Moa, a loudmouth rooster, challenges Honu, a calm green sea turtle, in a race to determine who owns a clear, cool, Hawaiian spring. The bright Sun awakens them early the following morning, and the race begins. Honu and Moa is a humorous spin on a well-known story, set in beautiful Hawaii featuring characters whose cultural significance continue to influence the islands today.
HONU AND MOA was awarded an Aesop Accolade by the American Folklore Society.
In this Hawaiian retelling of Aesop’s classic, The Tortoise and the Hare, we have a calm and wise sea turtle, Honu, competing against a brash and belligerent Rooster, Moa, for the ownership of a freshwater spring. While the story plays out just as you’d expect, the antics of Rooster and the Hawaiian folklore that infuses the story adds much to the retelling. Likewise, the illustrations are vibrant and fun, and sure to delight readers of all ages as they learn, along with Moa, that no one family of beings own the earth, but they should be shared and enjoyed by all. ~Aesop Prize & Accolade Committee, American Folklore Society
The plot centers around a water spring – why does it remind me of humans and current events, of all the still on-going wars that originate from the will to control water sources around the world? Anyways, Honu is chilling after a long swim and takes a sip of water. Moa shows up and claims the springs as his, which of course Honu objects to. The matter will be settled with a race, and the sun will be the referee. We know how the story should end, and the author does not disappoint: Our hope of justice is fulfilled. Edna Cabcabin Moran masterfully immerses us into the Hawaiian culture through the story’s illustrations, the descriptions of the landscape, as well as the native words sprinkled in the conversation between Honu and Moa. ~Multiculturalism Rocks
