Kaleo Whale: “So what happened after that, Tutu, what happened?”

Tutuwahine Whale: “Ho‘omanawanui, Kaleo, be patient, and let me tell the story. It was dark by the time they got past Diamond Head, and they headed out into the channel. I decided to follow along with them and just be near this beautiful canoe that was built to sail like those of ancient Polynesia...”

In one of the most tragic, yet inspirational, moments in recent Hawaiian history, Eddie Aikau paddled away from the overturned Hokule‘a in search of help. Hawai‘i residents know the story of how the voyaging canoe capsized in March 1978, just six hours into its second open-ocean voyage to Tahiti, and how the crew hung onto the hull in stormy seas all night long.

One of those clinging to the hull “like an opihi” was Marion Lyman-Mersereau. Now a middle school social studies teacher at Punahou School, author Lyman-Mersereau has created a way for the younger generation to understand the poignant story.

Eddie Wen’ Go: The Story of the Upside-Down Canoe is an imaginative look at what happened on that fateful journey through the eyes of marine creatures. We meet a curious young whale named Kaleo, his wise Tutuwahine, a “tita” dolphin Lele, a friendly old shark named Mr. Mano, a joyful ‘Iwa, and other characters of the O‘ahu waters.

Melissa DeSica, illustrator of Gecko & Mosquito, enhances the book with a wealth of soft, blue-tinged watercolors: a whale’s eye view of history.

It’s a children’s book, but at 64 pages, it’s on the long side for a little one to take in at one or even two sittings. Fortunately, the book can be divided into sections as Tutu breaks up the story for Kaleo and his friends.

The text is full of Hawaiian words and phrases which are translated in a glossary at the back, along with footnotes on the wildlife. Lyman-Mersereau packs the story with tidbits about everything from whales stranded by sonar (Tutu: “my uncle was once confused after he heard some loud noises made by a ship in the ocean, and he felt dizzy and off balance and ended up dying on a beach.”) to Hawaiian ‘aumakua (Mano: “we know plenny of da ‘ohana on top da canoe cuz we wuz ‘aumakua to dem and we jus’ like hang aroun li’dat an make shuah evryting wuz okay.”).

With so many different characters to voice, even the most patient parent may find the telling a bit arduous. That’s where the companion CD comes in handy. Put your child on your lap, open the book and turn on the CD, and Lyman-Mersereau’s colorful cast of characters comes alive with friendly voices (a big help for those of us who are no good at speaking pidgin!). Slack-key artist Danny Carvalho’s guitar is welcome accompaniment.

Eddie Wen’ Go is an important story, the heroic tale of one of Hawai‘i’s great watermen—who better to tell it than the creatures of the ocean?

4 out of 5 Shakas

Eddie Wen’ Go
By Marion Lyman-Mersereau
Illustrated by Melissa DeSica
Watermark Publishing, 2008
Hardcover with read-along CD, $17.95
ISBN-13: 978-0-9790647-5-3
www.bookshawaii.net

Facebook  MySpace  Digg  Stumble    Mixx  Fark  del.icio.us   LiveSpaces

Member Comments

View Comments: | Post a comment

No comments posted for this article.

You must first login before you can comment.