A story about Pele can spark a whole afternoon of questions.
How does lava become land? Can Hawaiʻi really have snowy mountains? What other stories have Hawaiian families shared about Pele? And how can we appreciate a beautiful place without carrying a piece of it home?
These books and activities invite children to follow that curiosity. Pair them with the Faithfully Explore! episode Pele, Hawaiian Goddess of Fire: A Journey Across the Islands for a family read-aloud, a classroom exploration, or a weekend project filled with storytelling and discovery.
If you’re looking for resources about Pele Hawaiian goddess for kids, start with Hawaiian stories, then branch into books about family, caring for the land, and volcano science. There’s something here for the child who loves beautiful illustrations, the reader who wants facts, and the explorer who can’t wait to make something erupt.
Start with Pele’s Stories
The Pele Stories: Three Hawaiian Legends: A Primer (Hawaiian Edition)
By Gabrielle Ahuliʻi, illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong
For children who finish the episode asking for another story, this is a natural place to begin.
This collection brings together Pele Finds a Home, Hiʻiaka Battles the Wind, and Naupaka, with text in both English and Hawaiian. Despite the “Hawaiian Edition” label in some listings, it is a bilingual collection. Its larger picture-book format is intended for children in kindergarten through second grade. Gabrielle Ahuliʻi is a Native Hawaiian author and school librarian.
Pele Finds a Home offers younger listeners another telling of Pele’s search, while the additional stories introduce her sister Hiʻiaka and the story of the naupaka flower. That makes this a book families can revisit beyond a single episode.
Try this together: Read Pele Finds a Home after listening. Ask, “What did you recognize? What was different?” Explain that the book and podcast share different tellings within a much larger storytelling tradition.
Choose this one for: A first Pele book, bilingual exploration, and younger elementary read-alouds.
Pele and Poliahu
By Malia Collins, illustrated by Kathleen Peterson
Fire and snow on the same island? That contrast makes an inviting starting point for another adventure.
In this retelling, Pele challenges Poliʻahu to a sled race on Mauna Kea. Their encounter introduces children to another story about powerful forces shaping Hawaiʻi’s landscape. Kathleen Peterson’s batik illustrations give the book a distinctive visual style, and the publisher recommends it for ages seven and up.
This is a particularly appealing follow-up for children who enjoyed the dramatic encounters in the episode. It expands their picture of Pele beyond her search for a home and introduces a different relationship and setting.
Try this together: Create a two-sided picture using warm colors for fire and cool colors for snow and ice. Ask children how the colors help communicate the contrast between the characters.
Choose this one for: Another Pele adventure, expressive artwork, and conversations about competition and powerful emotions.
Discover the Family and Land Beyond the Volcano
Aloha Everything
By Kaylin Melia George, illustrated by Mae Waite
What helps a child come to love the place they call home?
Aloha Everything follows a Hawaiian girl as she discovers her heritage and island world. Its rhyming language and hand-painted illustrations bring together Hawaiian culture, history, and ecology. Author Kaylin Melia George draws on her Native Hawaiian ancestry and the stories of Molokaʻi she heard growing up.
This book broadens the conversation beyond Pele and eruptions. It gives families a way to explore the affection, knowledge, and relationships that make caring for a place meaningful.
It also pairs beautifully with the episode’s question: How do we behave when we enter someone else’s home or homeland?
Try this together: Ask each child to draw a place they love and finish the sentence, “I can care for this place by…” The publisher also offers a free teacher’s guide and I-Spy worksheets for more exploration.
Choose this one for: Beautiful family read-alouds, learning about aloha, and connecting appreciation with responsibility.
ʻOhana Means Family
By Ilima Loomis, illustrated by Kenard Pak
Follow a meal backward, and you begin to discover how many people, and how much care, go into bringing it to the table.
This cumulative picture book follows the growing of kalo, the preparation of poi, and a family gathering for a lūʻau. Its repeating structure invites children to join in, while the illustrations connect the celebration to the land and work that support it. A glossary and author’s note provide additional context.
After an episode about a powerful volcanic landscape, this offers a quieter, everyday connection: land nourishes families, and families depend on one another.
Try this together: Choose a favorite family meal. Who prepares it? Where do the ingredients grow? What would those plants need to thrive? Younger children can draw the ingredients; older children can investigate their origins.
Choose this one for: Family connections, food conversations, and children who enjoy rhythmic, repeating stories.
