Books Published between September and December 2025
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
We are excited to share all the books we could find that were written or illustrated by Pacific Islander creators published between September and December 2025. Direct links to buy the books are below. Please also request these books at your local libraries and bookstores. If we are missing any books, please reach out to us so we can add them. If you are a Pacific Islander creator with a book coming out soon, please let us know!
Children's Books
Picture Books
Mother Tree, Daughter Seed: Lessons in Slow Growth written by Mārata Ketekiri Tamaira (Māori), illustrated by Carl Franklin Ka‘ailā‘au Pao (Kanaka Maoli)
My First Ikura by Qiane Matata-Sipu (Māori), illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White (Māori)
A Manulele in a Mango Tree, by Sarona Aiono-Iosefa (Samoan)
Taniwha, by Gavin Bishop (Māori)
Jay and the Mirror of Courage, by Marilyn Cornelius, illustrated by Regina Vaka’uta (Fijian, Tongan, Samoan, Vanuatuan)
Lani and Eroni’s Elemental Journey, by Marilyn Cornelius, illustrated by Regina Vaka’uta (Fijian, Tongan, Samoan, Vanuatuan)
Middle Grade
Hiva And Heartbeats, by Selina Alesana Alefosio (Tokelauan)
Children's Non-Fiction
Moana Oceania: Niue, by Mele Nemaia (Niuean)
Young Adult
Te Onehaumako by Zeb Tamihana Nicklin (Māori) - book in reo Māori
Short Stories
Bitter Over Sweet by Melissa Llanes Brownlee (Hawaiian)
Huia Short Stories 16, an anthology of poems and stories featuring Pasifika authors
Am I There Yet? by Nicki Perese (Samoan)
Untethered: Science Fiction and Fantasy from Papua New Guinea, edited by Kirsten McGavin (Papua New Guinean)
Rewa Rise, edited by Witi Ihimaera (Māori), Renee Kahukura Iosefa (Māori), and Donna McLeod (Māori).
Poetry
Giving Birth to My Father, by Tusiata Avia (Samoan)
For All We Know by Zechariah Fa’aumu David Soakai (Samoan-Tongan)
Huia Short Stories 16, an anthology of poems and stories featuring Pasifika authors
Te Pūrere The Exodus, an anthology edited by Vaughan Rapatahana (Māori), John Gallas
Te Whāriki, an anthology edited by Anna Jackson, Dougal McNeill, and Robert Sullivan (Māori)
Non-Fiction
Brown Girls Don’t Cry by Maluseu Doris Tulifau (Samoan)
Mana, by Tāme Iti (Māori)
First Light, by Iokepa Casumbal-Salazar (Kanaka ‘Ōiwi)
Ngā Oro me Ngā Iere a Ōpōtiki Mai Tawhiti – Sweet Harmonies in Song by Ōpōtiki Mai Tawhiti, by Te Kahautu Maxwell (Māori)
Understanding Hauora, by Roimata Smail (Māori)
Te Pouhere Kōrero 11, edited by Aroha Harris (Māori) and Melissa Matutina Williams (Māori)
Kim: A Journey Between Worlds by Kim Logan (Māori)
Te Aratiatia: Writings from the Māori Education Team 1988-2000s, by Leonie Pihama (Māori) and Margie Kahukura Hohepa (Māori)
Note: The ethnicities stated on this blog post were from internet sources where the creators self-identified. Only Pacific Islander ethnicities were included.
