I guess you didn’t have to wait until Saturday to learn who most of the 2008 Ka Palapala Po’okela Book Award Winners are…you can find out now. Only the Samuel M. Kamakau Award for the Hawai‘i Book of the Year, as well as the recipient of the John Dominis Holt Award, for lifetime contribution to Hawai‘i book publishing, will not be disclosed until May 9.
Even though I’m one of the judges, it’s always fascinating to see which books rise to the top.
Children’s Hawaiian Culture
Award of Excellence
Naupaka by Nona Beamer, illustrated by Caren Ke‘ala Loebel-Fried, Hawaiian translation by Kaliko Beamer-Trapp, music by Keola Beamer
(Kamahoi Press, an imprint of Bishop Museum Press)Honorable Mention
Keiki’s First Word Book by Bess Press [author and publisher]Children’s Illustrative or Photographic Books
Award of Excellence
Naupaka by Nona Beamer, illustrated by Caren Ke‘ala Loebel-Fried, Hawaiian translation by Kaliko Beamer-Trapp, music by Keola Beamer
(Kamahoi Press, an imprint of Bishop Museum Press)Honorable Mention
Lauka`ie`ie: A Hawaiian Legend Retold by Robin Yoko Racoma
(Kamehameha Publishing)Children’s Literature
Award of Excellence
Blazing Stars and Shark Eyes: Kamehameha’s Training As a Warrior by David Kawika Eyre, illustrated by Imaikalani Kalahele
(Kamehameha Publishing)Honorable Mention
No Ka `elepaio Kolohe/The Naughty ‘Elepaio by Malia Kruger, illustrated by Eve Furchgott
(Kamehameha Publishing)Hawaiian Culture
Award of Excellence
Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai’i? by Jon M. Van Dyke (University of Hawai‘i Press)
–Read my reviewHonorable Mention
Haena: Through the Eyes of the Ancestors by Carlos Andrade (University of Hawai‘i Press)
–Read my reviewLiterature
Award of Excellence
Honolulu Stories: Voices of the Town Through the Years: Two Centuries of Writing edited by Gavan Daws and Bennett Hymer, (Mutual Publishing)
–Read my reviewHonorable Mention
Dying in a Strange Land by Milton Murayama (University of Hawai‘i Press)Illustrative or Photographic Books
Award of Excellence
Sublime Beauty: Hawai’i’s Trees by Jim Wageman (Bishop Museum Press)Honorable Mention
Hawaii 50: Five Decades of Photography by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Mutual Publishing)Natural Science
Award of Excellence
Sublime Beauty: Hawai’i’s Trees by Jim Wageman (Bishop Museum Press)Honorable Mention
The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes: Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals by John P. Hoover, (Mutual Publishing)Text or Reference Books
Award of Excellence
Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai’i? by Jon M. Van Dyke (University of Hawai‘i Press)
–Read my reviewHonorable Mention
Green Hawaii: A Guide to a Sustainable and Energy Efficient Home by Kevin J. Whitton (Mutual Publishing)Cookbooks
Award of Excellence
The Island Bistro Cookbook by Chef Chai Chaowasaree (Watermark Publishing)Honorable Mention
Chimugukuru – Okinawan Mixed Plate II by Hui O Laulima [author and publisher]Special-Interest Books
Award of Excellence
The Maui Book of Lavender by Alii Chang, Lani Medina Weigert, and Jill Engledow
(Watermark Publishing)Honorable Mention
Chimugukuru – Okinawan Mixed Plate II by Hui O Laulima [author and publisher]Nonfiction Books
Award of Excellence
Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai’i? by Jon M. Van Dyke (University of Hawai‘i Press)
–Read my reviewHonorable Mention
Haena: Through the Eyes of the Ancestors by Carlos Andrade (University of Hawai‘i Press)
–Read my reviewDesign [awarded specifically to the designer]
Award of Excellence
Jim Wageman
Sublime Beauty: Hawai’i’s Trees(Bishop Museum Press)
Honorable Mention
Leo Gonzalez
Hawaii 50: Five Decades of Photography (Mutual Publishing)Aloha from Beyond Hawai‘i
Award of Excellence
Glory by the Wayside: The Old Churches of Hawaii by William and Susan Ecenbarger (Passage Press, Inc.)Honorable Mention
The White Ships by Duncan O’Brien (Pier 10 Media)Samuel M. Kamakau Award
[still to come]John Dominis Holt Award
[still to come]
Literary Lotus 