Pau: The Last Song of the Kaua’i ‘o’o

by Tony Piedra, Mackenzie Joy

A moving ecological fable and a lyrical love song to a lost species from the cocreators of One Tiny Treefrog: A Countdown to Survival

Millions of years ago, the island of Kaua‘i began to bloom with life, color, and sound. In time, the ‘o‘o bird added its song to the island chorus. Then a new species arrived: people. The impact of more and more humans meant fewer and fewer Kaua‘i ‘o‘o. When scientists realized these unique birds were disappearing from the island, they deepened their efforts to observe them, including by recording their song. In time, only a single Kaua‘i ‘o‘o was singing, and inevitably, a day came when there were none: pau. Complete with clear back matter, this gentle and poetic portrait of a species that evolved over thousands of years, declined, and became extinct only a few decades ago touches lightly on key conservation topics like invasive species and island ecology. Illustrations drenched in tropical color will light up the imaginations of young naturalists and fuel their instinct to understand, protect, and defend our planet’s biodiversity.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Animals, Nonfiction, History, Science, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

Published September 17, 2024

About the author

I live, work, and play in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area, and I spent most of my childhood drawing monsters and looking for bugs in hot and humid Houston, Texas.

My latest book, One Tiny Treefrog, created with my creative partner and wife, Mackenzie Joy, is out now. This book is the first of three non-fiction, nature picture books being published by Candlewick Press. We hope these books will inspire children and their families to learn more about all the other life that calls Earth home.

In my spare time, I also help make animated movies, nurse native plant gardens, and cook frijoles negros con arroz y mucho mas.

My debut picture book, The Greatest Adventure, is published in English and Spanish by Scholastic.

Reviews

[Aolund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oof. A really beautifully-realized picture book that tells the story of the Kaua'i 'o'o and its extinction as a result of colonialism on Hawai'i. End notes provide further information. I really loved how this book took such a long scale look at the 'o'o's presence on Kaua'i, and how the presence of the first humans to come to the island didn't disturb the 'o'o to the point of extinction, but later, colonial human presence did.

Themes: STEM, Birds, History, Extinction, Ecology, Colonialism
Age range: Kindergarten-Elementary

[MOSS Kids Book Project · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great addition to bird studies! This beautifully illustrated story discusses the history of the Kaua'i ʻōʻō, a Hawaiian forest bird that evolved and flourished for hundreds of thousands of years, then declined, then disappeared forever just a few decades ago. The back matter with the history of the ʻōʻō & the visual introduction to the other species to Hawaii over the years is educational & fun!

Thank you to Edelweiss & Candlewick Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for our honest review.

[Marylee Guinon · Rating 5 out of 5]

PAU The Last Song of the Kauai ‘ō‘ō is a spectacular book for both children and adults alike. The magical and stunning illustrations weave the journey of change on this Hawaiian island, while the narrative describes the history and unintended consequences of humankind on nature. The science back matter provides compelling facts about Hawaiian forest bird species. This is a gift to our children and the forest birds alike.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last call of the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō bird was recorded in 1987. He was calling for a mate that did not exist. You can hear his song on YouTube and see film of him alone in a tree. Pau is the Hawaiian word for done, finished, over and death. This book tells the story of how this bird was lost forever - and explains why the Hawaiian people still grieve over the loss.

[Raven Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story about how changes led to the extinction of a bird of the island as recently as the late 1980s. The illustrations are gorgeous and do soften the intenseness of things, but also show what is lost.

[Isabel Lorence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written, it’s a beautiful story and at the same time educational, the illustrations are gorgeous! I highly recommend reading this book, I keep being amazed by your creativity. 👏

[Mirth Meister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical and visually stunning, PAU gently weaves a poignant tale of loss, touching children and adults alike. Complete with substantial and accessible back matter, it leads the reader to discover more about this quiet ecological crisis.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of how the 'o'o went extinct. It's very well done and shows how humans played apart in creating an environment that they could not live in. Super sad they are all gone. The images support well with a swirl representing the song of the bird as it dies out.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sad tale of the extinction of one of Kauai's endemic bird species. And the sad story of the library's processing staff who glued down the end flaps so that not all of the end paper illustrations can be viewed. The digital illustrations are quite lovely.

[Lyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I keep forgetting how sad extinction is. And what sucks is that I wasn’t ever alive when this bird was. This book was written so beautifully and I think it does an incredible job of telling the Kaua’i ‘ō’ō’s story. The illustrations were stunning and I think everyone should read this book

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC from Edelweiss.

[Lysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man, I'm so sad now. :(

[Spudpuppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m gonna kms

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sad story of a bird, Kaua’i o’o’, native to Hawai’i and how it went extinct (probably) in 1987.

[doowopapocalypse · Rating 4 out of 5]

[I am Gnome Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, now I'm crying at work.
This beautiful and deeply sad book, told in lyrical prose with large, gorgeous illustrations, tells of the decline of the ‘o’o bird on the island of Kaua'i. Each page has dates in the corner to show the history of this bird on the island, with the timeline summarized at the end of the book. The ‘o’o was declared extinct in 2021, tying it to the books title - pau - which means "lost to us forever" in the Hawaiian language. This book is simple enough for pre-school audiences to understand the story, and while toddlers may not fully grasp the book's significance, it's short enough that you may have a hope of getting through within their attention span; as mentioned, the illustrations are beautiful and captivating. I plan to share this book as part of an Earth Day Storytime and discussion, as the brief narrative is impactful, demonstrating just how deep the impact of human interference can be. If you're a sensitive one like me, be prepared to shed a tear. It was the timeline at the end of the book that really got me; the entry of recording the last o'o' bird's song, and then when they played it back to listen the bird tried to sing to the recording, in essence, singing to itself...thinking of it now makes me want to cry all over again. This book, to me, was powerful.