Customer Reviews

Punia and the King of Sharks: A Hawaiian Folktale

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I have been using this book all semester with 4-7 year-olds in creative art and drama classes. My students rated it as the book they most wanted me to bring back for an encore. It is delightful to see kids' gears turning as they comprehend each of Punia's tricks and predict the outcomes. They charged into the related class projects, and discussed the story on their own. It was a teacher's dream come true.

I bought this book to read to my 5 year old before we went on our Hawaii vacation. She loved it! We must have read it a dozen times before we left for our vacation! I am not an expert on Hawaiian culture, but the story was entertaining and it discussed many things we experienced during our trip to Hawaii, for example, volcanoes, surfing, seafood, and more. It also has a glossary of common Hawaiian words which were a lot of fun to learn. I highly recommend it for any child who is interested in learning more about different cultures or stories from other lands.

What animal are you most afraid of? Since I saw Jaws when I was twelve, I've been very afraid of sharks! There were times when I was even afraid to swim in any body of water because of my fear of sharks. Now we all know that sharks don't talk or plot against humans, but in this story, the main character is up against some very smart sharks. Do you think you could trick a shark? How about eleven sharks? Well, that is exactly what Punia aims to do in Punia and the King of the Sharks.

This Hawaiian folktale is about a young boy named Punia who lives in the village with his mother. For dinner every night, Punia and the rest of the villagers have to eat the same old thing because the sharks do not let them fish or catch lobster near the lobster caves under the water. These greedy sharks guard the lobsters and keep them for themselves. They even ate Punia's father when he tried to catch lobsters for their dinner! Now Punia is sick of eating poi everyday, so he hatches a plan to trick the sharks and catch some lobsters.

This story is illustrated with vibrant colors that reflect the beauty of Hawaii and the surrounding ocean waters. Punia must brave these waters every time he attempts to catch the lobsters. He is a very clever boy and his plans to trick the sharks become more and more elaborate as the sharks and the shark king begin to catch on. Would you be afraid if you were underneath the water, inches from nearly a dozen giant sharks, and the only thing keeping them from eating you was your own clever plan? One of Punia's plans was to feed the sharks some thick poi, which when eaten by the sharks, would glue their mouths shut for a short amount of time. Even with their mouths glued shut, I don't think I could swim by eleven man-eating sharks! Could you? Not all of Punia's plans work, so to find out what happens to him, read Punia and the King of the Sharks!

This book is an unneeded update to a beautiful classic. Do yourself a favor and don't buy this version of the adventures of Punia. Instead get the 1964 edition, with text by Beverly Mohan and illustrations by Don Bolognese (Amazon lists several used copies for sale). Both the drawings and the writing of the original make this new, "improved" version pale by comparison. To see what I mean, just consider how the two versions initially describe the shark king (otherwise known as King Kaialeale or King Kai for short) and Punia:

King Kai:
Original (Mohan ed.): "Long ago, in the cold waters of a bay near Kohala on the island of Hawaii, there lived a great shark king called Kaialeale. He was the king of the sharks, and there were ten sharks under him. In the bay, among the rocks and waving strands of seaweed, there was a cave full of lobsters, and this was where King Kaialeale had his palace. When the king was hungry, he just helped himself to a delicious lobster, so the cave was a very good arrangement for him and for the ten sharks under him. The only food they like better than lobster for dinner was an unwary swimmer or fisherman who dared to come into the bay."

New edition (Wardlaw ed.): "Beneath the rippling island water, near the shadows of a cave, lurked ten great sharks and the shark king who ruled them. The sharks never swam far from shore, for the cave was filled with fat lobsters red as sunset, sweet as coconut. 'We must keep these lobsters for ourselves,' said the King of Sharks, 'and guard this cave from fishermen.' And so they did, devouring anyone who ventured into the sea."

The original has a drawing of a bay; no sharks are visible but there are some indistinct, dark shapes in the shadows that just might be sharks or perhaps are just places where the water is deep. The new version shows us the sharks directly, as though this were a Disney cartoon that can't leave anything to a child's imagination.

Punia:
Original (Mohan ed.): "Directly over King Kaialeale's lobster cave and closest to the shore lived the boy Punia and his mother. They had a garden, and in it, they grew sweet potatoes and other vegetables, enough to satisfy their hunger. But often they would long for something else to eat--a bit of fish or lobster to go with the vegetables and poi they had every night for dinner."

New edition (Wardlaw ed.): "In a village nearby lived a boy named Punia. Once, his father had dared to fish in the lobster cave, only to be eaten by sharks. Now Punia and his mother had no one to fish for them. Day after day they ate only yams, which grew in the small garden behind their hut. And of course his mother serve poi, the bland, thick paste Punia made by steaming taro roots in the imu, and then pounding them with a rock."

In the original Punia and his mother are alone but managing, having enough food to "satisfy their hunger." Punia's father was "lost" to him and his mother, but this too is something that is left for the reader to imagine and only have it slowly dawn on her or him that this may have been due to King Kai and the other sharks. In the new edition, everything is explained up front for the reader: Punia's father was eaten by sharks, he and his mother "only" have yams and some bland poi to eat.

It's truly difficult to see why someone would think that Mohan's words and Bolognese's drawings needed to be updated or improved. This new edition fails on both fronts. If you want poetry, beautiful drawings, and a moving story, buy the Mohan edition; you won't regret it.

This is a beautifully told Hawaiian tale. Ms. Warlaw knows the culture and it shows. This award-winning, kid-friendly book has something for everyone.

The book was ordered and it came in just a few days in great conditions. I am extreamly satisfied with this purchace.
This book is a wonderful tool and can be incorporated into many types of literacy centers.

Punia and the King of Sharks has received the following awards and honors: Annotation, The Big Book of Thematic Plays by Tracy West;
Treasure State (Montana) Young Reader Award 2000;
CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies;
Junior Library Guild Selection;
Reading Is Fundamental "100 of the Decade's Best Multicultural Read-Alouds";
Recommended Book, Hawaii Department of Education. Mahalo and Aloha! -Lee Wardlaw, author