Coste, Marion 1938-

Personal

Born 1938, in Asbury Park, NJ; daughter of teachers; married Bill Coste, 1959; children: two daughters, two

sons. Education: Connecticut College, B.S.(government), 1959; University of Virginia, earned teaching credential, 1970.

Addresses

Home—Aiea, HI. E-mail—info@marioncoste.com.

Career

Educator and author. Teacher in four states; Mystic Marinelife Aquarium, Mystic, CT, member of staff, 1979-81; Kamehameha Schools, HI, teacher trainer, beginning 1982; Bishop Museum, HI, former education specialist. Developer of marine-science educational program for elementary grades.

Writings

Honu, illustrated by Cissy Gray, University of Hawaii Press (Honolulu, HI), 1993.

Nēnē, illustrated by Cissy Gray, University of Hawaii Press (Honolulu, HI), 1993.

Kōlea: The Story of the Pacific Golden Plover, illustrated by Fred E. Salmon, Jr., University of Hawaii Press (Honolulu, HI), 1998.

Wild Beach, illustrated by Cissy Gray, Windward Publishing, 2005.

The Hawaiian Bat: Ōpe'ape'a, illustrated by Pearl Maxner, University of Hawaii Press (Honolulu, HI), 2005.

Finding Joy, illustrated by Yong Chen, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 2006.

Sidelights

In her books for young children, Marion Coste shines a light on the animals that inhabit her home state of Hawaii. "I hope my books will encourage people to learn more about animals and how they survive," the author noted on her home page. "Everything on earth is connected somehow," she added. "Our future is intertwined with the future of the wild things. I believe that by studying natural history—living ecosystems—we will learn to make wise decisions about wildlife and figure out the best ways to conserve our natural resources."

In Honu, the physical characteristics and life cycle of a Hawaiian green turtle serves as Coste's topic, while Nēnē describes the characteristics and habits of a species of goose that is native to the Hawaiian islands. Coste turns her attention to the creatures of the air in both Kōlea: The Story of the Pacific Golden Plover and The Hawaiian Bat: 'Ōpe'ape'a In Kōlea she discusses the life of the Pacific golden plover, ranging from its physical characteristics and life cycle to its migratory habits: the kōlea divides each year between the Hawaiian islands and the tundra of western Alaska. She profiles another native species in The Hawaiian Bat, balancing her factual presentation with information on environmental and other threats to the creature's continued welfare. This two-tiered approach, which Coste uses in each of her nature books, serves to awaken young children to their role as Earth's caretakers.

In Finding Joy Coste joins with illustrator Yong Chen to tell the story of a tiny baby who is abandoned by her Chinese parents but ultimately finds love in an adoptive family. The strict laws enforced by China's communist government regulate how many children can be born to each couple. Tiny Shu-li is a girl, and her poor young parents know that a son will be worth more to them than a daughter. Although the decision is a difficult one, they decide to leave their newborn under a bridge where someone will quickly find her. Fortunately, someone does, and Shu-li is taken to a nearby orphanage, where abandoned children are cared for. When a middle-aged American woman arrives, she instantly falls in love with Shu-li. Renaming the infant Joy, the woman brings the baby girl home to America to join her husband and three teenaged children as part of their family. Praising Finding Joy as a "warm, upbeat" story, Hazel Rochman noted in her Booklist review that Coste deals with the adoption process "with sympathy and love." School Library Journal contributor Deborah Vose noted that the author's "well-written" text is "gentle" and "non-judgmental" when dealing with the birth parents' decision to abandon their infant daughter, and also added praise for Chen's "painterly watercolor" illustrations. While noting that the story may leave some readers with questions, a Kirkus Reviews contributor concluded that in Finding Joy "Coste has a lovely story to tell."