Book release event: “Finding Home, a Hawaiian Petrel’s Journey” by Caren Loebel-Fried

Compiled by the Pacific Seabirds Committee

Join artist/author Caren Loebel-Fried for the launch of her new book, “Finding Home, A Hawaiian Petrel’s Journey” published by University of Hawai‘i Press.

Caren will share the behind-the-scenes of this inspiring story, her adventures researching the endangered ‘Ua‘u, the Hawaiian Petrel, in their colonies throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and how she created the art for this book. Ua‘u, Hawaiian Petrels, are endemic Hawaiian seabirds that soar huge distances day and night, powered by wind. They are guided by scent and an inner magnetic map, and only touch land once a year when they meet their life mate at their burrow and together raise one chick.

For 60 million years, ‘Ua‘u have made a living off the ocean, nesting in Hawai‘i far from predators. Hawaiian legends tell of seabirds darkening the sky as they returned from the sea; their guano washes down from the mountaintops, nourishing the land and offshore coral reefs. But since the arrival of humans, ‘Ua‘u numbers have plummeted to near extinction. “Finding Home, a Hawaiian Petrel’s Journey” is based on the true story of these amazing seabirds and the people working to save them.

Caren Loebel-Fried is an artist and author from Volcano, Hawai‘i, who learned the ancient art of block printing from her mother. Conservation and the natural world are her inspiration and the foundation of her work. Caren creates award-winning books for children through adults, and art for conservation organizations, government agencies, and Hawaiian Cultural organizations, providing educational materials about wildlife and cultural connections. Caren finds birds to be excellent conservation ambassadors, teaching families and communities about the health of the forest and the ocean. She has done extensive fieldwork with seabirds in their remote breeding grounds throughout Hawai‘i. Caren’s other award-winning illustrated books include “A Perfect Day for an Albatross”, “Manu, the Boy Who Loved Birds”, and “Hawaiian Legends of the Guardian Spirits”. Original art for Finding Home was acquired by the Hawai‘i State Foundation for Culture and the Arts for their “Art in Public Places” program. Caren aims to bring people closer to the natural world in the hope that they will want to help care for it.