Kolea And The King's Crown by Alice Guild

Kōlea, the beloved Pacific Golden Plover, once again reveals a little known fact of Hawaiian History. In this book, we learn the secret of the Royal Crowns of Hawaii that are preserved in Honolulu's Iolani Palace. Young readers will enjoy traveling with King Kalakaua on his historic 1881 World Tour. Although this story is based on historic accounts, Kolea takes some liberties where the facts are unknown, such as how the kukui nuts actually became part of the Royal Crowns. The typeface chosen to reflect the Victorian Era in which this story takes place. As in "Kōlea and the Chief's Cloak", the author uses vocabulary designed to challenge readers ages 6 to 12. This beautifully illustrated book contains a strong message for any age, "An object's true value is determined not by its rarity and brilliance, but by the contribution it makes to our lives."

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Author Alice Guild has led a volunteer career of over 50-years with the restoration, preservation, and operation of ‘Iolani Palace. This led to her interest in stories associated with artifacts housed in Hawai‘i’s museums. Her fables are spun around actual objects in these collections. This is Alice’s second picture book featuring the kōlea as narrator. Her first, “Kōlea and the Chief’s Cloak,” won the Hawai‘i Book Publishers’ Association 2019 Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature. Illustrator Bios: Georg James and John Dinsmore are creative partners. Georg and John were set designers on the East Coast and in Hollywood where they were known for their large murals and trompe l’oeil painted furniture. This was their first venture into book illustration.

Illustrator Georg James and John Dinsmore are creative partners. Georg and John were set designers on the East Coast and in Hollywood where they were known for their large murals and trompe l’oeil painted furniture. This was their first venture into book illustration.