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Pau: The Last Song of the Kaua’i ‘o’o

Pau: The Last Song of the Kaua’i ‘o’o

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Author(s)

Tony Piedra

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Mackenzie Joy

Publisher

Candlewick

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

September 17, 2024

ISBN

978-1536219494

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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.

Editor review

1 review

History of the Kaua’i ‘o’o brought to life

December 06, 2024 (Updated: June 23, 2026)

Overall rating

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

Learning Value

5.0

Pau: The Last Song of the Kaua’i ‘o’o is a breathtaking look at the history of Hawaii and how a bird became extinct. The inside cover sets the stage with a child approaching paintings and a headset to listen. The following pages are written like what that child would hear about the paintings. The illustrations are so heartfelt, and the attention to detail makes this bird come to life once again. Seeing the time marching on and approaching specific modern dates was an attention grabber. As the ending of the book nears, we see this species come down to one bird singing the mating call with no return answer and it brought a tear to my eye imagining the hurt and confusion it felt being alone. The illustration that is the most captivating to me is the close-up of the bird’s eye with the reflection of human construction and nonnative pests in it. With the new Moana 2 movie out this is a fantastic time to spotlight the Pacific island and its history from an unusual perspective.