‘Twas the night before Kalikimaka/and all through the house/not a creature was stirring/not even an iole.
So begins “Ke Ahiahi Mamua O Kalikimaka,” one of several kids books that puts a Hawaiian spin on the holidays.
Christine Reed, owner of Basically Books in Downtown Hilo, keeps one section of the store just for local kids books, and keeps classics such as “Ke Ahiahi Mamua O Kalikimaka” (first published in 1994) and newer takes such as “The Twelve Days of Hula,” by Beth Greenway with illustrations by Kristi Petosa-Sigel, in stock.
“It has the same meter and rhyme,” Reed said of “The Twelve Days of Hula.” One book first published in the 1950s — “Numbah One Day” — took a similar route, starting with “one myna bird in one papaya tree.”
Reed said one of her favorite holiday books is “Santa Luna,” a book penned by Vermonter Peter Blodgett (“Hawaii is his favorite state, after Vermont,” according to Blodgett’s author blurb) and illustrated in the vibrant style of J. Moria Stephens.
“What I love about it, I love the pictures, and he’s trying to tell it (the story) in kind of a scientific way,” Reed said. The book follows a young girl as she travels with Santa and his reindeer on their journey — but rather than fly around the globe according to tradition, the team uses an extensive volcano network, beginning with Mount Erebus in Antarctica and featuring Mauna Kea.
“It’s a little bit of a different take,” Reed said.
For younger children, she recommended “The Story of Aloha Bear” by Dick Adair and “Gecko’s 12 Days of Christmas” by Jon Murakami.
For local books to read aloud during the 11 other months of the year, Reed and her staff picked out “Where Are My Slippers” by Kauai-based Dr. Carolan Carlson, “Honu and Hina,” a crowd-funded book by Pat Hall and Patrick Ching, and “Too Many Mangos” by Tammy Paikai with illustrations by Don Robinson.
Robinson is “one of my favorite illustrators,” Reed said. The Oahu-based artist also created drawings for “Kohola and the Giant Waves,” a newer book by Big Island tsunami expert Walter Dudley.
And for the grown-up children, the biggest trend this year is for adult coloring books. A Hawaii-themed coloring book already is in stock, alongside Johanna Basford’s collections (Basford’s books largely are credited with starting the trend).
“These are the things that are flying out the door,” Reed said.
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
