Dog-of-the-Sea-Waves [Hardcover]

James Rumford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2004 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

In this fictional account of the discovery of the Hawai-ian Islands, James Rumford takes us back more than fifteen hundred years to meet five Polynesian brothers who are about to explore a new world.
After a long journey to their new home, the young- est brother, Manu, soon discovers what appears to be a wounded dog on the beach. But it is like no dog he or his brothers has ever seen before—it has flippers for legs, a fish’s tail, and the body of a dolphin!
Gentle Manu nurses this strange animal back to health, and a bond of friendship and aloha embraces them and protects them when danger comes.
Throughout this sequel to The Island-below-the-Star, Rumford’s vibrant watercolors show us the unique life forms that have evolved in the Hawaiian Islands: birds, plants, and fish that exist nowhere else on earth. And with this visual story comes an important reminder: to care for Hawaii and for our Island Earth as well.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–This atmospheric story continues the tale begun in The Island-below-the-Star (Houghton, 1998) of five Polynesian brothers who "discovered" the Hawaiian Islands. This time, the youngest, Manu, spots what he thinks is a wounded dog near the water's edge. Closer inspection reveals it to be a seal. After nursing the animal back to health, Manu and Dog-of-the-Sea-Waves play together and make mischief while the older brothers prepare for the long journey home. When they set sail at last and stop at one of the islands in the chain, an earthquake erupts and general chaos ensues. Manu is lost at sea, and his "dog" appears to rescue him. This story, unlike the first, lacks a clear focus and tends to meander from one notion to another. The expressive watercolor illustrations help to tell the tale. However, they, too, ramble a bit aimlessly, with one blue-purple wash after another. A regional natural history element is introduced on most spreads, giving readers a taste of Hawaii's diverse flora and fauna. An afterword gives a summary of each organism. The Hawaiian text is appended. Although reading like a legend, Dog-of-the-Sea-Waves is, after all, a fictitious account pieced together. Readers will need to look elsewhere for Polynesian migration theories and traditional tales.–Harriett Fargnoli, Great Neck Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 3. Rumford imagines how humans discovered Hawaii in this original tale about five brothers who encounter the islands in a canoe. All the brothers except Manu, who misses the familiarity of his home island, are delighted. Then Manu discovers a wounded seal, which he nurses back to health and names "Dog-of-the-Sea-Waves." His brothers scold him for spending time with the animal instead of helping with the daily work until "Dog-of-the-Sea-Waves" saves Manu's life in the violent waves caused by a volcanic eruption. Rumford's poetic story loses momentum in some rambling, loose passages, but children will enjoy Manu's bond with his animal friend, and Rumford's attention to Hawaiian culture and language is a rare treat (a Hawaiian translation of the story is appended). Also included are a map of the islands and notes about the native plants and animals featured in the dramatic, atmospheric watercolors. This isn't a necessary purchase, but it's an interesting addition to the slim offerings about Hawaii for the picture-book crowd. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; First edition. edition (May 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618356118
• ISBN-13: 978-0618356119
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 10.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars highly recommended, January 20, 2005

By 

Leslie (Pepeekeo, HI, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dog-of-the-Sea-Waves (Hardcover)

This book is a treasure. The illustrations are glorious depictions of natural Hawaii. The book is wonderful, interesting reading about the Hawaiian islands and how people came to be here, and also for its sweet story about a young boy befriending an animal. Like all of Rumford's books, kids will love it for the story and the great illustrations, and parents will enjoy reading (and rereading) it too because he adds so much interesting, historical information along the way and in endnotes. Anyone with any interest in Hawaii at all should have this book in their collection (child OR adult). I highly recommend it.