[.ca] Surf's Up for Kimo (ISBN 0970588909)

Wonderful book!:
This story is sure to inspire children and adults. Kimo wants to learn to surf like his brothers, but first his mother makes sure he can swim well. The story teaches respect for the ocean and positive problem solving skills. Kimo finally gets his first surfboard and with persistence and determination he stands up on his first wave. The story also shares Hawai?i's wonderful cultural heritage and is educational in an interesting way. The artwork is beautiful.

A Great Family Book, Fun and Educational:
This Hawaii Book Publishers Association Award of Excellence winner operates on a number of levels. The first is the straightforward Oahu North Shore story of Kimo and his desire to surf like his big brothers. To do so, he must learn patience and discipline, he learns that something attained comes through a process, sometimes long. There also is an opportunity to learn from his mother, and to gain the knowledge that parental advice isn't so far removed from kids. There are also a number of fun and educational extras inside. Kimo asks, and his brothers make the collective decision to teach him to surf, and they do it together, as a family effort. But Kimo first must learn to swim. After all, surfing is an ocean sport, with the best waves usually quite a ways from shore, so swimming is a vital survival skill. So, first Kimo is taught discipline in learning to swim well, and with endurance. Next Kimo must study the surf, the break of the waves, the movement of the water, so he gains an understanding of the waves he wants to surf, and so he learns the essential respect of the sea. Then his brothers surprise him--he'd been concentrating so hard on his training, he'd lost track of his frustration--with his own surfboard. It's a family longboard hand-me-down, the same board they learned on. This is a great physical reinforcement of the family effort to get Kimo surfing, ohana all the way. Finally, his mother offers advice from her younger surfing days. She teaches him the self-confidence he will need to catch and ride his first wave on his own, in front of the older, more experienced boys. It is, after all, his mother's advice which finally gets him up and gets him his first ride. The illustrations are wonderful, with perfect color, content, and level of detail to communicate life in non-Waikiki Hawaii. There are a number of small inserts in the illustrations which are referenced with text at the back of the book that serve as teaching points for the flora and fauna of Hawaii. This is accompanied by a glossary of different things seen in the book, from Hawaiian plants and flowers to a recipe for banana bread, as well as a simple Hawaiian pronunciation guide. The front and back inside covers also feature a simple map of the Hawaiian islands to situate the story. These are very thoughtful educational touches. I strongly recommend this book for all small children, whether from Chicago, Siberia, or Polynesia. Its solid, well-presented themes and lessons of family and personal development transcend surfing and the warm waters of the Pacific.