Joy S. Au

This picture book tells uses Hawaiian words to describe aspects of Hawaiian culture. I admit that I originally picked it up because I wanted to see if it stayed true to Native Hawaiian culture. It does a successful job of conveying cultural practices that may be unfamiliar to many people. I give it full points for it's persistent use of Hawaiian words throughout the story. If the reader doe not know the Hawaiian words, there is a glossary at the back of the book. I would use this book as a mentor text to teach literacy skills. Many children who are learning to read don't know the strategy of reading the context to find the meaning of an unfamiliar word. This book gives students an excellent opportunity to discover word meaning by looking at the pictures and reading the English words surrounding the Hawaiian words. Reading level: Grades 4 to 6… (mere)