Bella and her dog Bongo are best friends. But Bongo loves to bark. At everyone and everything in the village. “Halu Bongo!” is heard everyday as passersby try to chase him away. With so many complaints about Bongo, it looks like Bella and her best friend might be parted. Until one night, a robber comes to the village. Can Bongo save the day?!
Halu Bongo! Print Book Version
T45.00
Price Summary
- T45.00
- T45.00
- T45.00
Only $16.00 USD, approx currency conversion. Postage included.
A delightful story from Samoa, about a young girl and her dog. A joy to read aloud with your child, in both English and Gagana Samoa. Vivid, lush illustrations hand painted by renowned artist Nikki Mariner, bring the richness and beauty of a Samoan village to life. This is a storybook your family will treasure.
This paperback print book is shipped from our suppliers in both Australia and the USA, depending on where you live. The sale price includes standard postage to customers living in New Zealand, Australia and the USA.
-
WST
-
USD
-
AUD
Be the first to review “Halu Bongo! Print Book Version” Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a review.
Vendor Information
- Store Name: Lani Young
- Vendor: Lani Young
-
5.00 rating from 1 review 5 ★0 ★0 Ratings5 ★04 ★03 ★02 ★01 ★0
Ocean’s Kiss
When danger threatens the island of Niua, an ancient weapon is unleashed and Daniel Tahi must decide if he will embrace his Tongan heritage and stand alongside the Vasa Loloa sisterhood of his mother’s people. A standalone novel from the Telesā World. Inspired by mythology of Oceania, the richness of Samoan culture and the very real threats to the Pacific caused by climate change.
$10 USD (Approx currency conversion)
Keahi – Fire and Forgiveness (A Short Story)
What really happened to Keahi AFTER Teuila left him? If you enjoyed Fire’s Caress, then you will love this added insight into Keahi. Get to know our favourite Telesa World #badBoyBillionaire a little better with this short story.
Only $5 USD.
Best enjoyed if you have already read Fire’s Caress.
Afakasi Woman
2019 Winner of a NZ Storylines Notable Book Award.
2019 Finalist in the NZ Book Awards, Young Adult Fiction.
A collection of short stories from Samoa, by Lani Wendt Young. “The joys, the trials, the tragedies, and the sensibilities of being a woman of Samoa are highlighted in this superb collection. Each story is brimming with emotion, offering a unique, engrossing glimpse into the lives of women of the Pacific, as Young takes readers from tears of laughter to tears of sorrow from one story to the next.”
Only $10 USD.
Ocean’s Kiss (A Telesa World Novel) – Print Book, Paperback.
When danger threatens the island of Niua, an ancient weapon is unleashed and Daniel Tahi must decide if he will embrace his Tongan heritage and stand alongside the Vasa Loloa sisterhood of his mother’s people. A standalone novel from the Telesā World. Inspired by mythology of Oceania, the richness of Samoan culture and the very real threats to the Pacific caused by climate change.
The Telesā books are YA fantasy fiction set in the Pacific Islands by internationally renowned, award-winning author Lani Young. Discover the series that is a #1 Top Rated Fantasy Romance on Amazon and a favourite with readers worldwide.
Samoa Coloring Pages – Halu Bongo!
Bring your favorite Samoan dog Bongo to life with FOURTEEN printable coloring pages from the original HALU BONGO storybook for kids. Simply download, then print on your home printer with settings on \’Fill page\’, grab some bright crayons, and your child has everything they need for a fun activity. Pair with the the ebook of HALU BONGO, read the story out loud together in Samoan and English, and help reinforce your child\’s confident learning of Gagana Samoa. These bold coloring pages are all familiar scenes straight from home here in Beautiful Samoa. Only $3.50 USD (approx currency conversion).
Original paintings by Nikki Mariner. Adapted for coloring pages format by Bella Young.
Scarlet Series Triple Book Set, Print Books
Buy all three books in the SCARLET SERIES for only $55.00 USD (approximate currency conversion). Paper print books, postage included in the price. Your payment comes direct to Samoa to the writer, books are posted to you from distributors in either USA or Australia to keep shipping costs down and for faster delivery.
- Scarlet Lies
- Scarlet Secrets
- Scarlet Redemption
Related Products
Mango Fandango
INSPIRATION
Mangoes are always special.
Fancy. Soft. Sweet. Round.
Celebratory and luxurious.
So this is what I infused in the figures, tones, and shapes.
It feels warm and sweet and happy.
I learned so much about mangoes doing this painting.
Eg.
🥭The paisley pattern on bandanas originates from mangoes.
🥭The leaves from a mango tree are believed to repel negative energy and attract prosperity and fertility in India where the mango is believed to originate.
