• The story follows tales of Hina, the woman in the moon, and mother of the Hawaiian people.
• The illustrations depict Hina with her family, under the sea, her brother, Kipapa's travels and gifts to Hina, and her travels from under the sea to the Hawaiian Islands and then to Hina's ultimate home as the woman in the moon.
• This book is a child's introduction to the Goddess and her journey. It is a children's picture book with 31 pages, 455 words and a glossary. It contains brightly colored, collage illustrations
• It ia primarily aimed at children under 8 years old; however, it can be enjoyed by anyone who has an interest in the deities and myths of the Hawaiian people.
• The book was begun in the mid 90's. It has been released in the wake of success from his first published book, Pele and the Rivers of Fire.
• Many people have been involved in the process and completion of this work. Its publication is due to them. Thank you!

Hina represents many things.  She is the woman in the moon, and goddess of the heavens.  She is the Mother of the Hawaiian people, an icon of female reproduction, and the embodiment of the female spirit.  Like Michael Nordenstrom's first book, Pele and the Rivers of Fire, Hina symbolizes female empowerment.

Because of Hina’s universal role, her name is associated with all aspects of female life. Her stories are abundant.  There are many representations of Hina, which may be of the single goddess, or a multiplicity of deities.  Because of Hina’s life on the Islands, and the mother of many children, stories of her are often more human in context.  Her power is that of classical woman: loving, caring, nurturing, providing, and sustaining others in everyday life.  Ahe also has the supernatural ability to control lightening and harness the use of the rainbow for transportation.

Hina and the Sea of Stars details her life in various stages: the young woman living in the sea, the motherly Hina living on the Islands, and the matronly goddess who resides on the moon.  She is noted for her ability to make fine kapa, a cloth made from bark, and this she unfurls toward the earth to form clouds.  It was her multi-colored kapa that was the first rainbow and this she climbed to reach the moon.  

Her earlier life is linked closely with her favorite brother, Kipapa.  In one legend, Kipapa gives Hina the gift of a calabash filled with stars and a crescent moon, after being banished to the deepest part of the sea.  It is Kipapa who later returns for Hina and brings her to live with the people on land.  When Hina joins him, the stars and moon, float out of her calabash and into the night sky.  

Hina’s move through different environments:  sea, land, and sky; offer an abundance of creativity and color for the illustrations.  Michael, uses paint and collage because it allows for rich, colorful  shapes, and clear images, giving a three dimensional, tactile look to the illustrations that are so appealing to children.

Michael Nordenstrom