Following Hula Across Hawaii: A Gecko’s Adventure and a Parent’s Guide
Under the Koa Tree by Lucilyn Rodrigues charms kids with Hula’s island-wide escapade, but tucked inside the story is a quiet message for parents about growth, letting go, and staying steady when life gets loud.
Into the Forest
Every journey starts somewhere. For Hula, a small gecko, it begins beneath a young koa tree in Hakalau Forest. Mist hangs in the air, bright birds flit between branches, and ferns lean toward the sun.
Then the sky breaks open. A sudden storm yanks Hula from her safe perch and hurls her into a world she’s never seen.
Parents will recognize the feeling. Childhood doesn’t always drift from stage to stage. It can change like weather. One day your child is curled close; the next, they’re swept into new spaces by the winds of growing up.
Fire and Water
The Big Island speaks in extremes, and Rodrigues sends Hula through both. Kilauea glows with heat; steam sighs from the earth. Not far away, Akaka Falls thunders into mist, a ribbon of water that swallows sound.
Hula is tiny against these forces, but she keeps moving, curious, cautious, brave. Her path mirrors a child’s: moments that steal your breath, risks that demand respect, steps taken even when the ground feels new.
Parents reading alongside their kids will see the connection. The teen years bring their own lava flows and waterfalls, surges of wonder and drops of worry, while everyone learns to find steady ground
The Gift of Blending In
Hula’s secret isn’t strength alone; it’s a gift, she can shift her color to match what she touches. A red shirt, a gold scarf, a blade of green, each change becomes a passport to the next place.
That magic feels familiar. Children learn to adapt and blend, trying on groups, styles, hobbies, and ideas. Some days they fit perfectly; other days they stand out in ways that surprise even them.
It’s thrilling, and it can tug at a parent’s heart. Each new shade looks like growth—and like a step farther from home.
A Tree That Stands Firm
Through storms and sunshine, the koa tree stays. It’s more than shelter; it’s a symbol. Deep-rooted, wide-armed, it weathers whatever comes.
The message lands without being spelled out: parents can’t hike every trail, cross every stream, or tame every storm. But they can be the koa, rooted, reliable, and ready. A place to come back to when the path gets steep, a canopy when the rain returns, a reminder that belonging isn’t lost just because the world is big.
Under the Koa Tree invites families to marvel at Hawaii’s beauty, cheer for a brave little gecko, and practice a kind of parenting that is steady rather than perfect. Hula’s gift may guide her toward her ‘ohana, or test her path back. Either way, the tree waits. And so do we.