Every parent wants to raise a strong reader, and the easiest way to engage kids is to find subjects that relate to their interests and lives. Local books reflect the world that island keiki are familiar with, from beach settings and local fruits to slippahs and geckos.

Expand the perceptions of mainland kids with images of a sunny Christmas, or charm the keiki in your life with these selections:

Board books

» "Noodles for Baby," illustrated by Jamie Meckel ($7.95, BeachHouse Publishing): This delightful rhyming book filled with images of cherubic toddlers is a fun read for noodle-loving kids and parents who have dealt with messy situations like: "Noodles in his hair. Noodles on his chair. Noodles up her nose. Noodles on her toes."

» "Geckos 12 Days of Christmas," illustrated by Jon J. Murakami ($8.95, BeachHouse Publishing): Jon J. Murakami’s wide-grinning geckos are back for a sixth installment in the series. This seasonal tale, offering a humorous take on the "12 Days of Christmas," would make a great stocking stuffer.

» "Down at the Beach," illustrated by Jamie Meckel ($7.95, BeachHouse Publishing): Taking its cues from the perennial favorite "Wheels on the Bus," the wheels on kids’ bikes go round and round, taking them down to the beach where slippers flop, flop, flop; hands splash, splash, splash; and surfboards swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

» "Pua and the Big White Lua," written and illustrated by Debbie Dias Mason ($9.95, Bess Press): Many potty-training books are just confidence-inspiring toileting manuals with scant story lines. But here, Pua’s tale of overcoming the fear of being flushed and sent through the sewer system and across the ocean to Tahiti is hysterical. Of course, the message remains intact, and the book ends with Pua climbing up on the lua and doing her business.

Nonfiction

» "Natural Hawai‘i: An Inquisitive Kid’s Guide," by Dana Rozier ($12.95, Dot Dot Books): Filled with informative trivia, this rundown of the flora and fauna of the islands is the perfect gift for the "Why is the sky blue?" kid or to introduce a mainland cousin to the wonders that abound in the islands.

Fiction

» "On Vacation with Tutu," by Lynne Wikoff, illustrated by Tammy Yee ($12.95, Mutual Publishing): When the kids resist taking a bath, cleaning their room and going to bed, their parents decide to give them a taste of freedom and let them stay with tutu, where the kids rule the house. What starts as fun quickly shifts, and by the time the kids get picked up a few days later, they are begging for baths. Maybe tutu isn’t so clueless after all.

» "Little Mouse’s Hawaiian Christmas Present," by Mora Ebie, illustrated by Holly Braffet ($12.95, Mutual Publishing): Little Mouse checks out the array of Hawaii-made gifts his friends have bought — ukulele, lau hala hats, pineapples — but nothing seems right for his parents. On Christmas Eve he waits up for Santa to get advice, but the man in red only assures him that he will find the perfect gift. Christmas morning arrives and he still hasn’t found anything, but he gives them a tight hug and discovers that his love was all the gift his parents ever wanted. This is a traditional message of the true meaning of Christmas, accompanied by adorable drawings of a very expressive mouse.

» "Kaimana Big and Strong," by Dorian Nakamichi, illustrated by Don Robinson ($12.95, Island Heritage): With all the talk of bullying these days, this story of tiny Kaimana overcoming the heartache of teasing while learning to body-board is both constructive and creative.

» "Matson the Mouse," by Duncan O’Brien, illustrated by Robyn Drage ($20, Pier 10 Media): "Matson" is the charming historical tale of a mouse who stows away on a Matson ship as it crosses the Pacific from San Francisco to Honolulu. The story is filled with classic imagery from the boat days of the 1930s, including the Royal Hawaiian and Aloha Tower. It’s got such depth, parents and grandparents won’t mind reading it over and over again.

» "Moon Mangoes," by Lindy Shapiro, illustrated by Kathleen Peterson ($14.95, BeachHouse Publishing): With dreamlike illustrations of a starry Hawaiian night, this book is perfect as a bedtime story or for pre-readers to gaze at and create their own plot. The story is filled with the loving bond between mother and child, in which the daughter imagines fantastic scenarios where she transforms into animals and runs off, and her mother tells her all the ways she would bring her little girl home. Reminiscent of the classic "The Runaway Bunny," the descriptive phrases and wise responses have parents yearning for this kind of interaction with their own little ones.

» "Slippahs Slippahs," by Kris Murayama and Patrick Newbery, illustrated by Xiao Xin ($15.95, Island Heritage): This book with accompanying CD is pure fun. The upbeat story, an illustrated version of the song on the CD housed in the cover of the book, follows two kids in search of their missing slippers. One word of warning: The catchy Willie K melody will quickly become ingrained in the subconscious of anyone within earshot.