Under the Koa Tree: Gaining Strength as Kids Grow and Change
Lucilyn Rodrigues gives us something rare in Under the Koa Tree: a children’s adventure that feels honest enough to speak to parents, too. We meet Hula, a tiny gecko tossed by a violent storm into a big, unfamiliar world. What follows is a page-turner for kids and a quiet field guide for grown-ups learning how to stay steady while their children find their way.
The Power of the Koa
In Hawaiian tradition, koa means “warrior.” Koa wood is prized for its durability, strength, and resilience. It bends without breaking and roots itself even in hardened lava. In the story, a young koa sapling shelters Hula. It doesn’t chase the wind or tame the rain; it simply stands.
That’s the first heartbeat of the book: sometimes the bravest thing is not to move.
When Storms Arrive
Hula didn’t choose to leave. The storm chose for her, lightning cracking overhead, wind snapping through the forest, and suddenly she’s airborne.
Kids face storms like that, too. Not always loud ones. Sometimes it’s a sharp comment in class, a friendship that frays, a private worry they don’t have words for yet. The weather can look clear while doubt moves in, quiet as a whisper.
The Colors They Discover
On the road, Hula learns she can shift her colors to match where she is. At first it’s camouflage, a way to stay safe. Then it becomes curiosity, then confidence, then a kind of language. She tries on the island one shade at a time and finds pieces of herself she didn’t know were there.
Parents know this dance. One month it’s rockets and star charts; the next it’s sketchbooks, cleats, or guitar picks. Each new phase can tug at the heart, joy at the brightness, a little grief for the version of them that’s fading in the rearview. But every shade is practice for the person they’re becoming.
What the Tree Shows
The koa doesn’t sprint into the storm with Hula. It stays rooted. That’s its promise and its lesson.
Parenting isn’t clearing every path or fixing every problem. It’s offering steadiness, the kind that tells a child, no matter how far you travel, there’s a place that doesn’t move. That reliability is what gives kids courage to explore, to risk, to return.
The Quiet Promise at the Center
Read closely and you’ll hear it: an unspoken vow that roots remain even when the sky turns. Children will face storms. They’ll try on new colors. They will step away, and often, step back. The strength that holds them is not control; it’s the certainty of home.
Under the Koa Tree is a gorgeous island adventure for kids and a gentle reminder for parents: be the tree. Let them go. Be there when they look back.