Beyond 'Ohi'a Valley: Adventures in a Hawaiian Rainforest

by Lisa Matsumoto, Michael Furuya (illustrator)

Beyond Ohia Valley is a wonderful book filled with rich illustrations, and engaging text. Matsumoto weaves an adventurous tale about a young snail named Kahuli, who unlike the other tree snails, longs to leave the sanctuary of the Great Ohia Tree.

35 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated; but, uh, deals with the concept of cannibalism. The page on deforestation I didn't mind (and likely wouldn't mind explaining to a child) but for whatever reason cannibalism struck me as a bit of an odd choice.

[Ruby Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a kid!!! It was so wonderful it stuck in my mind forever and I love it. Great story and pictures for children.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little tree snail longs for adventure and the chance to explore outside his tree, but when a strong wind gives him a chance to do just that he finds things a little bit too exciting and is extremely happy to get back to his tree in one piece.

Besides the "grass is always greener" lesson, this tale highlights several species and ecosystems in Hawaii that have been threatened by invasive species. Read the author's notes in the back about each of the endangered or invasive species highlighted. The term invasive species is not used in this book, they refer to them in the story simply as animals who don't belong. A nice story to use if you are teaching about ecosystems or invasive species in science, and of course there's the Hawaiian terms and tie-ins if your studying Hawaii. The illustrations are a kid-friendly animation style.