The second in a series of children’s picture books about Hawaiian goddesses, Hina and the Sea of Stars combines elements of several legends about Hina, a goddess considered to be a primary ancestor of the Hawaiian people. Hina is often associated with the moon and its cycles, and therefore with fishing, planting, and fertility.
_____
Author & Illustrator Michael Nordenstrom is Associate Librarian and Volunteer Coordinator at the Salt Lake City Public Library. Hina and the Sea of Stars blends his love for art and anthropology and embodies his belief in preserving legends.
He says he uses collage “to make each picture its own work of art. The illustrations are a mix of acrylic and watercolor paints which I apply to large sheets of paper. After drawing each picture, I cut and arrange the pieces as if they were a puzzle. I aim to weave a mixture of colors and patterns into each work.”
_____
hardcover | 32 pages | 11.25" x 8.25" | color
REVIEWS:
“Children’s books often don't have many words. This one uses fewer than 500 well chosen words. In those few words it retells with simple grace a collection of tales about Hina the mother of the Hawaiian people... The story is charming but the illustrations are glorious. Each two-page spread is a collage.
Nordenstrom’s previous book Pele and the Rivers of Fire won a Hawaii Publishers Association Pa'i award for its illustrations and made him a finalist for the Utah Childrenʻs Book Award. Hina and the Sea of Stars is at least as good.”
- Maui Weekly
“This is an interesting book and I learned a lot of Hawaiian words. There is a glossary in the back. I like the illustrations too because they are bright and colorful. They also have a lot of detail. I liked this book a lot and want to visit Hawaii to learn more!”
- 9-year-old Emma Reed, Wee Ones Magazine
The second in a series of children’s picture books about Hawaiian goddesses, Hina and the Sea of Stars combines elements of several legends about Hina, a goddess considered to be a primary ancestor of the Hawaiian people. Hina is often associated with the moon and its cycles, and therefore with fishing, planting, and fertility.
_____
Author & Illustrator Michael Nordenstrom is Associate Librarian and Volunteer Coordinator at the Salt Lake City Public Library. Hina and the Sea of Stars blends his love for art and anthropology and embodies his belief in preserving legends.
He says he uses collage “to make each picture its own work of art. The illustrations are a mix of acrylic and watercolor paints which I apply to large sheets of paper. After drawing each picture, I cut and arrange the pieces as if they were a puzzle. I aim to weave a mixture of colors and patterns into each work.”
_____
hardcover | 32 pages | 11.25" x 8.25" | color
REVIEWS:
“Children’s books often don't have many words. This one uses fewer than 500 well chosen words. In those few words it retells with simple grace a collection of tales about Hina the mother of the Hawaiian people... The story is charming but the illustrations are glorious. Each two-page spread is a collage.
Nordenstrom’s previous book Pele and the Rivers of Fire won a Hawaii Publishers Association Pa'i award for its illustrations and made him a finalist for the Utah Childrenʻs Book Award. Hina and the Sea of Stars is at least as good.”
- Maui Weekly
“This is an interesting book and I learned a lot of Hawaiian words. There is a glossary in the back. I like the illustrations too because they are bright and colorful. They also have a lot of detail. I liked this book a lot and want to visit Hawaii to learn more!”
- 9-year-old Emma Reed, Wee Ones Magazine