Kaiboia ao Butaritari / Kaiboia and Butaritari

Kaiboia ao Butaritari is a traditional Kiribati myth about a man and his wife who didn’t provide kai at community offerings. Kaiboia, the main character, was considered a lazy man, even though his wife encouraged him to be more hard-working. Is there a consequence? You will have to read the picture book to find out.

'Kaiboia ao Butaritari' is a bilingual children's book, written in Gilbertese (Kiribati) and English. This is a fantastic way to keep the language alive, as well as providing English, so a variety of children can read it. In the English section, there are still technical words, meaning children would need help breaking it down and explaining what the words are. Luckily, the book addresses this by providing a glossary that explains any unfamiliar words.

The story is quite intriguing, as you want to know what happens to Kaiboia when he doesn’t provide gifts, while everyone else does. It is a very quick read if you are only reading the English text (about 5 minutes). The illustrations are clear, specific to the text and setting, and connect nicely to the words.