Maui & Moana: Tales of the Demi-God

Bedtime Stories for Kids

Maui & Moana: Tales of the Demi-God | Bedtime Stories for Kids

Illustrated By: Emma Leeper

Listen to the story while you read along!

Maui Pulls Up the Islands

One day Maui said to his four brothers, “Come fishing with me today!  Let’s go far out to sea. The fish are much bigger and better there, than they are close to land.”  

 

Maui and Moana

 

“Okay!” said his brothers.  They were good fishermen and wanted those big fish.  The four brothers and Maui jumped into their canoe and started to row.  When they got far out to sea and could no longer see land, Maui jumped onto the end of the canoe.  He drew out his magical fishing hook. When his brothers were looking ahead, he cast the hook over the side of the canoe.  The hook sunk down deep into the blue water.  

 

Maui and Moana

 

Soon, the magical hook stuck fast to the bottom of the sea. Maui pulled the fishing line tight. He called out, “See that tug? I must have hooked a giant fish!”

“Wow, I see that!” said one brother. 

"That is some fish you caught!" said another.

“My brothers!” Maui called out.  “Paddle hard so we can bring up this great fish!”

The brothers paddled with all their might.  They paddled so hard they did not see that the hook was pulling up the land from the bottom of the sea.  Behind them, one island after another rose from the sea!

 

Maui and Moana

 

Legend says that is how Maui made the islands, where the people now live.

 

Maui Catches the Sun

One day, Maui wanted to see how life was for the people who lived on the islands.  But what he saw there made his heart skip a beat. Life was very hard for them. And he could see why - the days were just too short!  There was not time in a day for people to do what they needed to do, like making and cooking food. If they laid out a wet blanket on the sand, the blanket would still be wet the next day.  There was not even time for the fruit in the trees to get ripe.

“It is that Sun!” said Maui.  “He is racing too fast across the sky!  He is not thinking about the people who live down below, on the islands.”  

Maui knew it was up to him, a demi-god, to slow down the Sun. But how?  He asked his brothers. He asked his sister Hina. He asked still others that he knew.  

 

Maui and Moana

 

“Who do you think you are, Maui?” said one.  “No one can catch the Sun!”

“Even if you are a demi-god,” said another, “you know very well the Sun is too big and bright for anyone to stop.”

But Maui’s sister Hina did not say these sorts of things.  She cut off her long hair.  She tied the hair into ropes and gave the ropes to Maui.  From those ropes, Maui made a giant lasso.  

That night, Maui took his lasso up to the very tallest mountain on the islands of Hawaii.  The mountain had once been an active volcano. Years ago it had sent out waves of hot lava.  When the volcano was over, a big crater was left at the top of the mountain.  And that crater is where Maui planned to catch the Sun.

By the crater Maui waited, very still.  He hid the lasso behind him, out of view. When the Sun rose at dawn, it started to race across the sky very fast.  Soon that Sun was flying over the mountaintop. Brave Maui flung the lasso over his head. The ropes caught!  The Sun tried and tried to move, but was trapped!

 

Maui and Moana

 

“Get me out of here!” shouted the Sun.

“Not yet!” said Maui.  “You are moving too fast across the sky.  It makes the days too short for the humans who live down below.”

“So I like to go fast!” said the Sun.  “Who cares? Let me out of here!”

“No!” said Maui in a big voice.  “I care! You have to stay here, in this crater!”  He pulled the lasso tight. But in his heart, Maui did not feel brave.  He did not know how much longer he could hold on. True, his lasso was stronger than any other rope in all the land.  But he did not know how long even a lasso made from his sister’s hair could last before the hot rays of the Sun would burn it up.  

The Sun tried to move again, but could not.  “Oh, very well!” the Sun said, at last. You can be sure Maui was very glad to hear that!  “I suppose I could slow down a little," said the Sun. "But only for part of the year.”

So Maui and the Sun worked out a deal.  For half the year, the Sun would move at a slow pace.  Those days would be long, and that would be the summer. For the other half of the year, the sun could run as fast as it wanted to do.  Those days would be short, and that would be the winter.

 

 

This is how Maui made the days longer for the people of the islands.  At last, they could do the tasks they needed. They could have a full dinner and rest after.  And the fruits on the trees grew big and sweet. 

