Kids books about tiki/Hawaii/Polynesia

I have three little buddies (ages 8, 6, and 3) who live next door and love coming over and checking out my tiki decor. I've tried to explain it as best as possible but I'd love to find some kids books that would really illuminate the whole tiki/Hawaiian/Polynesian experiance for them. Any suggestions?

All hail the freaky tiki!

[ Edited by: CruzinTiki on 2003-07-16 23:10 ]

Book Of Tiki! Ahh, just kiddin', when I was their age I probably would have gone looking for the nearest crayons so I could scribble on the endpapers...seriously though, it's the only book that really explains how the whole Poly Pop thing happened.

Island Heritage Publishing has awesome kid's books. There are lots of current titles, but IMHO the most awesome ever was "PuaPuaLenaLena and the Magic Kiha-Pu", about a magical dog and how he stole a magical conch shell. It is brilliant, and generally can be found in Amazon or B&N used and out of print.

You can go direct to the Island Heritage site at http://www.islandheritage.com/keiki_books/keiki_books.html for current titles. That takes care of the Hawaiian end of things, but how to explain "Tiki" - you've got your work cut out for you I think. But by all means corrupt 'em while they're young! Our goal should be nothing les than global domination.

:),
emspace

Hmmm... Yeah, the tiki aspect is tough. A good kid's book on the Hawaiian tip is "Surf's Up For Kimo".
It's a cute story and there is a reference to finding Glass Floats on the beach.
Aloha,
:tiki:

Cruzin', you may want to search your local library under the subject of "folktales" then "Hawaii" or "South Pacific".

I read a book of Hawaiian folk tales from my elementary school library...let's see... about four decades ago!

It was beautifully written and illustrated. Or maybe there were no illustrations and the writing was so good I just saw the pictures in my imagination.

I was real surprised when color TV first came out...I thought it was color all along, but I was just imagining the color on the black and white screen.

Anyway, it's an old book so maybe you can find it at the library or a used book store. Sorry I can't remember the name of it.

Pua Pua Lena Lena is a great book! It was my favorite as a kid in Hawaii, and when I grew up and gave away my childrens' books, Pua Pua Lena Lena is one of the very few I held onto.

Aloha Humuhumu - when I was a kid my Auntie Mary from Kailua brought me Pua Pua Lena Lena on one of her visits to the mainland. I LOVE THAT BOOK! I am going to get a copy, and don't know why I haven't done so sooner. I think having my boy Oliver in May made me want to make sure he'd get to read it too...

emspace.

There is a Kon Tiki for Young People by Thor Heyerdahl:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0528871757/onthewebcom-20/102-8040811-3877749

I read it while lounging in BigBro's hammock last year-most enjoyable and neat-o pictures to boot.

There is a children's book entited "Night of the Living Tiki," which I encountered several times searching for "Night of the Tiki," which I also recommend.

Thanks for the info! I just ordered Pua Pua Lena Lena and Night of the Living Tiki from Amazon. I can't wait to read them myself! I'm sure the kids will love them. And so the indoctrination begins!

CT-

Have you seen any of the kids books produced by Disney/Pixar based on "Finding Nemo"? The artwork is just amazing... very 60's... some of the books even use cut paper illustrations, a style I haven't seen since looking through my dad's children's books.

ANYWAYS, they're not Tiki exactly, but any scenes of the fish in the aquarium feature the Tiki gods centerpiece, so there are at least kid-friendly Tikis to draw and color.

Same goes for books on Lilo & Stitch...