Ka Palapala Po’okela
book award winners

Winners of this year's Ka Palapala Po'okela book awards were announced at a ceremony Friday evening at the Hawai'i State Library. The awards are presented by the Hawai'i Book Publishers Association to recognize the top books published during the previous year, as well as those individuals involved in their creation.

A record-breaking field of 125 entries from 71 separate book projects were narrowed down to two awards given in each of 18 categories.

"The number of entries clearly shows that book-publishing as an industry is thriving in Hawaii, which continues to be one of the most active publishing regions in the country," said HBPA president Blair Collis.

Additionally, two prestigious trophy awards were bestowed. The Samuel M. Kamakau Award for the Hawaii Book of the Year went to "Na Lei Makamae: The Treasured Lei," by Marie A. McDonald and Paul R. Weissich, published by University of Hawai'i Press. The richly illustrated book is a wealth of information on lei and their role in Hawaiian culture. Its designer, Momi Cazimero, and its photographer, Jean Coté, also won in their respective technical categories.

The John Dominis Holt Award, given to an individual for a lifetime contribution to Hawaii book-publishing, honored Hawaiian language translator and retired teacher Esther T. Mookini, who currently volunteers at the Judiciary History Center translating court documents. She was a co-author with Samuel Elbert and Mary Kawena Pukui on "Place Names of Hawai'i," and translated Gerrit P. Judd's "Anatomia," 1838, which was a nominee in this year's awards.

The nominations were judged over a six-week period by an academy of librarians, book sellers, educators, and other dedicated book lovers.

Here is the complete list of winners:

GENERAL CATEGORIES

Excellence in Children's Hawaiian Culture
Award of Excellence: "Explorations! Ho'omaka'ika'i" (third edition) by the Kamehameha Schools Ho'omaka'ika'i staff (Kamehameha Schools Press)

Honorable Mention: "Kamehameha: The Boy Who Became a Warrior King," by Ellie Crowe, illustrated by Don Robinson (Island Heritage Publishing)

Excellence in Children's Illustrative or Photographic Books

Award of Excellence: "Hide & Seek in Hawai'i III" by Jane Hopkins and Ian Gillespie (Mutual Publishing)

Honorable Mention: "Kamehameha: The Boy Who Became a Warrior King," by Ellie Crowe, illustrated by Don Robinson (Island Heritage Publishing)

Excellence in Children's Books -- Fiction or Nonfiction
Award of Excellence: "Wordsworth the Poet" by Frances H. Kakugawa, illustrated by Scott Goto (Watermark Publishing)

Honorable Mention: "Kimo's Summer Vacation" by Kerry Germain, illustrated by Keoni Montes (Island Paradise Publishing)

Excellence in Literature
Award of Excellence: "Century of the Tiger: One Hundred Years of Korean Culture in America," edited by Jenny Ryun Foster, Frank Stewart and Heinz Insu Fenkl (University of Hawai'i Press)

Honorable Mention: "He Mele Aloha: A Hawaiian Songbook" by Carol Wilcox, Kimo Hussey, Vicky Hollinger and Puakea Nogelmeier ('Oli 'Oli Productions)

Excellence in General Hawaiian Culture
Award of Excellence: "Na Lei Makamae: The Treasured Lei" by Marie A. McDonald and Paul R. Weissich (University of Hawai'i Press)

Honorable Mention: "He Mele Aloha: A Hawaiian Songbook" by Carol Wilcox, Kimo Hussey, Vicky Hollinger and Puakea Nogelmeier ('Oli 'Oli Productions)

Excellence in General Illustrative or Photographic Books
Award of Excellence: "Na Lei Makamae: The Treasured Lei" by Marie A. McDonald and Paul R. Weissich (University of Hawai'i Press)

Honorable Mention: "Pohaku: The Art & Architecture of Stonework in Hawai'i" by David Cheever and Scott Cheever, photography by Douglas Peebles (Editions Limited)

Excellence in Natural Science
Award of Excellence: "Wao Akua: Sacred Source of Life" (Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Department of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawai'i)

