Koko and the coconut by Turia Pitt and Celestine Vaite. Illus. by Emilie Tavaearii

A story of guts and determination follows the trials of Koko, newly emerged from his shell, looking for his first coconut to eat. Koko is nervous, the world outside his shell looks formidable, he must eat the meat on the inside of the coconut if he is to survive but the palm trees are very tall. All around him others support and encourage him, but all he cam hear is the boom boom beating of his heart. But his fear is squashed as he climbs that tree, thinking of the coconut meat waiting for him. At the top he must cut the coconut from its moorings and allow it to fall to the ground. He holds onto a leaf with one claw while he snips through the stalk with the other claw. Scooting down the tree he has another problem, getting the coconut open to eat its meat. He tries several methods over a few days until he finds that throwing stones at it forms a crack in the shell. (Coconut Crabs usually use their very sharp pincers.) Success at last.

A wonderful read about never giving up, the story tells a lot about the author, Turia Pitt, who when competing in an Ironman competition in 2011, was caught in a grassfire causing burns to most of her body. It is a testament to her fortitude and courage that she made it back to inspire others with her determination. Co-authored with her mother, Celesine Vaite, both women are of Tahitian heritage which is celebrated in this wonderful tale. Illustrations by Emilie reflect the beautiful island where she was born. Spending many years in France she returned to Tahiti developing her skills as an illustrator before returning to France where she now lives and works. Her stunning images reflect the island of Tahiti and all of its splendour, and the images of the little crab will endear it to younger readers. How she is able to get Koko’s expressions and feelings with his eyes out on stalks is amazing, and I love the point of view illustrations where the reader sees the height of the tree from Koko’s vantage point, and they are scared with him as he hangs onto a leaf while chopping at the stalk.

More information about the coconut crab can be found here. (Wikipedia and others had pages of information, but the Australian Geographic site is brief and to the point with some photographs paralleling the illustrations in the book). And there are some amazing images on Google, one crab almost covering a black plastic rubbish bin. A YouTube clip can be found here. But watch it yourself before showing to younger children.

Themes: Coconut crabs, Tahiti, Determination, Courage, Bravery, Humour.

Fran Knight