Maui and the Fish Hook - Polynesian

This is a story about a boy named Maui. Maui loved the big, blue ocean. The water sparkled all around his home. One sunny morning, his big brothers got their canoe ready. They were going fishing. But they said, 'Maui, you are too little to come'. Maui had a clever idea. He had a big, big plan. This is the story of Maui and the Fish Hook. He was going to catch a big surprise from the shiny sea.

When his brothers were not looking, tiny Maui hid. He hid way down low in the big canoe. Splash, splash, the canoe went out on the water. When they were far, far from shore, Maui popped up. Surprise. His brothers were so surprised. Maui took out his special hook. It was a magic hook. He dropped the hook down, down, down into the deep blue water. He waited and waited. Then, TUG. A giant tug pulled the line. The canoe wibbled and wobbled. 'Help me pull.' he shouted. It was a very, very heavy thing.

Maui and his brothers pulled together. They pulled and pulled and pulled. Heave-ho. Slowly, something big came up from the water. It was green and brown. It was not a fish. It was land. Wow. Maui used his magic hook to pull up a beautiful island. It had tall mountains and soft, sandy beaches. It was a new home for everyone. Even though Maui was small, he did a very big thing. His clever idea made a big, big difference. This story reminds us to dream big and believe in magic.