THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MOANA 2

Leong’s graphic story collection, illustrated by Greppi, follows characters from the Disney film Moana 2 in four new stories.

In “Heihei in Love,” Moana has arrived at a new island with rooster Heihei and pig Pua in tow. Moana is off-page looking for firewood for three-quarters of this 12-page tale, so the animals are mainly left to their own devices. Therefore, this humorous narrative relies not on dialogue, but heavily and effectively on illustrations, occasional animal noises, and sounds such as “BONK” and “BAM.” In “Pinkie Promise,” Moana’s younger sister Simea wants to play, but Moana needs to get ready for a voyage. Despite the older sibling’s unusual tasks, including bundling rope, collecting breadfruit, and assembling bamboo canisters, the family dynamic will be relatable to many young readers. Next, “Loto’s Inventions” catalogs a female inventor’s history of failed or underappreciated inventions: a flying machine, an “automatic fallen-coconut harvester,” and a “long distance stuff-mover.” The older male villagers are frustrated with Loto, but Moana keeps encouraging her friend. Loto finally finds success with “the better together mango-netter” in a story of perseverance and empowerment. However, the story’s feminist theme seems muddled by the fact that Loto’s only accepted invention is based on the suggestion of a male villager. Lastly, in “Moni’s Dream Team,” Moni tells village children stories about the kakamora and the realm of monsters. Moni, another of Moana’s crew members, portrays himself as a hero, but Moana says his stories “weren’t exactly what happened” and that he took “creative liberties.” Although the children express anger and disappointment, he justifies his stories as “fun” and never apologizes. Readers are mostly likely to appreciate these vivid short stories if they already have knowledge of the Moana 2film, as there’s not enough context provided to fully appreciate the book as a standalone. Greppi illustrates the easily identifiable Polynesian characters differently than the movies do; they’re less detailed and more classically cartoonish in style, but well-executed throughout. The background clearly features a Polynesian landscape with tropical trees and thatched huts.

Supporting characters shine in tales that will likely appeal most to preexisting Moana 2 fans.