Jack opened his eyes. A gentle wind brushed against his skin. It smelled sweet and fresh.

Annie looked out the window. “Nice!” she said.

Jack looked out, too. The tree house had landed on top of a tall palm tree. The palm tree was at the edge of a flowery meadow.

On one side of the meadow, a cliff dropped down to the beach and ocean. On the other side of the meadow were the rooftops of a small village.

Beyond the village were tall gray mountains. Misty clouds hid their peaks. Waterfalls gushed down their sides.

“I told you I loved Hawaii!” said Annie. “Don’t you?”

“I have to learn about it first,” said Jack. He pushed his glasses into place and opened their research book. He read aloud:

Hawaii is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean. The largest island is Hawaii, which gives its name to the whole group. The islands were formed millions of years ago by volcanoes. The volcanoes erupted under the ocean. Over time, their craters rose above the water.

“Wow,” said Annie. “We’re on the top of a volcano.”

“Yeah,” said Jack. He read on:

The volcanic rock crumbled and turned to soil. Over millions of years, wind and birds dropped seeds on the islands. Plants and trees began to grow, and birds and insects made their homes.

“Cool,” said Jack. He took out his notebook and pencil and wrote:

He read some more:

About two thousand years ago, people first came to Hawaii. They came in canoes from other islands in the Pacific. They rowed for thousands of miles across the ocean, guided only by the wind and stars.

“Hey, listen,” said Annie.

Jack put down the book and listened. Sounds of music and laughter floated on the breeze.

“There must be a party in that village,” said Annie. “Let’s go.”

“What about building that ship?” asked Jack.

“We’ll figure that out later,” said Annie. “Let’s meet some people at the party. Maybe they can help us.”

She started down the ladder.

Jack heard a whoop of laughter in the distance. The party does sound fun, he thought. He packed up his things and followed Annie down to the ground.

The sun was low in the sky. They walked through the meadow toward the village. Everything was bathed in a golden red glow.

“Oh, man,” breathed Jack.

There was beauty everywhere: purple flowers shaped like bells, white flowers that looked like stars, tall, feathery ferns, green spiky plants, big orange-and-black butterflies, and tiny yellow birds.

When they got close to the village, they saw an open area filled with people. Jack and Annie slipped behind a palm tree. They peeked out at the party.

There were about fifty people, including grown-ups, teenagers, and little kids. They were all barefoot and wore wreaths of flowers around their necks.

A woman was chanting. Her words rose and fell like waves. She chanted about a volcano goddess named Pele.

While she chanted, other people played music. Some blew on pipes that looked like flutes. Others shook gourds that sounded like baby rattles. Some hit sticks together to make clicking sounds.

Most of the villagers were dancing to the music. They stepped from side to side. They swayed their hips and waved their hands.

“They’re doing the hula,” whispered Annie. She smiled and waved her hands, too.

“Don’t get carried away,” whispered Jack.

He took out their book and found a picture of Hawaiians dancing. He read:

The early Hawaiians had no written language. They told stories with hula dancing. The hula is a blend of dancing and chanting poetry.

Jack pulled out his notebook. He started a list about early Hawaii:

Suddenly Jack heard loud laughter and clapping. He looked up. Annie was gone!

Jack peeked out from behind the tree. Annie was doing the hula with the dancers! But no one seemed surprised. Everyone just smiled at her as they kept dancing.

A girl caught sight of Jack. She looked about Annie’s age. She had long, shiny black hair and a big, friendly smile.

“Come do the hula!” she called to him.

“No way,” Jack breathed.

He slipped behind the tree again. But the girl danced over to him and took his hand.

“Join us!” she said.

“No thanks,” said Jack.

The girl didn’t let go. She pulled Jack into the open. The music got louder. The dancers and musicians nodded and smiled at Jack.

Jack stood still. He didn’t know how to do any kind of dance, let alone the hula! He stared at the ground, clutching his backpack and notebook until the music and dancing ended.

The Hawaiians gathered around Jack and Annie. They all had friendly, open faces.

“Who are you?” the young girl asked.

“I’m Annie,” said Annie. “This is my brother, Jack.”

“I’m Kama,” the girl said. “This is my brother, Boka.” She pointed to a boy in the crowd who looked about Jack’s age.

The boy stepped forward. He grinned a big grin just like his sister’s. He pulled off his wreath of red fluffy flowers. He put it around Annie’s neck.

“A lei to welcome you,” Boka said.

Kama then pulled off her lei and put it around Jack’s neck.

“Aloha, Jack and Annie!” everyone said.