Book Review: Maui the Sky Lifter: A Tongan Tale
January 2026 :
Maui the Sky Lifter: A Tongan Tale
by Joseph Ciotti, illustrated by Abby Worthley, Honolulu: Dragonfly Cove Press, 2025, ISBN 9798993399300, hardbound, $25.19, US
Reviewed by Francine Jackson
How often does a book surround the reader with not only a good story, but a look into a culture not often thought about?
Maui is a young man who, like the rest of the civilization, cannot walk upright, as the sky is so close to the earth that its inhabitants have to crawl; also, the land was dark, as there was so little light able to penetrate the clouds.
As Maui was cooking one day, the ash from the smoke was so intense it blackened him in soot, and made him very thirsty. It was then he saw Tu’ilo’oa carrying shells filled with water. When Maui asked for some, he made his boast of pushing up the sky.
Once Maui did so, Tu’ilo’oa kept prodding him to push the sky higher and higher, until it is where we see it today.
Maui isn’t the only family member important in the story of this land; his brothers also have a great responsibility, as well as his father. Even Maui’s son has an importance in the creation of the good land we have inherited. As a result of this, many of Maui’s family are represented in Tonga by the stars of Orion’s belt. Each one is given a special term of respect for what they’ve done for us.
Equally important in this book is the set of illustrations, created by both the author and Abby Worthley. Their colors keep the flavor and culture with the reader as the story of the sky continues. And, at the last page, we seem to have an “Easter egg” as to the possibility of a follow-up?
Maui the Sky Lifter is both a beautiful book and a beautiful story. The work of Maui to make Earth a better place has no equal in sky stories from other cultures. It is surely one to remember when introducing the sky to children.
