Go fish for the alphabet

"Alphabet Hukilau in Hawai‘i," by Vera Arita (BeachHouse Publishing, $12.95), allows kids to learn their alphabet while familiarizing them with local sea creatures. Fun, colorful illustrations by Mariko Merritt will grab young readers’ attention. A photographic glossary of fish provides information on the sea creatures featured in the book.

Arita, who teaches at Mililani Ike Elementary School, was raised in Waipahu and has been a special education teacher for more than 30 years. Her passion is teaching children the fundamentals of reading.

A rainbow of lessons

"Blue Penguin and the Sensational Surf" (Once Kids, $9.95), the seventh book in the Fujimini Adventure Series By Eileen Wacker, features many of the colorful characters found throughout her series, which is geared toward young readers in preschool to first grade.

In this tale, the penguins are preparing for the opening of the Fujimini Island Surf School. As Blue Penguin gives a surf lesson and shows off some of his moves, a strange creature in the water snatches Silver Bunny. The gang must figure out a plan that ensures everyone’s safety. Illustrations of the rainbow of characters are provided by Alan M. Low.

Visit www.oncekids.com for online games and additional book, character and habitat descriptions.

Sparkly undersea poem

Silver overlay highlights add a dose of sparkle to Gill McBarnet’s "The Rainbow of Mermaids" (Ruwanga Trading, $9.95), a counting poem. Kids who like rainbows and mermaids will enjoy this tale about the adventures of 10 mythical sea creatures.

Many of the mermaids in the illustrations were drawn to resemble McBarnet’s family members including her niece’s 4-year-old daughter, Cliona McBarnet, her nephew’s daughter, Alana McBarnet, and her first grandchild, Max, to whom the book is dedicated.

Glittery accents are found throughout the book on the mermaid’s tails, small fish and shells.

Nancy Arcayna, Star-Advertiser