The Hawai'i Book Publishers Association invites the public to meet the nominees and winners of the 16th annual Ka Palapala Po'okela awards at a “;Book Sale & Signing Celebration”; Saturday at Bishop Museum. The festivities will feature entertainment by local musicians Kaimana and Keao.

Among authors expected to attend the book-signing omnibus are chef Chai Chaowasaree, Caren Loebel-Fried, Jon Van Dyke, Joe Tsujimoto, MacKinnon Simpson, John Wythe White, Lurline McGregor, Matthew Kaopio and Bill Riddle, among many others.

Proceeds from book sales will benefit Read to Me International, Hawaii Literacy and Bishop Museum.

The awards recognize the finest books published during the previous year and honor individuals involved in their creation.

This year's field included 117 nominations from a record-setting 92 separate book projects entered in 13 categories. These were narrowed to two awards (the Award of Excellence and Honorable Mention) given in each category, as determined by the votes of the Hawai'i Book Academy, a group formed to judge these awards that includes librarians, booksellers, educators, publishing and media professionals, and others in the book community.

Titles winning top honors in multiple categories:

» “;Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai'i,”; UH law professor Jon Van Dyke's comprehensive legal history relevant to today's headlines on ceded lands

» “;Naupaka,”; the late Nona Beamer's retelling of the popular folk tale in English and Hawaiian

» “;Sublime Beauty: Hawai'i's Trees,”; Jim Wageman's photographic look at the beauty and diversity of Hawaii's trees

Winners of the Samuel M. Kamakau Award for the Hawai'i Book of the Year and the recipient of the John Dominis Holt Award for lifetime contribution to Hawaii book publishing will not be disclosed until the ceremony. Here are the other winners:

Children's Hawaiian culture
» Award of Excellence: “;Naupaka,”; by Nona Beamer, illustrated by Caren Ke'ala Loebel-Fried, Hawaiian translation by Kaliko Beamer-Trapp, music by Keola Beamer (Kamahoi Press, an imprint of Bishop Museum Press)
» Honorable mention: “;Keiki's First Word Book”; (Bess Press)

Children's illustrative or photographic book
» Award of Excellence: “;Naupaka,”; by Nona Beamer
» Honorable mention: “;Lauka'ie'ie: A Hawaiian Legend Retold,”; by Robin Yoko Racoma (Kamehameha Publishing)

Children's literature
» Award of Excellence: “;Blazing Stars and Shark Eyes,”; by David Kawika Eyre, illustrated by Imaikalani Kalahele (Kamehameha Publishing)
» Honorable mention: “;No Ka 'Elepaio Kolohe/The Naughty 'Elepaio,”; by Malia Kruger, illustrated by Eve Furchgott (Kamehameha Publishing)

Hawaiian culture
» Award of Excellence: “;Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai'i?”; by Jon M. Van Dyke (University of Hawai'i Press)
» Honorable mention: “;Ha'ena: Through the Eyes of the Ancestors,”; by Carlos Andrade (University of Hawai'i Press)

Literature
» Award of Excellence: “;Honolulu Stories: Voices of the Town Through the Years, Two Centuries of Writing,”; by Gavan Daws and Bennett Hymer (Mutual Publishing)
» Honorable mention: “;Dying in a Strange Land,”; by Milton Murayama (University of Hawai'i Press)

Illustrative or photographic books
» Award of Excellence: “;Sublime Beauty: Hawai'i's Trees,”; by Jim Wageman (Bishop Museum Press)
» Honorable mention: “;Hawai'i 50: Five Decades of Photography,”; by Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Mutual Publishing)

Natural science
» Award of Excellence: “;Sublime Beauty: Hawai'i's Trees,”; by Jim Wageman
» Honorable mention: “;The Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fish, Sea Turtles, Dolphins, Whales, and Seals,”; by John P. Hoover (Mutual Publishing)

Text or reference books
» Award of Excellence: “;Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai'i?”; by Jon M. Van Dyke
» Honorable mention: “;Green Hawai'i: A Guide to a Sustainable and Energy Efficient Home,”; by Kevin J. Whitton (Mutual Publishing)

Cookbooks
» Award of Excellence: “;The Island Bistro Cookbook,”; by Chai Chaowasaree (Watermark Publishing)
» Honorable mention: “;Chimugukuru—Okinawan Mixed Plate II,”; by Hui O Laulima

Special-interest books
» Award of Excellence: ”;The Maui Book of Lavender,”; by Alii Chang, Lani Medina Weigert and Jill Engledow (Watermark Publishing)
» Honorable mention: “;Chimugukuru—Okinawan Mixed Plate II”;

Nonfiction books
» Award of Excellence: “;Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai'i?”; by Jon M. Van Dyke
» Honorable mention: “;Ha'ena: Through the Eyes of the Ancestors,”; by Carlos Andrade (University of Hawai'i Press)

Design
Awarded to the designer
» Award of Excellence: Jim Wageman, “;Sublime Beauty: Hawai'i's Trees”;
» Honorable mention: Leo Gonzalez, “;Hawai'i 50: Five Decades of Photography”;

Aloha from beyond Hawaii
» Award of Excellence: “;Glory by the Wayside,”; by William and Susan Ecenbarger (Passage Press Inc.)
» Honorable mention: “;The White Ships,”; by Duncan O'Brien (Pier 10 Media)