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"By Wind, By Wave: An Introduction to Hawai'i's Natural History," by David L. Eyre (Bess Press), 192 pages, paperback, $29.95From the title, "By Wind, By Wave: An Introduction to Hawai'i's Natural History," David L. Eyre's book sounds studious and stuffy, but it's not. In fact, it's kind of cool. A fun approach
to natural historyThe book is filled with facts about how our islands came to be, then how it came to be populated by people, their pets and animals, their pests and plants, all in a breezy, informal style.
To each chapter of the book, Eyre, a teacher at Kamehameha Schools, adds three interesting elements.
"More Facts" gives detailed information about animals and insects in the islands. It also exposes colorful anecdotes, like why at St. Andrew's Cathedral one of the stained-glass windows depicts a termite.
"Views" presents an opinion or observation from different people, adding an interesting perspective on each topic.
The third element, "Just Wondering," is the most delightful. Thought-provoking questions are raised, some humorous, others philosophical.
Examples: "Why do roaches almost always drop dead belly up?" (There's no answer.) and "What a mishmash of species humans have hurriedly cluttered together on these lovely little islands! After millions of years of steady, tidy crafting, what is evolution to make of it all?"
Hawaiian and science glossaries are included, as is a bibliography for those who wish to explore a specific topic more deeply.
The photographs in the book, chiefly those by photographer David Boynton, beautifully dress the pages. A few are repulsive, especially the ones showing cockroach eggs, cannibalistic praying mantis and birds bloodied by mongoose attacks. But that's the natural world, too.
Cynthia Oi, Star-Bulletin
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