WHAT'S REAL? WHAT'S IMAGINED?
The Wilde family's Hawaiian vacation takes place in the real world, but some parts of Pie and Ty's adventure came straight from the imagination.
The Isle of Noniluna, Princess Keiko, the Keeper, the magical crown, and the traditions surrounding the Isle are fictional creations made for The Suitcase Summers. They are not part of Hawaiian history, folklore, mythology, or traditional cultural beliefs.
The Hawaiian Islands, however, are very real—and filled with extraordinary landscapes, history, people, traditions, and stories of their own. Sometimes the best adventures begin when we learn which stories belong to a place…and which ones have been imagined just for us.
You don’t need a magical suitcase to discover something extraordinary.
The Hawaiian Islands are home to volcanic landscapes, green valleys, waterfalls, and an ocean full of life. Each island has its own places to explore, communities to learn from, and stories that belong to it.
Find the Islands
With a grown-up, locate Hawai‘i on a map of the Pacific Ocean. Can you find Maui, O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, and the island of Hawai‘i? Which would you like to learn more about?
Look a Little Closer
Study a photograph of a Hawaiian landscape. What catches your eye first? Notice the shapes of the mountains, the leaves, and the shoreline. What questions would you ask someone who lives there?
Explore with Care
Thoughtful explorers leave places as they find them, give wildlife plenty of space, and listen to local guidance. Learning about a place means respecting the people who call it home, too.
EXPLORE HAWAI’I
From Laura’s Travel Journal
Long before Pie and Ty opened their magical suitcase, Steve and I packed our own bags for Maui.
Looking back through photographs and notes from that trip, I’ve been revisiting the places we explored and the little moments I wanted to remember.
Here, I’m sharing a few selected glimpses of that adventure. These are personal travel memories, separate from the fictional world of Noniluna—but part of the love of discovery I bring to The Suitcase Summers.
Maui, Hawai’i - September 2011
We landed to island heat and a Mai Tai waiting at our door, and spent the week chasing the same pull that eventually shaped Noniluna: the pull of somewhere new. Mornings started early—snorkeling the clear water at Honolua Bay, tracing the coastline to a blowhole carved into black lava rock, spotting dolphins from the boat out of Ma'alaea Harbor.
One night led us to a beachfront luau, Mai Tais in hand, watching fire dance under the stars. Another had us on the road before sunrise for the legendary drive to Hana—617 curves, 56 one-lane bridges, and views (rainbow eucalyptus, black sand, waterfalls) worth every hairpin turn. We climbed down into a lava tube lit only by a skylight in the rock, and swam the pools at Wai'anapanapa, where an old Hawaiian legend says the water still turns red with the memory of a hidden princess.
By our last morning, we'd slowed all the way down—sand, sun, and nowhere to be. It was the kind of trip that stays with you long after the tan fades, and a small reminder of why I keep chasing new places and new stories, on the page and off it.
A SOUNDTRACK FOR ADVENTURE
A little island sunshine. A little mystery. A little excitement for wherever the suitcase takes you.
Explore the Summer 8 playlist while you color your postcard, remember your favorite scene, or imagine an adventure of your own.
Ask a grown-up to help you open the playlist.
SEND A LITTLE ADVENTURE
Color your own postcard inspired by The Suitcase Summers, then write a note to someone you’d love to take on an adventure.
Would you invite a cousin? Your best friend? Someone who lives far away?
Add your favorite colors, imagine where the suitcase might take you, and make the message your own.
Free two-page PDF • Coloring front and postcard back • No signup needed
For grown-ups: Print at Actual Size or 100% scale. Test front-and-back alignment on plain paper before using cardstock. Children can also color the picture and hand-deliver their finished postcard.
Writing idea: “If our suitcase could take us anywhere, I would choose…”
WHERE WILL THE SUITCASE GO NEXT?
An icy breeze. A quiet harbor. Another summer with something extraordinary waiting inside.
Pie and Ty’s next adventure continues in The Quiet Harbor.
For the Grown-Ups:
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