Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 1, 1 January 2009 — NĀ PUKE BOOKS Helemano catches publishing wave [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NĀ PUKE BOOKS Helemano catches publishing wave

By Liza Simun Public Affairs Specialist You would think with his heaping big nrixed plate of creative and eultural pursuits, Butch Helemano wouldn't have tirrre to get into the publishing biz. In truth, he says he never really planned to add another enterprise to his career as a recording artist (12 alburrrs and a string of lawaiian hits like Wave Rider and One Banana), his nrasterful work as a woodcarver and his esteenred position as Waimea Valley Park kahu. But he has nrore recently stepped into the arena of self-publishing children's books. Blarrre it on a box of hula ki'i. Hula ki'i are traditional Hawaiian puppets. Helemano had several custonr nrade by lim Henson of Muppet fanre. Helemano penned theatrical scripts for the hula ki'i,

and he planned to use thenr for cultural entertainnrent 20 years ago at Waimea Valley Park. But Helenrano's show was cancelled when new park nranagenrent took over. Helemano put the puppets and scripts in the box, where they didn't see the light of day for nrany years until a light went on his head about engaging children - like the seven he has raised - with good Hawaiian stories.

"I've always known the inrportance of reading to kids, so I decided to dig up those hula ki'i scripts and turn thenr into stories with Hawaiian values airrred at young readers," said Helemano. So went the birth of Popo the surf dog. In the first book in the series, 2005's The Adventures Of Popo The Hawaiian SurfDog: The Lost Surfboard, the kolohe eanine character leamed a few lessons the hard way about oeean safety and

honesty. With Helenrano's new release in 2008, The Adventures ofPopo the Hawaiian SurfDog: The Sleeping Giant, the plot thickens again with nrischief. Popo ventures into an off-lirrrits loeale only to find himself entangled in the whirrrs of a banana-eating giant forever hungry for nrore bananas. In the end, Popo drags his tail to the foot of a talking tree, whieh dispenses oldfashioned kupuna wisdonr. "I nrarket test all nry books by having nry youngest read thenr," said Helemano. The 13-year-old gave the book the thunrbs up. Though he nray have been a bit biased, since Helemano also asked the boy to color the illustrations j for this new book. / , Self-published, the book [ ] does incur costs, whieh is why l J Helemano turned to OHA for a Mālama Loan for help. Popo is on sale at loeal bookstores. While this new volunre is

not in 'ōlelo Hawai'i, don't give up on the surf dog's linguistic abilities. Helemano has tentative plans to put out several nrore books in the Popo series. It seenrs there are endless lessons for a kolohe dog to leam, and sonrewhere down the road, it's very possible the fictional dog * nray be "ruffing" j/J) it out in his

native language. S

The Adventures of Popo the Hawaiian Surf Dog: The Sleeping Giant By Butch Helemano Kana'i Records $9.95

Helemano follows his 2005 release of The lost Suifboard, on right, with 2008's īhe Sleeping Giantof Waimea.