Kaho’olawe
The True Story of an Island and Her People
written by Kamalani Hurley
illustrated by Harinani Orme
Millbrook Press, 2025. 32 pages.
Review written February 4, 2026, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
2026 Asian/Pacific American Literature Pasifika Picture Book Award Winner
I read this book because it won the Asian/Pacific American Literature Pasifika Picture Book Award – and I wasn’t prepared to learn a story that’s completely new to me.
It turns out, there’s an island named Kaho’olawe in the middle of the Hawaiian Islands that was used for target practice by the U. S. Navy for over fifty years, beginning the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked.
But this book doesn’t start with that. It begins when the island was formed, and tells us about early settlers and abundant growth on the island. And it tells how, even before the bombs, bringing goats to the island devastated its natural habitat.
Twenty years after the U. S. military took over the island, people started protesting. Many pages of the book are taken up with their brave and peaceful protests to restore and heal the island.
But when the military moves out,
it leaves a terrible mess behind!Debris from the bombings litters the land
where plants and grasses used to grow.
Kaho’olawe’s reefs are covered in red dirt, and
marine animals and plants struggle to live there.Kaho’olawe endures.
The book goes on to tell us about the volunteers who lovingly are still working to restore the island.
There’s a lot of love and hope in this book, with facts backing it all up in smaller print. An inspiring winner.
kamalanihurley.com
harinani.org
Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Nonfiction/kahoolawe.html
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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