Page 10 - MidWeek Honolulu - Nov 16, 2022

10 NOVEMBER 16, 2022
Basketball Court Makeover
Book Connects Keiki To Hawai‘i’s Past
The basketball court at Cartwright Park in Honolulu has gotten a make- over thanks to nonprofit Mālama Kīpuka Hawai‘i and architectural de- signer and artist Bonhui Uy.
A new children’s book by a pair of ‘Iolani School teachers seeks to connect today’s keiki with Ha- wai‘i’s past. Leilani Blessed and Grateful by Greg Bow- man and Alan Suemori fea- tures beautiful illustrations by Jamie Meckel Tablason.
es. Tablason is a children’s book illustrator from Cal- ifornia who hopes her art inspires readers to tell their own stories.
Leilani Blessed and Grateful is Hawai‘i’s 2022 selection for the Library of Congress’ Great Reads from Great Places Program and was one of two books first lady Dawn Amano Ige gifted to the Okinawa Pre- fectural Library during a
Uy — who has worked with some of the world’s most distinguished ar- chitects, including I.M. Pei — cre- ated the design for the court-length mural. Volunteers from MKH and its youth leadership program, Kīpuka Keiki, completed the painting.
The story follows a young girl named Leilani who learns about King Kalākaua and Queen Ka- pi‘olani’s enduring legacy of support for the Hawai- ian people. Leilani is filled with gratitude and, after falling asleep that night, awakens to find herself in old Hawai‘i with the king and queen. They take her on a tour through Honolu- lu’s past, which only deep- ens her appreciation for their contributions.
The mural is based on the mo‘ole- lo and mele Kahuli Aku about Ha- waiian tree snails. These native snails were known for their whis- tling. Numerous mo‘olelo describe how Hawai‘i’s forests once resound- ed with the songs of these snails. To- day, Hawaiian tree snails are consid- ered endangered.
The cover of Leilani Blessed and Grateful, a new children’s book by two ‘Iolani School teachers. PHOTO COURTESY MUTUAL PUBLISHING CO.
Bowman is a U.S. Army veteran and world religions teacher at ‘Iolani School. Suemori is an English and history teacher at ‘Iolani and co-wrote Nana I Na Loea Hula, a compilation of traditional hula resourc-
visit earlier this month.
In Kahuli Aku, a snail asks a kōlea (golden plover) to bring water from the morning dew collecting on an ʻākō.lea fern. The mural brings the song to life with colorful depictions of Hawaiian snails and native foliage on the court, as well as illustrations of the plover on the basketball back- boards.
Honolulu residents can meet Bowman and Suemo- ni at a reading and book signing at da Shop books + curiosities in Kaimukī at 10 a.m. Nov. 19.
Leilani Blessed and Grateful was published by Honolulu-based Mutual Publishing Co.
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According to MKH, the moral of Kahuli Aku is that in difficult times it is OK to ask others for help.
To mark the completion of the mural, Mālama Kīpuka hosted an art exhibit at the Cartwright Park bas- ketball court on Nov. 6. The artwork was created by Uy, who was there to celebrate with the community.
(Top) Architectural designer and artist Bonhui Uy (sixth from right, in black shirt) gathers with friends, family and Mālama Kīpuka Hawai‘i members at Cartwright Park. (Above) A closeup of the mural Uy and Mālama Kīpuka created on the park’s basketball court. The art was inspired by mo‘olelo about Native Hawaiian tree snails. (Below) An aerial view of the completed mural. PHOTOS COURTESY MĀLAMA KĪPUKA HAWAI‘I AND MICHAEL KAMIHARA