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As a writer, Loebel-Fried tends to be overshadowed by her extraordinary block-print illustrations. That's not really fair, as Loebel-Fried's storytelling abilities are first rate, and she has to uncanny ability to suggest much in just a few words. She is also helped along by Kaliko Beamer-Trapp's Hawaiian translations. Loebel-Fried has won the American Folklore Society's Aesop prize for Children's... More

As a writer, Loebel-Fried tends to be overshadowed by her extraordinary block-print illustrations. That's not really fair, as Loebel-Fried's storytelling abilities are first rate, and she has to uncanny ability to suggest much in just a few words. She is also helped along by Kaliko Beamer-Trapp's Hawaiian translations. Loebel-Fried has won the American Folklore Society's Aesop prize for Children's Folklore and a Ka Palapala Po'okela from the Hawai'i Book Publishers Association.

"Gourd" might put more trophies on her mantle. The district of Kau, on the Big Island's Kamaoa Plain, is reputed to house the "Children of the Gourd," so named after a legend of two lovelorn alii and a tragedy that passes between them. The story is told through the gourd itself, a symbol of the Hawaiian people's connection to the land.

The story has resonance in Christian mythology as well. It's gorgeously illustrated and handsomely designed. Not just for kids.

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