This review is part of our ‘Book Fair and Blog-a-Thon Benefit‘ for First Book-Oahu. Six keiki books in six hours!
Four hours in and things are heating up! For my next keiki book review I will take a look at noted local illustrator Tammy Yee’s book From Hawaii with Aloha, Grandma and Grandpa: Exploring the Islands Together (Island Heritage, 2008).
This keiki book takes on the form of a collection of letters from a child or children’s grandma and grandpa who are traveling across six of the main Hawaiian Islands (Niihau and Kahoolawa excluded). Through the grandparents’ short letters to their keiki, they slowly teach all about Hawaii to their audience—from geographic facts and wildlife, to local customs, attractions, and activities.
Aiding in the various letter lessons and fact asides is Tammy Yee’s distinctive illustration style, providing keiki eyes with soft, bright and colorful depictions of the people, places, and things that make Hawaii so special. The book is truly a mixed media collection as well—real photographs are inset among the illustrations, playing off the tourist idea of grandparents taking pictures, and a little map of the island on the top-right of each page spread provides a nice visual cue for the reader to know what island that feature pertains to.
Given the straightforward style and informative nature of the book, this makes a great gift for visitors—whether grandparents or not—to bring back to children at home. If to reinforce this idea, at the very back of the book is a section to place photos, notes, and a built-in envelope for keepsakes from a memorable Hawaii vacation.
