canoe club) after she plucks up the nerve to speak to its board. Young readers interested in sea life and volcanic activity will appreciate paragraphs detailing lava flow, and others may enjoy learning the italicized Hawaiian words that occur throughout the text and are defined in a box at the beginning of each short chapter. Bright, full-color illustrations depict key scenes; most adults and children are shown with different shades of brown skin and dark hair. For high drama, look elsewhere—but a diverse cast and contemporary setting set this book apart from other volcano books.
Ashley Guerrero
Puanani became her own hero in this book. She started as a shy girl who was scared of presenting a science presentation in front of her class. When disaster strikes and earthquakes begin to occur over and over again, Puanani had to overcome another fear. The book describes how earthquakes happen and why. It also is a touching story of a young girl who stands up for what she believes in.
Jini Clausen
After the 2018 eruption of the Kilauea volcano, a young girl organizes a beach cleanup in this debut illustrated chapter book for kids ages 5 to 8. Puanani, a brown-skinned Hawaiian elementary schooler who loves turtles, is feeling nervous about giving a science presentation to her class. Then a mysterious earthquake interrupts the day’s lessons. After the students emerge from under their desks, school ends for the day. Puanani and her brother, Kua, learn from the night’s news reports that Kilauea is erupting and sending lava into the sea. Both of them are afraid until their parents talk with them about how to stay safe if another earthquake strikes. Puanani gives her science presentation without a hitch the next day, but she’s sad when a park ranger at Volcano Park later tells her that Kilauea’s lava kills sea life, including the turtles she loves, as it spills into the sea. She’s also unhappy to hear that people cause more harm to the sea than volcanoes—she wants turtles and other creatures to have “a clean place to live”—and sees refuse like fish hooks and partial fishnets along a shoreline that she and her family visit. Puanani begins to pick up trash and eventually gets help from her parents and a hui wa’a (canoe club) after she plucks up the nerve to speak to its board. Young readers interested in sea life and volcanic activity will appreciate paragraphs detailing lava flow, and others may enjoy learning the italicized Hawaiian words that occur throughout the text and are defined in a box at the beginning of each short chapter. Bright, full-color illustrations depict key scenes; most adults and children are shown with different shades of brown skin and dark hair. For high drama, look elsewhere—but a diverse cast and contemporary setting set this book apart from other volcano books. Kirkus Reviews Puanani became her own hero in this book. She started as a shy girl who was scared of presenting a science presentation in front of her class. When disaster strikes and earthquakes begin to occur over and over again, Puanani had to overcome another fear. The book describes how earthquakes happen and why. It also is a touching story of a young girl who stands up for what she believes in. Ashley Guerrero NetGalley Reviewer I think this is a great book for young people who feel they are too helpless to do anything in their local communities, yet care about the world and people around them. What I also like about the book is that in each opening chapter, it prepares the reader for Hawaiian terms that will be used in it. Great—especially for young environmentalists! Chidi Onyekwere NetGalley Reviewer This was super cute. The illustrations are simple, but fun, and go with the story well. I loved how it showed how one person can really make a difference when they care about something. And I liked the Hawaiian vocab thrown in too!
Chidi Onyekwere
I think this is a great book for young people who feel they are too helpless to do anything in their local communities, yet care about the world and people around them. What I also like about the book is that in each opening chapter, it prepares the reader for Hawaiian terms that will be used in it. Great—especially for young environmentalists!
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