Hawaiian Ecology in Children's Stories

Lisa Matsumoto is the author of various Hawai`i based children’s books as well as environmental conservation films created for children. Many of her books focus on nature in Hawai`i and the importance of maintaining it. In her book How the B-52 Cockroach Learned to Fly Matsumoto covers the various jobs that insects do, in a comical way. In The Adventures of Gary and Harry: A tale of two turtles, readers learn about various sea creatures that live in Hawai`i’s oceans and some of the problems they face. Beyond `Ōhi`a Valley tells the story of invasive species that decimate tropical rainforests. Hawai`i is among the most isolated archipelagos on Earth which means that the plants and animals that came to the islands spread and evolved with few restrictions. When new predators are introduced to a vulnerable ecosystem such as this, the native species of plants and animals are often in danger of lower population levels or even extinction. In her books Matsumoto introduces the idea of ecosystems and the balance of nature to young readers in such a way that they understand what is happening and the importance of maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

In her book How the B-52 Cockroach Learned to Fly Matsumoto introduces the science behind insect classification in a scene where Kimo, the original B-52 cockroach, is claiming that since cockroaches are insects they should live in the insect kingdom, instead of being relegated to a rubbish dump (Matsumoto B-52 6). He is sent on a quest to prove that cockroaches are an asset to the kingdom, which is what allows young readers to meet various insects and learn what they do, how they live, and why they are helpful to ecosystems, although not necessarily always humans; think termites (Matsumoto B-52 10-22).

Hawaiian insects, like most other creatures native to Hawai`i, are not found elsewhere in the world; likewise, many insects found on large continents are not found in the islands. The insects have evolved within very specific ecosystems alongside a very specific set of predators. As a result, many native Hawaiian insects are flightless (Howarth and Mull 28). The arrival of humans shifted the balance of the ecosystems because, intentionally or not, humans brought other animals with them to the islands. The new animals, including the humans, impacted the ecosystem in various ways; by eating the native animals and plants, or by eating the predators, they caused a dramatic change in the population levels (Howarth and Mull 13-18).

Initially, very few of the insects presented within How the B-52 Cockroach Learned to Fly were found in the Hawaiian islands, as many of them were brought over with people. Over time however, insects, both native and new, as well as the entire ecosystem, adjusted to include the new species of insects. Some species were able to adjust to the new threats, such as caterpillars that became carnivorous to avoid being eaten themselves; however, other species have gone entirely extinct because of new threats (Howarth and Mull 24-26).

While Matsumoto’s book does not bring up issues with introducing new species to the island ecosystems, it does address the problem of human/animal interactions. The cockroaches within the story specifically dive bomb humans who get too close to the insect world. The problem with this is that the human world is always encroaching upon that of various animals through expansion and deforestation. This is an extreme problem for Hawaiian insects because they are so specified to their homes and diets. For example, various Hawaiian cricket species have an entire ecosystem of only a few acres, while others only live on fresh barren lava flows (Howarth and Mull 31-32). Destroying or altering the habitats of such specialized creatures forces them into other habitats, usually the homes of nearby humans or places where humans spend time. Such interactions lead humans to see insects as pests instead of valuable parts of the ecosystem, as Matsumoto’s book portrays them.

In The Adventures of Gary and Harry: A Tale of Two Turtles, Matsumoto introduces readers to Hawai`i’s marine animals. When one of the protagonist turtles swallows a plastic bag instead of the jellyfish he was aiming for, readers-even young ones-begin to understand the importance of protecting the environment (Matsumoto Adventures 18). At the end of the book there is a listing of the animals that the turtles met along their adventure. Beside the photographs there is a description of the animals, where they live, what they eat, and what dangers face them. There is also a section on what readers can do to reduce the amount of debris that ends up in the ocean (Matsumoto Adventures 27-28).