Honorable Mention: "Hawai'i's Ferns and Fern Allies" by Daniel D. Palmer (University of Hawai'i Press)

Excellence in Text or Reference Books
Award of Excellence: "Hawaiian National Bibliography, 1780-1900, Vol. 4," compiled and annotated by David W. Forbes (University of Hawai'i Press)

Honorable Mention: "He Mele Aloha: A Hawaiian Songbook" by Carol Wilcox, Kimo Hussey, Vicky Hollinger and Puakea Nogelmeier ('Oli 'Oli Productions)

Excellence in Cookbooks
Award of Excellence: "A Hawaiian Lu'au" by Sam Choy and the Makaha Sons (Mutual Publishing)

Honorable Mention: "Alu Like's Healthy Local Recipes for Hawai'i's Kupuna" by Elizabeth Meahl (Mutual Publishing)

Excellence in Special-Interest Books
Award of Excellence: "He Mele Aloha: A Hawaiian Songbook" by Carol Wilcox, Kimo Hussey, Vicky Hollinger and Puakea Nogelmeier ('Oli 'Oli Productions)

Honorable Mention: "Hawai'i at Play: Images of a Bygone Era" by DeSoto Brown (Watermark Publishing)

Excellence in Nonfiction Books
Award of Excellence: "Pohaku: The Art & Architecture of Stonework in Hawai'i" by David Cheever and Scott Cheever, photography by Douglas Peebles (Editions Limited)

Honorable Mention: "Kohala 'Aina: A History of North Kohala: by Sophia V. Schweitzer with Michael S. Gomes (Mutual Publishing)

Excellence in "Aloha from beyond Hawai'i"
Award of Excellence: "Every Grain of Rice: Portraits of Maui's Japanese Community" by Rita Goldman (The Donning Company Publishers)

Honorable Mention: "Chicken Soup from the Soul of Hawai'i" by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Sharon Linnéa and Robin Stephens Rohr (Health Communications)

TECHNICAL CATEGORIES

Excellence in Production
Award of Excellence: Santos Barbasa Jr., Lucille Aono, JoAnn Tenorio and Brad Barrett for "Na Lei Makamae: The Treasured Lei" (University of Hawai'i Press)

Honorable Mention: Barbara Pope, Maureen Liu-Brower and Shuzo Uemoto for "In Celebration of Light: Photographs from the Collection of Cherye R. and James R. Pierce" (Honolulu Academy of Arts)

Excellence in Illustration
Award of Excellence: Don Robinson for "Kamehameha: the Boy Who Became a Warrior King" (Island Heritage Publishing)

Honorable Mention: Anna Stone for "Hawai'i's Ferns and Fern Allies" (University of Hawai'i Press)

Excellence in Photography
Awards of Excellence: (tie) Jean Coté for "Nâ Lei Makamae: The Treasured Lei" (University of Hawai'i Press) and Kapulani Landgraf for "Na Wahi Kapu o Maui" 'Ai Pohaku Press

Excellence in Design
Award of Excellence: Momi Cazimero for "Na Lei Makamae: The Treasured Lei" (University of Hawai'i Press)

Honorable Mention: Barbara Pope for "Wao Akua: Sacred Source of Life" (Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Department of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawai'i)

Excellence in Writing Literature
Award of Excellence: Alani Apio, Tammy Haili'opua Baker, Lee Cataluna and Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl for "He Leo Hou: A New Voice --Hawaiian Playwrights" (Bamboo Ridge Press)

Honorable Mention: Ellie Crowe for "Kamehameha: The Boy Who Became a Warrior King" (Island Heritage Publishing)

Excellence in Writing Nonfiction
Award of Excellence: Tom Coffman for "The Island Edge of America: A Political History of Hawai'i" (University of Hawai'i Press)

Honorable Mention: Ben Finney for "Sailing in the Wake of the Ancestors: Reviving Polynesian Voyaging" (Bishop Museum Press)

John Dominis Holt Award
Esther T. Mookini

Samuel M. Kamakau Award
"Na Lei Makamae: The Treasured Lei"