KKV is Publishing Books!

When KKV program staff inquired at the public library about books for Micronesian children learning English, almost nothing was available. In response, KKV’s Youth Services decided to change this and begin filling a literary void. The new project called Echoes of Oceania will celebrate the rich storytelling traditions of the Pacific Islands. It is part of KKV’s ongoing effort to boost literacy and language skills for young learners, while acknowledging the rich cultural heritage of the Kalihi communities. We plan to distribute the books through our Youth services programs and also make some available on KKV’s website for public sales.

In 2022, KKV will produce two illustrated books funded in part by the Hawaii Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and published in partnership with Bess Press, Hawai’i. One is an adaptation of a Mortlockese  (Chuukese) chant as told by KKV’s Pacific Voices Coordinator Innocenta Sound-Kikku. Titled Mwa Machang: Hey Birdy, the story is set on the island of Lukunor of the Mortlocks in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia (Sound-Kikku’s home island).

Mwa Machang is about an adventurous little boy who seeks to befriend a great frigate bird (Fregata minor). Since the bird can only communicate through song, over the course of their interactions, the little boy learns to communicate to the bird through chanting. The two become good friends, echoing the experiences of many Micronesian and other immigrant children here in Hawaii who learn to communicate across language and cultural barriers.  Mwa Machang will be a bilingual flip book with both the original Chuukese language text and mirrored English translations. The book will be illustrated by digital design artist Elsei Tellei of the Republic of Palau and by charcoal artist Lissette Yamase from Pohnpei and Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia.