A President from Hawaii

A President from Hawaii is a chidren's book that should to be in every public library. The book is wonderful. The pictures and illustrations are very colorful. The scrapbook effect means that each page is full of pictures and information. You could read the basic book to a younger child. An older reader would be able to enjoy all the other information found on each page. The book weaves together a biography of President Obama with the culture of Hawaii. The Carolans deserve an award for this book. Their other books are also beautiful, but this one can appeal to a wider age group.

What a fun book! This book serves two purposes. The first, really, is to expose the reader to the 50th state, Hawaii. The text covers the history, the multicultural issues, the Hawaiian language and its relationship to an aloha lifestyle, and much more. The second part focuses on President Obama's history in Hawaii and on how his messages of hope and "Yes, we can!" have been influenced by his upbringing in Hawaii. The text and the illustrations really complement each other. The illustrations have a "scrapbook" feel. Interspersed throughout are quotations from Obama that illustrate his Hawaiian roots. Although I would expect that the Rush Limbaughs and Sean Hannitys of the world will find fault with this book (message -"No, we won't"), it is focused on an uplifting message: that we can and we will! Written for a younger audience, I enjoyed reading it, and I plan to send an autographed copy to an adult friend as well. Throughout I sensed that the authors, Dr. Carolan and Joanna Carolan, took this project very seriously. The result is a very, very nice book. I hope they make this a series, and write/illustrate a similar book for every future president. Our keiki deserve it!