Island below the Star

by James Rumford

Long ago there lived, on a tiny island in the South Pacific, five brothers who loved adventure. As little Manu watches, his older brothers prepare for a great journey to find a new island far away under a distant star. Manu hides aboard the canoe and by the time he is discovered, it's too late to turn back. "Make yourself useful," his brothers tell him. But what possible use can gentle Manu be when a great storm hits?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

40 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 1998

About the author

I have been writing, illustrating, and designing children's books since 1996. I am on the verge of self-publishing through books that are printed on demand and via the internet. For more on my children's books, see my website: http://www.jamesrumford.com. I also have a blog about writing and illustrating children's books at http://www.calabashcat.blogspot.com. Besides commercially published books, I run a private letter press company and do limited-edition, handmade books. See more at http://www.manoapress.com. I am interested in foreign languages and in poetry. See my blog "Horace et al." at http://www.jasrumford.blogspot.com. I live in Honolulu with my wife.

Reviews

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is designed to explain how Polynesians sailed to the Hawaiian Islands some 1500 years ago. It's the story of 5 brothers, the youngest but a boy, and each of whom personifies some aspect of navigational technology of the time. Hoku represents the sun, moon, and stars, Na'ale represents the sea and ocean currents, 'Opua represents the clouds, Makani the wind, and young Manu the birds. All these things are believed to have helped the Polynesians sail across the Pacific to other islands. This story describes how it might have happened. The watercolor illustrations were perfect for the story; my favorite is the picture of the islands at dusk on the dedication page. Beautiful! An interesting story. Recommended.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful watercolors!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An origin story of Hawaii with five brothers who represent the sea, clouds, etc. very nice book. The kids enjoyed me reading it too.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The origin story of Hawaii accompanied by beautiful watercolor illustrations. We appreciated the informative authors note on how Polynesian explorers traveled thousands of years ago.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifuuly illustrated.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smooth-flowing narrative that tells an interesting story, watercolor pictures that are expressive and work well with the tale and author's notes that tell more about the true historical aspects of the Polynesian explorers that came to settle the Hawaiian islands...they all combine to make a fascintating book that is fictional, but likely to be true in many aspects. We really enjoyed this book.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Youngest of five brothers gets to be a hero to his older brothers....nice. Beautiful illustrations.