 

end

 

Think and Share Questions: See Other Kids Comments below!

Question 1: Maui pulls up the islands but tells his brothers he is pulling up a great big fish. Tell about a time when you did something great but you did not want others to know.

Question 2: Maui overcame the sun by being strong and brave even though he doubted himself. Tell about a time when you didn't believe in yourself but you tried anyway.

Posted in Bedtime Stories, STORIES FOR KIDS.

60 Comments

  10. I think this story teaches readers that anyone can be brave and strong and caring for each other by helping one another to do things that we thought we cannot accomplish.

  12. This story is showing the reader that when you think about others and how they feel about a situation, you can be brave and do a positive thing by helping out. For example, Maui lassoed the sun to make the days of the lands longer so people on the islands could eat and then rest after they had their dinner and play for a little while. Maui also pulled up islands from the sea so people could live on the seas. All in all, this is what the story is trying to show to you.?

  17. This story is showing the reader that when you think about others and how they feel about a situation, you can be brave and do a positive thing by helping out. For example, Maui lassoed the sun to make the days of the lands longer so people on the islands could eat then rest after they had their dinner and played for a little while. Maui also pulled up islands from the sea so people could have life and live on the seas. All in all, this is what the story is trying to show to you.

  18. Once I made an all-star baseball team, but I didn’t want to tell others because some didn’t make the team.

    I was on a hockey team and played another team that was a lot better than my team, but I still played hard and tried to do my best.

  19. I gave a girl something she dropped, but i did not want any praise for it. I just wanted to be nice.

    Sometimes in school math class i dont feel like i can do it, but i think real hard and i can.

  24. For question 1:One time when got a good report card, I did not want to share it to my dad. I wanted to surprise him with the good grade. That’s exactly what I did! He was proud of me to. For question 2: I was in a video game called Fortnite and my team started off terribly. I doubted we would win. But eventually we tried and we won!

  27. 1. One time I started a new trend where I put chips in ice cream at my old school. I didn’t tell anyone but everyone started doing it and thought it was good.
    2. One day I was playing fortnite and trying to learn a retake and it was hard. I didn’t think I could do it but I tried.

  32. My little brother watches Moana every night so he was so excited to see this story when I was picking a story for him. Me and my family answered the questions with him before he went to bed.

  36. My little brother loves this story, I read it to him at night so he can go to slee. I think its cool you have all the classic fairy tales to ????

  41. me, timmy and wynter were playing tag and wynter was it. i ran on the porch and then i got on the bench and i did a backflip. i didn’t think i could but i tried anyway, and did it right before she caught me.

  44. I love Maui from Moana because Moana is my favorite movie so I love stories like about him cause it is fun to read but if I were his sister I would believe him because even the unexpected could happen and the is an island ? so that’s what my thoughts are!

  47. 1. Gave a random homeless dog some food thought I might get in trouble so i kept it to myself.

    2. Literally everything

    quick joke / What do you call a really sad coffee?/ /A depreso!

  48. 1.When my mom was sick and I did dishes for her she just had a cold.
    2.When I jumped of a tree in my back yard and landed on my trampoline

  49. 1. Once I went to the store and got a lot of food from the store but when my sister asked where did i get all of the food, I said mom gave me money and it was my allowance and for that i kept the candy.

    2.One time i was going to ask for a bag of a chips and i asked and they said yes.

  54. question 1 : when I was four years old I was scared to swim because I didn’t know how to swim . When I got taught how to swim I started doing good and after awhile I started getting really good. I didn’t want others to know that I didn’t know how to swim until I got great at it.

    Question 2: The moment when I didn’t know how to swim . I was scared to learn how to swim because I was afraid to drown but I knew if I have giving up I would always be afraid and I wouldn’t know now. So that’s why I keep going and learning so I would achieve and I would not be afraid.

  56. Question #1: I was riding my bike with one training weal and didn’t tell anyone that the other fell off. I rode down a great track with one training weal!!!

    Question #2: When i started to ride my skateboard, and there was this huge hill that was very steep. If you fell then your skin will scrape off or you can break a bone. Well, i went to that hill with my skateboard, with my cousin recording, and i made it down safely and steady. I was so proud. Also when my cousin did it he scraped the skin off his forehead.

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