Kealani Netane is a Native Hawaiian and Samoan author who was raised on the leeward side of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi where she currently resides. She writes children's books and is the author of Tala Learns to Siva, illustrated by Dung Ho (Scholastic, Summer 2024). She is represented by Ellen Goff at HG Literary.
Kealani is a co-founder of Pacific Islanders in Publishing, which amplifies current Pacific Islander book creators and she runs the bookstagram, Little Pasifika Readers, where she shares current Pacific Islander children’s books.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from BYU-Provo and graduated high school from Kamehameha Schools-Kapālama.
When she is not reading or writing, she can be found with her hair in a tita bun chauffeuring her kids to their various activities. She spends far too much time on the internet listening to R&B songs, watching video essays and laughing at how much her fyp really is for her.
About Me
Name Pronunciation
Kealani (Keh-ah-lah-nee) Netane (Neh-tdah-neh)
Click the play button to hear the pronunciation.
Her favorite ice cream is chocolate chip cookie dough.
Her favorite Hawaiian food is poi mixed with lomi salmon.
Her favorite Samoan food is oka.
Her favorite quote is by Brianna Fruean, a Samoan climate activist, who said, "I am not self-made. I am community-made, I am village-made."
As a child, she wanted to be a receptionist when she grew up because she thought they played solitaire on their computer all day.
She was first published in the third grade when she won an honorable mention in a poetry contest.