After receiving the 2024 UK Rubery Award, the illustrated children’s book Cries from the Moana—which exposes the risks associated with seabed mining for the Pacific Ocean—gained international recognition.

The Rubery Prize is a famous international book prize for self-published writers and independent presses. It is regarded as the MAN Booker Prize and Costa Prize of the self-publishing and independent publishing worlds.

The Book of the Year, chosen following a final round of judging all category winners – Fiction, Poetry, Short Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Children/Young Adult – receives the top prize of 2,000 pounds sterling (or 5,800 Fijian dollars).

Cries from the Moana, a 122-page narrative set in the town of Haumana on the fabled island of Tungia in the Pacific, is the winner of the 2024 Book of the Year Award as well as the Children and Young Adult Category awards.

The book honors Pacific indigenous science and navigation history, elders and ancestral relationships, family, teamwork, and disability inclusion, as well as the unique bond Pacific Islanders have with the ocean (moana). It does this through blending adventure, traditional mythology, fantasy, and ocean education.

Enhanced by a treasure trove of over 100 illustrations, the book offers a glimpse of the fascinating and little-known world of the deep ocean and seabed; a pulsating source of life, beauty, energy and biodiversity crucial to human survival and well-being, yet increasingly under threat from the irreversible effects of mineral extraction on the ocean floor.

Enhanced by a treasure trove of over 100 illustrations, the book offers a glimpse of the fascinating and little-known world of the deep ocean and seabed; a pulsating source of life, beauty, energy and biodiversity crucial to human survival and well-being, yet increasingly under threat from the irreversible effects of mineral extraction on the ocean floor.

Three generations of the Fijian-Pacific Island family collaborated on Cries from the Moana. Written by ‘Atu Emberson-Bain, who was born in Tongan, and who had two adult sons named Siale and Melino Bain-Vete with the late Stephen Vete, the book is illustrated by their daughter Anga’aefonu (Fonu) Bain-Vete. Two of their grandchildren, Tahi and Mahina Bain-Vete, who are seven and six years old, respectively, contributed to the artwork.

Julian Aguon, a renowned author and indigenous human rights attorney from Guam, stated:

Books with this much magic are hard to come by. Cries from the Moana is a children’s fable, a warning narrative, and a loud cry for justice all at once. Not by debate, but rather by making one of the most compelling arguments against deep sea mining that I have ever come across. Instead, by way of amazement and beauty.

Former Secretary-General of Pacific Elders Voice and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Dame Meg Taylor, has stated:

“The story and graphics seamlessly combined language, customs, and journeys, taking me to several areas of the Pacific… The enthralling depictions of the deep-sea creatures and their dialogue with the kids captivated me…”

This story revolves around the decision we have to make regarding deep sea mining. The reader and the community are given this story and this choice by the children.”

In addition to the two Rubery Awards, Cries from the Moana has also won the following: o the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards’ Silver Medal for Illustrations; o the Independent Publisher Book Awards’ Bronze Medal for Regional Fiction (Australia/New Zealand/Pacific Rim); and

Received the 2024 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Medal for Middle Grade Fiction (Grades 4-7).

The book has been chosen for International School Suva’s Class 6 pupils in 2024. youngsters and adults of all ages will appreciate it, even though it was created for school-age youngsters (8–12 years old). Kaliopate Tavola, a former diplomat from Fiji and spokesperson for the Pacific Elders, stated:

“I recommend this book for all concerned about climate change and deep-sea mining. I recommend it to all members of the Pacific Parliamentarians Alliance on Deep Sea Mining, and all regionalists for the defence of the Pacific Islands Forum’s Boe Declaration. It is must-read also for those who were engaged in the Biennial Conference: ‘To Hell with Drowning.’”

The University of the South Pacific Book Centre, Fiji Museum, Baka Books, and other retail establishments in Fiji are among the places where you may purchase Cries from the Moana.

It can be found in 40 public libraries in Wellington and Auckland, the Te Papa Museum, and a number of independent and university bookshops in New Zealand (www.criesfromthemoana.com).