Answer Those “But How Does It Work?” Questions
Volcanoes
Written and illustrated by Gail Gibbons
For the child who wants to see what is happening beneath the ground, Gail Gibbons provides a helpful next step.
Volcanoes uses maps, labeled illustrations, and straightforward explanations to explore Earth’s layers, plate tectonics, and different kinds of volcanoes. The publisher notes that a working volcanologist reviewed the book.
This is a useful book to keep beside a volcano model. Children can look closely at the diagrams, ask questions, and connect the visible eruption to processes happening below the surface.
Try this together: Invite children to draw a volcano with one side “cut away” so the inside is visible. Use the book to help add labels, then ask them to explain their drawing to someone who hasn’t read it.
Choose this one for: Visual explanations, curious question-askers, and homeschool or classroom science shelves.
Volcanoes! (National Geographic Readers)
By Anne Schreiber
Sometimes a photograph is what makes a subject click.
This National Geographic reader combines volcano science and history with vivid photographs of lava, ash, rocks, and steaming seawater. A Level 2 reader, with a publisher-listed audience of ages five to eight. Children’s reading needs vary, so it can also work as a shared read-aloud.
It makes a useful partner to Gail Gibbons’s illustrated explanations: one book helps children examine diagrams, while the other brings real volcanic scenes into view.
Try this together: Let your child choose the photograph they find most interesting. Ask them to share one observation, one question, and one fact they learned from the accompanying text.
Choose this one for: Photography fans, shared nonfiction reading, and short bursts of science exploration.
Add Movement and Hands-On Discovery
Danny Go’s Volcano Adventure: A Picture Book
By Danny Go!, illustrated by Aleksandar Zolotic
Does your child like to participate in the story? This book gives them a job.
Readers help Danny Go navigate a volcano adventure by tracing, tapping, and turning pages as he searches for magical ice gems. The interactive format combines imaginative challenges with the familiar energy of Danny Go’s adventures.
Use it as a playful change of pace between cultural storytelling and nonfiction. Its treasure hunt also creates an opportunity to connect back to the episode: in make-believe, we can search for magical gems; when visiting real natural places, we can enjoy discoveries and leave them where they belong.
Try this together: After reading, make an imaginary stepping-stone route with flat paper markers on a clear floor. Walk through it while naming things you would want to observe on a real nature adventure.
Choose this one for: Danny Go fans, interactive read-alouds, and children who enjoy movement with their stories.
National Geographic Ultimate Volcano Science Kit for Kids Ages 8–12
Turn “Can we make a volcano?” into a project you can do together.
The Ultimate Volcano Kit lets children cast a model, paint it, and create an eruption using the supplied materials. It also includes a learning guide exploring topics such as volcano formation, tectonic plates, and earthquakes. It is recommended for ages eight and up.
Pair it with one of the nonfiction books so the learning continues before and after the bubbling begins. Allow time for the model-making stages, follow the package directions, and work with adult supervision on a protected surface.
Try this together: Have children sketch the model before the eruption and record what they notice afterward. What path did the liquid take? Which parts of the activity resemble the pictures in their books? Explain that the kit’s bubbling reaction is a model; real lava is molten rock.
Choose this one for: A family science afternoon, a volcano-themed gift, or children who love building and experimenting.
Which Books Should You Start With?
You can build a meaningful experience with just one or two selections.
| If your child enjoys… | Start with… |
|---|---|
| Hearing more stories about Pele | The Pele Stories and Pele and Poliahu |
| Beautiful pictures and family read-alouds | Aloha Everything and ʻOhana Means Family |
| Learning how things work | Volcanoes by Gail Gibbons |
| Real photographs and fascinating facts | Volcanoes! from National Geographic Readers |
| Participating in the adventure | Danny Go’s Volcano Adventure |
| Making and experimenting | National Geographic Ultimate Volcano Science Kit |
For a balanced story-and-science pairing, choose The Pele Stories and Volcanoes by Gail Gibbons. Add Aloha Everything when you want to spend more time exploring care for the land and Hawaiian cultural connections.
Listen, Read, and Carry the Learning With You
Start your exploration with Pele, Hawaiian Goddess of Fire: A Journey Across the Islands on Faithfully Explore! Follow Pele’s search for a home, investigate the mystery of the returning rocks, and consider what it means to be a respectful guest.
Then choose a book, try an activity, and give your child room to ask the next question.
Through every story, photograph, and experiment, keep this week’s Belief Backpack takeaway close:
“Respect means learning the true story and leaving a place whole.”