I bought copies of this book for the children I know who go to Hawaiian immersion school. I love that it's in both Hawaiian and English, and that it teaches our Hawaiian keiki such a valuable lesson about remembering what's important. It's a clever story, telling about a complicated time in Hawaii's history in a clear and interesting way. The quilt designs are wonderful! Great art work, too. I recommend this book for any child.

This elegant little picture book takes us back to the summer of 1898, when Hawaii was annexed by the United States. A Hawaiian grandmother joins with her family and neighbors to make a Hawaiian flag quilt. Through the process, Tutu teaches her gransddaughters an important life lesson. "Remember who you are. Be gracious, but never forget whence you came, for there is where your heart is." This quote, attributed to King Kalakaua, sets the emotional tone up front. Each page, illustrated with a combination of stunning watercolor and pen and ink drawings, contains both the English and Hawaiian translations. An explanation of the story's historical context is included, where Rumford also thanks Puakea Nogelmeier, his Hawaiian teacher, and Lee Wild, who assisted with information on Hawaiian quilting. This very personal, private story gives history a heartbeat. Hold this gem of a book up to the light, and it shimmers.

My mother shipped this book to me when I was living in Russia this past Christmas. I sat down one evening with a 9 year old Russian boy and his father who were ignoring a party going on around them to read and translate this story into Russian. The father knew English fairly well, but his son, who had only studied English for 3 years, corrected his father many times because the son understood that you need to study the pictures to correctly translate the story - not just read the words. Jim Rumford's beautiful watercolors made all the difference. Spasibo, Jim

It is a peaceful and beautiful story about a journey of 5 brothers who "discover" Hawaii. My daughter brought it to school and the teacher enjoyed the story too.

This delightful tale of the possible exploration and discovery of the islands in the Pacific creates a sense of adventure to hold the attention of the young readers. I found the relationship of the brothers a good example of how every member of a family has a part and how often the youngest has difficulty "prooving" him or her self. All children dream of showing their best and getting the respect of siblings, parents, and peers--this story kindly embodies those inner feelings. The lively watercolors add to the excitement and mystery of the tale. An added treat was the tale's translation into the Hawaiian language enclosed in my copy of the book.

"In the days when the stars were a map of the earth below, there lived on a tiny island in the South Pacific five brothers who loved adventure," opens this enchanting historical fiction story about early Polynesian explorers discovering the Hawaiian Islands. The brothers, each with a special skill, navigate their way across the vast ocean by stars, waves, clouds, wind and birds. Over 1,500 years ago, the brothers set out to find an island beneath a far away star. The youngest, Manu, stows away in their canoe, which turns out to be a blessing. After a storm leaves them lost, Manu spots a bird that helps lead them to their island. This story celebrates the exploration of the Pacific by Oceanic peoples as an expression of their culture. It soars with the humanity of their endeavor. Even through the storm, the blue and brown water color illustrations add a soft, soothing touch.

Remember the first books you read? How the puzzling out of the symbols was as exciting as the story? This evocative book by James Rumford revisits that experience. He interweaves text and images to let us know how meaning can be discovered. It's a little like reading a mystery story made up of pictographic clues.

In structuring the story this way, Rumford is giving us the chance to do many things: relive our discovery of reading, learn the logic of a unique language, and imagine ourselves in the position of that of the subject of this book, the man who deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphs, Jean-Francois Champollion.

Rumford's message is also a layered one, with the moral of the story reinforced by images within it. The moral: be curious, passionate and patient. First, imagine your dream. Then, pursue your dream even if others laugh at you or think you are too young. Eventually your belief in your dream will affect others, too, just as Jean-Francois's brothers were affected. They bought him notebooks for his hieroglyphs and took him to Paris to meet Egyptian scholars.

The structure of the Egyptian language, Rumford reveals, was in a curious combination of sight and sound. His telling of the tale made me wonder at all the steps the young Champollion went through to arrive at his eventual illumination of Egyptian hieroglyphics' meaning. When his powerful patron was discredited, when hours of study still revealed no answer, still he would not give up.

At the end of the book, Rumford's last watercolor illustration (he is both author and artist) is evocative of the story. I could feel the colors of Egypt, and the birds that inspired the symbols used in the language. Rumford's pictures - not only the illustrations but also the pictographs he uses as part of the text - create a sense of what a language made of sights and sounds might suggest.

It's a lovely book, and a book that assumes intelligence and curiosity on the part of the reader. As if he had not already inspired us by the example of Champollion's persistence and passion, Rumford finishes off the book with a "learn more" section that is sure to motivate the reader to delve into the art of the Egyptian language.

This beautifully illustrated children's picture book encourages children to dream and shows that dreams can be realized through hard work. I loved the fact that the hero of this book is a scholar. I think the book captures the essence of this great man's life and is an excellent introduction to Egyptology and the study of hieroglyphs. We need more books like this for children.

I heard James Rumford read from one of his other books and I've been a big fan ever since. "Seeker of Knowledge" does not disappoint! What an inspiring story about having a dream and perservering -- it's what I'm giving kids on my gift list these days. Great drawings, too. I love kids' books that have some substance to them, that teach and inspire, and that are interesting to adults, too. This is definitely one of them.