COURTESY PHOTOS
“Rocky and Kaimana: Waikiki’s Hawaiian Monk Seals,” left, and “Keala and the Hawaiian Bird” have wonderful illustrations and images that would make great gifts for keiki.
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Hawaiian monk seal mommy Rocky and her mischievous pup Kaimana were the talk of the islands as they took up temporary residence on a Waikiki beach last summer.
Revisit this wondrous nature story and the public’s fascination with the endangered marine mammals in “Rocky and Kaimana: Waikiki’s Hawaiian Monk Seals,” (Mutual Publishing, $14.95). The children’s book, edited by Erika Engle, is bursting with color photos of the world-famous pair, with many of the images provided by Honolulu Star-Advertiser photographers.
There’s also information on monk seals, conservation efforts, the Waikiki Natatorium, Kaimana Beach and the Waikiki Aquarium, along with additional resource material and footnotes.
“Keala and the Hawaiian Bird” (BeachHouse Publishing, $12.95) is a charming read-aloud book by part-time Maui resident Patricia McLean, whose simple, unforced rhymes invite young and old to mimic the common bird sounds that awaken Keala every morning: “Chirp! Squawk! Crow!”
One day, the Maui girl hears an unusual “screee!” What could it be? The curious, barefoot youngster searches high and low for its source — until she locates the noise maker in an unexpected place.
Illustrations by local artist Holly Braffet, a graduate of Molokai High, capture the spirit of growing up local.