ARTWORK
The starting point was the heads of the women, which followed an exact formation of mangoes hanging on a tree. Everything went from this point.
I used the colours of mangoes: orange, yellow, red, green, coral, purple. Tropical, sweet and glowy.
I used the curvy shapes of oval mangoes, long pointy leaves, and delicate long red stems laden with pale yellow tiny mango flowers.
Metallic colours of gold and copper added luxe and celebration.
This is the story of Mango Fandango.
(I used fandango in the sense of fun, party and dance).
The Cleaner
The first painting of every year is significant.
It sets the tone, mood, style, and benchmark for the year.
The Cleaner was my first for 2024.
It’s a figurative painting of a woman with a broom.
She wears only a lavalava and a sei.
Inspirations.
1. I fell in love with a sculpture by Italian artist Ernesto Coter while eating in his kitchen at Santa Maria Rezzonico a few weeks earlier. The sculpture was sitting on the sideboard beside his dining table. He said it is a Samoan woman dancing. This painting is a response to the sculpture (Pic 5)
2. A new year inspires a fresh look at life, reassessment, and decluttering. It’s not the first time my first painting for a new year has included a broom. It’s about spring cleaning your life as a new year begins.
3. Spending time with my family gave me a fresh respect for two of my sisters who each successfully run their own cleaning businesses in Queensland. It’s more interesting and complex work than I expected, and what they do for their clients is admirable.
I wanted to honour cleaners so I painted gold behind her head to show she is iconic.
And she had a gold broom.
4. Samoans sweep everything regularly – the beach, the grass the house, and everything.
5. A woman with a broom is a timeless and common sight in the background of every culture and every age. I want to uplift and highlight this symbol.
As a goddess. With an iconic halo.
We have often been this person and often see this person. And they’re important and essential.
They get rid of crap and they make the world more beautiful.
Goddesses.
6. I painted a blue ocean type background because I was seeing a lot from the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, while painting. Many people I know were there representing island nations of the Pacific Ocean.
Women of the Woods
This print is from a series of three large paintings by Nikki Mariner, titled, ‘No Woman is an Island’.
Cry Me A Moana
My sisters and I live different lives than we used to.
I watch their online stories traveling Europe and dancing at music festivals.
We discuss pending court cases and struggles of self-employment.
The days of desperately seeking babysitters, carpooling for school events, and borrowing from each other to pay the rent are gone.
We are less compliant and more calm.
We are more heartbroken and less cooperative.
We are smarter and deeper.
That’s what this painting is about.
Letting go. Floating.
I’ve always loved Ella Fitzgerald singing Cry Me A River.
The lyrics say it all. Cry me a river, I cried a river over you.
But the version that goes with this painting is Cry Me A River by Julie London, Live at the Americana Hotel, New York 1964. It’s breathtakingly beautiful.
So this painting is titled Cry Me A Moana and captures a similar sentiment as the song.
(Moana is a word that means ocean in several Pacific Island languages.)
Five brown-skinned full-bodied women floating in water.
They are reaching and twisting.
Their respectable white dresses become translucent, and the flower leis of honour are drifting away, and the women don’t care.
They float above fish skeletons and remnants of the past.
I hope it resonates. I want to make art that people feel, not only look at.
Sisters of the Sun
This print is from a series of three large paintings by Nikki Mariner, titled, ‘No Woman is an Island’.
Free as a Bird by Pele Loi
This print by Pele Loi features a bird feeding in the natural Samoan environment against a bright blue background of Samoan tatau patterns.
Mamanu by Pele Loi
This print features traditional Samoan patterns and symbols found in our siapo (tapa cloth) and tatau (tattoos).
Umu Feast by To’a Sāleilua
This print by To’a Sāleilua shows a steaming Samoan feast of pork, fish, breadfruit, taro and more, which are cooked using traditional methods.
Memory of Flight
Musing on the paradox of permanence. What lasts? Bone? Or a butterfly’s brief beauty?
“Butterfly and Bone”
Only $10 USD (approx currency conversion).
Daughters of the Waters
This print is from a series of three large paintings by Nikki Mariner, titled, ‘No Woman is an Island’.
Tanka
Playing with poem structure, paint, and Samoan markings.
Small paintings inspired by the 7 metre by 2 metre works (pic 6) I created for the VIP Terminal Lounge at Faleolo International Airport.
A tanka poem is derived from Japanese poetry arranged in five lines with a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable count.
Pacific Blue Madonna
The original painting was exhibited and sold at the Regenerating Oceania Exhibition at the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture in Honolulu 6-16 June 2024.
This print is a deep statement about motherhood and the crucial role mothers have in sustaining society in Oceania.





















There are no reviews yet.