Kilauea's eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii affected an elementary school girl Puanani. It is her encouraging this meaningful story that shows Puanani turning her feelings of helplessness about the lava flowing into the ocean into a dogged determination to save as much sea life as possible--especially the turtles. Her persistence inspires her family and canoe club to help her in the quest to make beaches and shorelines a cleaner and safer place for the animals and people who love them.

I am reviewing a copy of Puanani and the Volcano through Bluewater Publications.


I would recommend this book to young girls or boys who have interest in knowing more about Hawaii.


This is the story of an Elementary school girl named Puanani who lives on the big island of Hawaii, and how the Kilauea volcano eruption. The story tells of her feelings of helplessness she feels as the lava flowing into ocean and that gives her a dogged determination to take save as much of the sea life as possible, especially the turtles. With her persistence she inspires her family and canoe club to help clean up the beaches and shorelines in order that they can be a safer place for the animals and people who love them.


I found the story to be well written, the characters came alive on the page, and the inspiring story would be a great way to get a discussion going on Volcanoes and the effects they have on Ocean life.


I give Puanani and the Volcano five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

This is a sweet, heartwarming book I wish I’d had when I was growing up. My family is Micronesian, and a kid’s book like this with a protagonist who looked like me would have absolutely thrilled me. However, I’m glad kids today get books like Puanani and the Volcano Hawaiian Adventures because it shows that times are changing, and representation continues to be addressed in the media we consume. The art is very fun, and the colors are beautiful. It’s a book for kids, so it’s also not going to be War and Peace, but it’s a lovely look into another culture on a level that kids can relate to. Also, it emphasizes helping the environment! Sweet story and a great message with fun art to look at while reading!

I really enjoyed learning new Hawaiian terms and following Puanani’s journey throughout her home. I hope to see this book on the shelves at my local bookstore. It was really informative and gave me a huge feeling of nostalgia for Lilo and Stitch. At least what it should’ve been

Puanani lives on the Big Island of Hawaii with her parents and younger brother Kua. One day while the kids are at school, the island experiences earthquakes. Kilauea has erupted causing fissures throughout the area. Puanani’s favorite beach is closed due to the volcanic activity. Puanani is very concerned for the aquatic life around the area – how will they survive? When Puanani and her family go to a different beach, she sees a lot of trash that could harm wildlife and helps to organize a cleanup.
While the premise of this story is promising, the execution falls short. There is a lot of repetition of thoughts and dialog, like constantly stating that they need the adults to get this cleanup project going. The conversations between Puanani and her friends do not seem natural, like it was forced to fit the narrative of the book. On the plus side, the illustrations are beautifully done. While this book is aimed at grades 2-3, I would have a hard time recommending this title over the abundance of other early chapter books.

I think this is a great book for young people who feel they too are helpless to do anything in their local communities, yet care about the world and people around them. What I also like about the book is that in each opening chapter, it prepares the reader for Hawaiian terms that will be used it. Great especially for young environmentalists!

Puanani and the Volcano Hawaiian Adventures was an absolutely lovely book that should be on the top of many children's bookshelves.

Puanani is a young girl in Hawaii who needs to present a project for her science class. She's nervous and does not want to, and suddenly she doesn't have to! A volcano and series of earthquakes occur that sends all the children home from school to be with their families. This event triggers a change in Puanani. She goes from being a scared and shy little girl, to a girl who stands up for what she believes in and presents her ideas with confidence.

This story had so many lovely themes: education, environmental clean-up, and being strong. They are all woven so perfectly into the story that I can hardly say anything bad about it. My worst comment is that the one beautiful picture didn't come up nicely on my e-reader copy, and that's due to my iPad's settings, not the book!

The pictures in this book are stunning and match perfectly with the story itself. There's also many educational moments within this book: the questions for after the story, the Hawaiian names and words presented and the readability of it. I can imagine sharing this story with school children to teach some wonderful themes.

Overall, this book is an absolute gem and a must read from this reviewer!

Five out of five stars!

Puanani became her hero in this book. She started as a shy girl who was scared of presenting a science presentation in front of her class. When disaster strikes and earthquakes begin to occur over and over again, Puanani had to overcome another fear. The book describes how earthquakes happen and why. It also is a touching story of a young girl who stands up for what she believes in. Puanani can change the status quo with her bravery and perseverance. This book also has vocabulary words and questions at the end. I think this would be a great book for a classroom. Puanani teaches us that we need to clean up after ourselves. She also teaches us that if you practice doing something that scares you, you will overcome your fears.

This was super cute. The illustrations are simple, but fun, and go with the story well. I loved how it showed how one person can really make a difference when they care about something. And I liked the Hawaiian vocab thrown in too!

I thought this was such a cute book about a girl who went through a scary situation when she was at school and they had an earthquake due to a volcano eruption and then having to go to a new beach to swim because of the lava and found out about how dirty the beaches really are. And then she gets inspired to do more. Such a great lesson for kids and to tell them even though they are small, with help they can make a difference.