By Everest Hala
A new bilingual children’s book offering a Tongan contextualised retelling of Cinderella, the classic fairy tale, Hina Talela, written by Lupeongo Latailakepa (Rev. Sela Latailakepa) and published by Twinnies Publishing, was launched on Thursday, 30 April 2026, at the MRM Foundation in Nuku'alofa.
The book presents a culturally contextualised version of the well-known Cinderella story, adapted to reflect Tongan traditions and settings. In this retelling, the author replaced the iconic glass slipper with a kahoa heilala (a garland) made from Tonga’s royal flower, while the traditional ball becomes a po fakame’ite (Tongan social gathering). In the story, the prince searches for the young woman by fitting the garland on different attendees, with it ultimately fitting only Hina Talela.
Latailakepa and Tuionuku presented a copy of the book to Crown Princess Sinaitakala Tuku’aho on 1 May 2026.
Written in both Tongan and English, the book combines elements of humour and emotion in a narrative designed for young readers. Latailakepa, who grew up in Fiji and Tonga, has worked in children’s education and literature. As the school principal for Queen Salote College, she is interested in developing books for young audiences in Tonga.
The book is dedicated to the author’s niece, Chloe, who is autistic, and the publishing co-incide with AUtism Awareness month.
Twinnies publisher, ‘Ana Tuionuku, said the book was developed to contribute to the growth of Tongan-language literature for children.
The launch and book signing was attended by invited guests, including representatives of the Australian Government.
Twinnies Publishing is a Tongan-owned publishing company based in Australia. They focus on publishing Pacific bilingual and cultural books to preserve Pacific languages and culture.
