Ho‘onani: Hula Warrior
Author: Heather Gale | Illustrator: Mika Song | Hardcover
An empowering celebration of identity, acceptance and Hawaiian culture based on the true story of a young girl in Hawaiʻi who dreams of leading the boys-only hula troupe at her school.
Ho'onani feels in-between. She doesn't see herself as wahine (girl) OR kane (boy). She's happy to be in the middle. But not everyone sees it that way. When Ho'onani finds out that there will be a school performance of a traditional kane hula chant, she wants to be part of it. But can a girl really lead the all-male troupe? Ho'onani has to try . . . Based on a true story, Ho'onani: Hula Warrior is a celebration of Hawaiian culture and an empowering story of a girl who learns to lead and learns to accept who she really is--and in doing so, gains the respect of all those around her. Ho'onani's story first appeared in the documentary A Place in the Middle by filmmakers Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson.
"Heather Gale's prose is buttressed by Mika Song's lovely drawings to make this a wonderfully feel-good story about tradition and difference." -- New York Times
"Boldly outlined watercolor and ink artwork . . . convey visual information with strength that suggests Ho'onani's own. And Gale grounds the child's experience, based on a true story, in Hawaiian traditions, modeling showing 'every person the same unconditional acceptance and respect'." -- STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly
Publisher: Tundra Books | Pub Date: October 01, 2019 | Format: Hardcover | Pages: 40 | Dimensions: 0.4" H x 9.3" L x 11.2" W | 1.12 lbs