Mila & Moose
Wait for Your Wave — front cover Wave
patch

Book 1 · Waikīkī, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi · Surfing

Wait for Your Wave

A Surfing Adventure in Waikīkī

  • Ages 4–8
  • 32 pages
  • 8.5 × 8.5 in
  • Paperback
  • Out now
Buy on Amazon · $14.99

Mila wants the biggest waves in Waikīkī, and she wants them NOW.

But when a sneaky rip current pulls her out to sea, Mila learns what every great surfer knows: sometimes the bravest thing you can do is wait.

A sun-soaked adventure about patience, friendship and respecting the ocean, with real facts about Hawaiʻi, surf safety and sea turtles.

“Wait for your wave.”

Look inside

A few spreads from the book

Grandma Jo's cozy den, morning.
“Mila wore the compass all morning, all the way into Grandma Jo's den.”
Small glassy waves in the shallows.
“Then came real waves, and Mila chased every single one.”
Mila's point of view: she holds her board in a narrow darker channel, the beach and palm trees tiny and far away.
“At first, it was easy. Too easy.”
Sunset, the payoff.
“By the time the sea turned gold, Mila was ready to try again.”
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At the back of the book

Real facts, real safety, real questions

Mila's Field Notes

True things about Waikīkī, Oʻahu, inside the book:

  • Heʻe nalu means surfing
  • Duke Kahanamoku (1890–1968)
  • Honu: Hawaiian green sea turtles
  • Rip currents
  • Lēʻahi

aloha · hello, goodbye, lovemahalo · thank youhonu · green sea turtleheʻe nalu · surfingʻohana · family

Moose's Safety Rule

Always surf where a lifeguard can see you, and wear your leash. Woof!

Talk About It

Five questions for after the last page:

  1. Why did Makana say "wait for your wave"? What happened when Mila didn't?
  2. How did Makana help Mila when she was in trouble? How did Moose help?
  3. Mila said, "I went too fast, and I went alone." Have you ever rushed into something? What happened?
  4. Why do we give honu lots of space?
  5. Grandma Jo's jacket had the same patch. What do you think Grandma Jo did when she was young?

New friends

Who Mila meets in Waikīkī

Local friend

Makana

9, Native Hawaiian, Auntie Leilani's grandson; calm, patient, reads the water; spots the rip and signals 'paddle sideways'

Mentor

Auntie Leilani

about 70, Native Hawaiian surf instructor at Waikīkī, Makana's grandma; surfed with young Jo; wisdom line 'The ocean is bigger than all of us…'

Next adventure

One Hold at a Time

The compass twitched toward a giant granite mountain…

Hear when the next one lands

Sign-ups open soon. Field Notes every two weeks, for grown-ups.