Lahela Johnson
This book honors some of the occupations a child might choose when he or she grows up in Hawaii. We want to show children that the status of an occupation isn't as important as doing a job well. One of our goals was to picture children and adults who speak Hawaiian. All the children are Hawaiian speakers from the Punana Leo and Hawaiian Immersion schools. All the professionals work at the jobs shown—and most of them speak Hawaiian. In choosing which occupations to feature, we tried to keep in mind our audience—children. We selected easily recognizable, visually interesting occupations. We focused on each job's specialized tools, clothing, and environment. Besides the community helpers (doctor, teacher, fire-fighter, police officer), we have presented traditional Hawaiian occupations (taro farmer, cowboy, canoe sailor, throw-net fisherman), modern occupations (news-caster, fighter pilot), artistic occupations (actor, conductor), and a science occupation (botanist). In the end, with lots of help from the professionals and the families and after all the considerations were met, we chose the thirteen most appropriate, clear, and interesting photos of all that were taken. So enjoy dreaming about all the wonderful occupations there are. We present just a few of them here that await our cherished children, our precious lei of Hawaii. In work, there is life.
Read this work at the World Public Library (library card needed).