Modern technology has allowed the exploitation of the oceans down to depths of over two thousand meters. Unfortunately, this exploitation is not simply a gathering of resources; humans have been dumping waste into the sea for centuries. This dumping is now illegal, however the historical accumulation of rubbish still exists to endanger the animals and acidify the ocean. Not all rubbish within the ocean started there; rubbish deposited upon beaches or near inland water sources, such as rivers, eventually finds its way to the beach (Ramirez-Llodra et al. 1). The most common types of litter found on the sea floor are soft plastic, such as plastic bags, hard plastic, such as plastic bottles, metal, such as tin cans, and glass (Ramirez-Llodra et al. 4). Plastics float in all levels of the ocean and all regions of the world making it one of the largest debris threats. When plastic in the ocean does finally break down it can become micro-plastics: beads of plastic the size of sand. These microscopic pieces do not decompose further but could potentially continue to leak chemicals into the ocean (Ramirez-Llodra et al. 5).

Plastic and other forms of litter that fall into the ocean are a problem for various reasons that range from ocean acidification to asphyxiated and starved animals. Matsumoto’s book, which focuses on animals eating debris that end up in the ocean, is factually correct and presents this to child readers in a friendly fashion. It is estimated that one third to one half of all turtles ingest plastic products found in the ocean with juvenile turtles being especially vulnerable (Gulko and Eckert 95).

Hawksbill turtles, like Harry in the story, are spongivores, which means they have a specialized diet of sponges. When presented with a wide range of sponges to feed upon the hawksbill turtle will only eat a few species. This shows a very limited diet, as they only rarely feed upon other marine invertebrates, such as squid and jellyfish (Gulko and Eckert 32-33). This means that, with only a limited food supply, the hawksbill turtles are more prone to starvation if their prey are being negatively affected by pollution.

Turtles are a “keystone species” in ocean ecosystems. This means that they play a role in the community structure and species density. By eating their prey, including seaweed, they allow for more diversity within their communities because no one type of marine plant or animal is allowed to dominate the ecosystem. If their prey are dying because of chemical spills, marine debris or invasive species then the turtles die and the ecosystem suffers the imbalance (Gulko and Eckert 95-96).

Turtles are also directly impacted by marine debris in negative ways. If they ingest plastics or other large flexible debris like fabrics, their throats can be blocked, inhibiting breathing and feeding, such as when Harry swallows the bag in the story. If the turtle is able to swallow the object it will end up in the stomach, keeping the stomach from properly digesting other foods and blocking the absorption of nutrients. While the object is traveling through the turtle’s system it releases toxins which are absorbed causing gas to build up which creates buoyancy problems. This means that the turtle is unable to dive low enough to reach the reefs where many turtles feed. Turtles also get tangled in nets, wires, bags, and rope that end up in the ocean. Often this limits their mobility leaving them vulnerable and unable to find food.

Beyond `Ōhi`a Valley: Adventures in a Hawaiian Rainforest is about an O`ahu tree snail named Kāhuli who is looking for adventure. When the wind causes him to fall from his `ōhi`a tree into the hāpu`u ferns of a neighboring valley he begins to understand the dangers of the forests that he never encountered in his tree (Matsumoto Beyond 8-10). He also learns how important it is for everything to stay in its rightful home when he encounters a cannibal snail that has decimated the tree snail population of the lower regions of the forest (Matsumoto Beyond 17), rats that will stop at nothing to eat whatever they please (Matsumoto Beyond 18-20), and pigs that destroy anything and everything around them (Matsumoto Beyond 28-30).

Even though this is a fictionalized story whose main audience is quite young, the story has a deep basis in factual events. Rats will eat birds and eggs right out of nests while also digging into the base of plants to create burrows (Nelson et al. 82). Rats have helped drive native bird species to extinction because they raid nests. They eat native vegetation as well as invertebrates and make their homes within the branches of trees and burrows under plants, wreaking havoc to the root systems of the plants. They eat seeds and seedlings which lowers the number of native plants in an area. They also strip and gnaw on the bark of plants leaving the plants vulnerable to other animals and disease (Nelson et al. 82-83).

