Punia and the King of Sharks: A Hawaiian Folktale

Punia's father was killed by the king of the sharks, who guards the lobster cove with his shark subjects. Punia and his mother have nothing to eat except yams and poi until Punia thinks up a clever trick and steals a lobster. Punia continues to match wits with the shark king, until eventually one of them triumphs.
Punia's story is a tale of danger, daring, and cleverness. Wardlaw employs a classic repetitive story telling structure which allows the plot to unfold with just the right amount of uncertainty. Wardlaw incorporates the Hawaiian language in a way that is non-intrusive but still instructional.
Davalos' colorful drawings illuminate a time long past which is both unusual and familiar. While I can take or leave the depictions of show more Punia and the other humans, I love Davalos' sharks, which expertly skate the line between cartoon and menace. show less

In "Punia and the King of Sharks" by Lee Wardlaw, a young boy, Punia, outwits a group of sharks that guard a cove full of lobster. In his culture, the men fish for the families, however, Punia's father was killed by the sharks when he was a small boy. Therefore without access to the lobster, Punia and his mother are never able to get fish. One day, fed up with eating yams and poi, Punia tricks the sharks and steals lobsters . Day after day, Punia comes up with new tricks to get lobster and the sharks get angrier and angrier. Eventually, Punia is able to banish the sharks and the lobsters are free for the islanders to take whenever they please. Punia becomes a hero.

This picture book is great for younger children to have access to the show more knowledge a different culture. The pictures and storyline, which includes repetition, would be very engaging for children. There is also a glossary in the front of the book and the vocabulary words are italisized for the students to be able to learn more about the Hawaiian language. show less

This is the story of a young Hawaiian boy who outsmarts a group of sharks in order to continue to feed his family delicious lobsters as his father did before he was attacked. This book can be used for lessons on overcoming or solving problems, as well as helping others.

Maybe its because I miss Hawaii but I like those tales best. Maybe it's a water thing.