This was such a beautiful story and I loved the animation that we watched for it

Gr 2–5—A Hawaiian legend about the four healing stones found on Waikiki Beach and their significance in Pacific
Islander lore. Sousa's paintings seem carved from light and granite, giving the story a beautiful heft and worth from
its opening pages.

Oh wow I’ve never heard of the traditional Hawaiian story (moolelo) of The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu that this story is based on! I also really appreciated the history given at the end about how even though the sacred stones themselves have been recovered and are now formally recognized, the history of the healers who infused their healing powers into the stones being Mahu (individuals with a blend of male and female mind, heart, and spirit) has gotten left out of the story. I also find it so beautiful that they chose to write this story in both English and Olelo Niihau due to it being the only uninterrupted form of Hawaiian in continual use since before colonization. It is also the language that would have been the closest to that which might have been spoken by the healers.

What a beautiful way to bring life and Mahu back to this traditional tale. The illustration is also stunning, with beautiful sun drenched colors used throughout and a very distinctive style. ( )

This is a Hawaiian folktale, written in Hawaiian and English. Wow, the images in this book are outstanding. Warm colors. The people are so expressive for drawings. The illustrations absolutely tell half of the story, along with the words. The story this tells is a somber one, stressing how colonization impacted their culture. The four characters who possess magical powers do not have a gender, making this a great book to share to model that all are welcome and appreciated. A librarian could read this book during one of the months when diversity is a theme or during a folktale unit. ( )

This is a neat story about healing stones and the mahu (third gender, or people who exhibit both feminine and masculine traits) who created them. I really enjoyed listening to the story in the native Hawaiian, though I needed the English translation in order to understand the words.

I also greatly appreciated the authors' notes and history portion of the audiobook. Learning more about the stones themselves and how they (and the mahu) have been treated over the years was both informational and hopeful for the future. ( )