Kailani's Gift

Young Kailani’s family is rich with love, encouragement, and a strong sense of their Filipino heritage. Still, it isn’t easy for Kailani to be the youngest of five children, especially now that her siblings are practicing the tinikling dance to perform at the upcoming celebration of their grandparents’ golden wedding anniversary.

The national dance of the Philippines, tinikling involves imitating the tikling bird as it side-steps bamboo traps set by rice farmers. Tinikling dancers dodge two bamboo poles as they leap, frolic, twirl, and hop to the rhythm of energetic music.

Though Kailani’s siblings make the moves look easy, they are anything but that. When Kailani’s brother tells her she should stick with ring-around-the-rosy, that she is too clumsy to learn the dance, and that she should just color a picture for her grandparents instead, Kailani becomes discouraged. But that evening when Kailani’s dad comes home from work and sees his sad daughter, he tells her all she needs is a good dance teacher and, since he is just that, they will get started on lessons after supper.

Though Kailani struggles to learn the dance’s rhythm and steps, she persists. On the day of the celebration, she’s so nervous it seems that butterflies are tinikling in her stomach, but that doesn’t stop her from performing for her grandparents. After, when her grandparents wrap Kailani in an embrace, they acknowledge the perfect gift she’s given them.

Illustrator Lynnor Bontigao adeptly complements Kailani’s story by capturing her emotions as she navigates frustration, discouragement, missteps, excitement, nervousness, and, ultimately, joy.

In an author note, Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young shares insights that Christian parents and caregivers will find helpful: “Kailani needed to have courage to try something new. Even though she didn’t master it right way, Kailani persevered. The tinikling dance was challenging, but it was also rewarding when she was able to offer it as a gift to her grandparents. We all might be clumsy with new things at first, but if we push through the awkwardness and have fun, we can bless others with what we have learned.” (WaterBrook)