In the early morning of April 1946, a natural disaster that lasted only a few short hours became a human disaster to extend over generations. The tragic tsunami that hit Hilo and Laupahoehoe point on the island of Hawai‘i claimed
In the early morning of April 1946, a natural disaster that lasted only a few short hours became a human disaster to extend over generations.
The tragic tsunami that hit Hilo and Laupahoehoe point on the island of Hawai‘i claimed the lives of 24 students and teachers. In a newly released children’s book, “The Tsunami Quilt,” author Anthony D. Fredricks and O‘ahu illustrator Tammy Yee bring to life the haunting tale of a natural disaster in Hawaiian history. For remembrance, education and hope, Fredricks and Yee created a story that deals with difficult themes in a sensitive and poignant manner.
“The genesis for the book came from my own personal experience visiting Laupahoehoe point in 1990,” Fredricks explained. “As I drove down to that little peninsula, the vast open expanse and something in the air gave me chicken skin. It’s something you can’t quite explain, but I’ve been back to visit on three other occasions and each time I’ve felt the same thing.”
The author’s sensitivity to the heaviness of the place inspired his process in writing “The Tsunami Quilt,” which relates how humans experienced a natural disaster.
“It was my intention to put a human face on what had happened that day. Unlike the typical reportage of buildings lost and monetary damage done, this story is about the memories that last long after everything has been rebuilt,” Fredricks said. The author traveled to Hilo multiple times from his hometown in Pennsylvania to conduct interviews and do extensive research with the help of the Pacific Tsunami Museum and with director Walt Dudley. Wading through boxes of journals, diaries, cassette tapes and video diaries helped Fredricks develop the fictional characters who bring this tragedy to life.
A young boy named Kimo acts as the narrator throughout the story, slowly discovering a dark day in his beloved grandfather’s past.
“When you are older, Kimo, I will tell you the story of this sacred place … You’ll learn why it is both a place of tragedy and a place of remembrance. For now, know that the ocean is both friend and foe. It gives, but it also takes,” Fredricks writes in his book. When Kimo’s grandfather suddenly passes “by heart attack or heartbreak,” Kimo unravels the mystery of his fam-ily’s past with the help of his father.
The story deals with difficult issues not often seen in children’s books. Fredricks said, “I was walking a fine line with such emotional issues in the book. I didn’t want to whitewash what was obviously a horrific tragedy, and I didn’t want to be depressing. I reported the facts of what happened but then added the element of hope and resolution with the father and son relationship.”
Fredricks felt compelled to tell this story through a fictional and personal narrative to help readers identity with the young protagonist, who discovers some difficult truths and important lessons.
In the author’s after-note, Fredricks writes about the scientific causes of a tsunami, further educating young readers about the methods used today by O‘ahu’s island warning system.
“Tsunamis can occur at any time of the day or any time of the year. They are swift and silent, dangerous and deadly, and memorable for years after their passage,” he writes.
The central anchor to the story is a quilt of remembrance that hangs in the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo. During Fredricks’ visit to the museum for research, he felt incredibly touched by the quilt:
“These were stories whispering, stitched together of that day. As soon as I saw the quilt, I knew it would be the key to resolution in my story,” he said.
Long-interested in American quilts such as those made by African-Americans during the underground railroad period, Fredricks feels these crafts stitch together memories and narratives vital in cultural history.
The book is skillfully illustrated with Tammy Yee’s soft brush and fluid watercolors. Yee, a lifelong resident of the islands, also spent a great deal of time in Laupahoehoe doing the research for her work on this project. “I had great help from the museum both in Hilo and Laupahoehoe Train Museum in finding photographs and descriptive accounts of that era,” Yee said.
Fredricks was honored to have Yee, a Hawaiian artist, collaborate on the book. Having illustrated “A is for Aloha: A Hawai‘i Alphabet” for the same publisher, “she was a natural choice,” Fredricks said.
Just as Fredricks felt the challenge of telling this story rested on the delicate nature of tragic emotion and hopeful resolution, Yee’s illustrations “needed to do justice to the reality of the event without being too upsetting for children,” she said. “During my first trip to Laupahoehoe, I, by chance, met a man who survived the accident but lost siblings to the wave. It happened to be just two days before the 60th anniversary of the tsunami, and I saw this man sitting in his truck by the monument. As he (Frank DeCaires) told me his story, I was so moved but also a bit intimidated … realizing what I had taken on. These were real people, still alive with all the memory, and I was having to depict the day.”
Yee took nearly three months to conduct visual research before turning in the initial drafts. During the production of her watercolors, Yee explained that she became emotionally invested in the story.
“It wasn’t the happiest time for me. I felt very close to the characters and as I worked, I often felt the sadness of the tragedy,” she said.
Both Yee and Fredricks enjoyed the collaboration, mutually respecting what each other had brought to the end product. Fredricks said he loved the way Yee depicted the story.
“Her commitment, research and connection with the characters was evident in even the first drafts,” he said of Yee.
Yee, too, said she feels very fortunate to have been involved with the book, as she was moved by the manuscript and “Tony’s extensive knowledge on the subject.
“From the beginning, I knew I wanted to do this,” Yee said.
After the climactic telling of April 1, 1946, the book bridges the difficult emotion of a past event to the present generation, left to honor and carry on its memory.
In a passage from the book, Kimo takes the torch in offering a lei onto the monument at Laupahoehoe, remembering his grandfather’s words:
“‘The ocean is both friend and foe. It gives, but it also takes.’ I looked up and watched the gentle surf rolling in from the sea. Then Father and I stood together and watched the sun dance across the waves.”
The book is published by Sleeping Bear Press and is available at local retailers and on line at www.sleepingbearpress.com.