Feral pigs are a very real threat to Hawai`i’s rainforests because our native plants did not evolve deep root systems to protect them from the burrowing noses of pigs (Cole et al. 463). When a feral pig uproots a tree or fern not only is that plant lost but the soil is then loose and able to wash away in rain. The pigs also deposit the seeds of plants which then take root in the available soil. Pigs are known to disperse the seeds of the strawberry guava plant which grows readily and heartily in the soil that has been torn apart by the pigs. As they constantly tear apart plants they damage the watershed and disrupt the freshwater resources (Staples and Cowie 20).

Within the story there is a contrast between the `ōhi`a valley where the snail lives and the decimated hāpu’u valley into which he is thrown. The ōhi`a valley is still lush and pristine, it has not been touched by invasive creatures, unlike the hāpu’u valley. The hāpu’u valley has been decimated by creatures that do not belong there. The cannibal snail has eaten all the tree snails, leaving the forest floor littered with empty shells (Matsumoto Beyond 17). Rats infest the trees and bushes, determined to eat anything they wish (Matsumoto Beyond 18-20), and pigs have uprooted and trampled many plants leaving bare patches where life used to be, while slowly killing what plants are left (Matsumoto Beyond 28-30).

This contrast is also true in reality as you can have infested and pest free zones be within the same forest. Many ranchers and wild life researchers as well as park rangers have fenced off patches of land and removed the feral pigs and other invasive animal species. The patches of land that are free of large invasive animals, such as pigs, have grown back beautifully with native plant density increasing six-fold in sixteen years. Unfortunately, the invasive plant species are also responding to the absence of pigs by increasing density five-fold in the sixteen years (Cole et al. 465). So, it seems that to preserve native plant species, not only do invasive animals need to be removed but invasive plant species do too.

One of the problems facing tropical rain forests in regards to flora damage from invasive species as well as human deforestation is that the native trees are very slow growing and long lived. When a tree that has been part of an ecosystem for decades or possibly centuries is damaged or removed it causes an often negative shift in the ecosystem. Most often it is ferns that root in the vacant space but they do not have the same role in an ecosystem (Mueller-Dombois 686).

The picture books by Lisa Matsumoto introduce the idea of ecology and ecological conservation to a young audience. They do not go into full detail or bring out the particulars of the various issues they talk about but they do present the information in such a way that young audiences are able to understand and think about. How the B-52 Cockroach Learned to Fly introduces insects and insect/human relations in a comedic way that readers will find entertaining but also be able to learn from. The Adventures of Gary and Harry: A Tale of Two Turtles takes readers to the ocean and allows them to see the dangers of pollution without overwhelming young readers. The information at the back of the book is a good way to show children the facts of pollution and what effect this has on the ocean. Beyond `Ōhi`a Valley: Adventures in a Hawaiian Rainforest undoubtedly shows more of the reality of invasive species than the other two books did. Matsumoto allows young readers to see the difference between a pristine, untouched forest, and forests that have been decimated by invasive species such as rats and pigs. Throughout her three books she introduces serious problems in ways that young audiences can digest and not feel threatened by, opening the door for readers to learn more if they so wish.

Works Cited

Cole, Rebecca J., et al. “Vegetation Recovery 16 Years After Feral Pig Removal from a

Wet Hawaiian Forest” Biotropica 4.4 (2012): 463-471. Web.

Gulko, David, and Karen Eckert. Sea Turtles: An Ecological Guide. Honolulu: Mutual

Publishing, 2004. Print.

Howarth, F.G, and W.P. Mull. Hawaiian Insects and their Kin. Honolulu: University of

Hawai`i Press, 1992. Print.

Matsumoto, Lisa. The Adventures of Gary and Harry: A Tale of Two Turtles.

Honolulu: B-52 Entertainment, 2000. Print.

Matsumoto, Lisa. Beyond `Ōhi`a Valley: Adventures in a Hawaiian Rainforest.

Honolulu: Lehua, Inc., 1996. Print.

Matsumoto, Lisa. How the B-52 Cockroach Learned to Fly. Honolulu: Lehua, Inc.,