Mahani Teave grew up on Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, one of the most remote islands in the world, where moai statues stand and music is everywhere. When she began taking lessons on the island's only piano, she proved to be a great talent. She left Rapa Nui when she was just nine to continue her music education, wishing she didn't have to leave such a beautiful place to pursue her dreams. She became an internationally acclaimed classical pianist, playing around the world for all kinds of audiences.

But her island home kept calling her back. Years later, she returned to Rapa Nui to stay, and with a new dream: to save its environment and culture. She helped create a music and arts school, so that children there could learn music in ways that kept the island's unique traditions alive. Mahani also saw the island's struggles with sustainability issues and pollution from tourism and ocean plastics, so the school was built using of thousands of tires, bottles, and cans in its walls, and incorporates rain barrels, solar panels, and a food garden. Mahani and her team have created an inspiring place that celebrates the land of Rapa Nui and its people.

About the Author

MAHANI TEAVE is an award-winning concert pianist from Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Her debut album, Rapa Nui Odyssey, launched as number one on the Billboard Classical charts. She is one of the founders of Toki Rapa Nui, a nonprofit dedicated to the island's ecological and cultural preservation. She lives with her family on Rapa Nui, where she leads the Rapa Nui School for Music and the Arts.

MARNI FOGELSON is a children's book author, lifestyle writer, and community volunteer. She has an insatiable love for reading and believes that books have a tremendous power to make us better humans. Marni lives with her husband, two children, and a very loud and affectionate hound in Philadelphia.

MARTA ALVAREZ MIGUENS is a self-taught children's illustrator. She was born in a small town in Galicia, Spain, and currently lives in La Coruna, Spain. She is the illustrator of Shark Lady (written by Jess Keating), which was named a 2018 Best STEM Book by the Children's Book Council as well as a Best STEM Book by the National Science Teachers Association.

Book Information
ISBN 9781728277325
Author Mahani Teave
Format Paperback
Page Count 32
Imprint Sourcebooks Explore
Publisher Sourcebooks, Inc
Weight(grams) 214g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 254mm * 4mm