Behind the scenes talk-story about the book, Manu, the Boy Who Loved Birds with author/artist Caren Loebel-Fried, Joel Cosseboom of UH Press, and special guest Thane Pratt.
“An extinct bird comes to life in art and story, for the future of native species”
Manu, the Boy Who Loved Birds is a story about extinction, conservation, and culture, told through a child’s experience and curiosity. Readers learn along with Manu about the extinct honeyeater for which he was named, his Hawaiian heritage, and the relationship between animals and habitat, and how we can all make a difference for wildlife.
Presentation length: 43 minutes
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About the Presenters
Caren Loebel-Fried, Artist and Author
Caren Loebel-Fried is an award-winning author and artist from Volcano, Hawai`i. Birds, conservation, and the natural world are the foundations for her work. Caren has created eight storybooks to date, including Manu, the Boy Who Loved Birds published by UH Press, and A Perfect Day for an Albatross published by Cornell Lab Publishing Group. Her books have been recipients of the American Folklore Society’s Aesop Prize for Children’s Folklore and the Hawai`i Book Publishers Association’s Ka Palapala Po‘okela Awards. Caren also creates iconic, educational art for conservation organizations and government agencies, including US Fish & Wildlife Service, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Kilauea Point Natural History Association, and Conservation Council for Hawai`i. Caren aims to bring people closer to the natural world in the hope that they will want to help care for it.
Joel Cosseboom, University of Hawaii Press
Joel Cosseboom has been the Interim Director and Publisher of the University of Hawaii Press for the past five years and has worked in publishing in Hawaii for almost 20 years. He serves as a board member of the Hawaii Book Publishers Association and the Hawaii Book and Music Festival.
Thane Pratt
Thane K. Pratt is a wildlife biologist retired from U.S. Geological Survey in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. His research projects there included population assessments for forest birds on Maui and the Bird Island and culminated in the co-editing and production the book Conservation Biology of Hawaiian Forest Birds. In retirement, he has written two more books and an app with co-author Bruce Beehler, on the birds of the world’s largest tropical island, New Guinea. He also edits the Christmas Bird Count for Hawai‘i and the Pacific regions.
