HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiʻi resident David Del Rocco has worn many hats. He’s been an ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi language teacher, a librarian, a choir singer; and now, he’s embarking on a new adventure.
“I’m a retired piano teacher,” he said. “And the books that I’m featuring are from a series called Wayfinders. They’re biographies for children, young children in Hawai‘i, about people from Hawai‘i.”
The local children’s book author will be signing copies of his Wayfinders series on Saturday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. The event is free and open to the public. All are welcome, especially keiki.
Three books, three stories, one community
So far, the Wayfinders series includes three titles: Patsy Mink, Mary Kawena Pukui, and Eddie Aikau.
“All three will be available, and they’re $10 each,” Del Rocco said. “Whether they buy them there or on their own.”
Each book was written by Del Rocco and illustrated by Storm Kano. The stories are simple enough for young readers but packed with important local history.
“The age range that [the publisher] thought was appropriate are 4 to 9, which seems young,” Del Rocco said. “I generally tell people kindergarten to third or fourth grade, and that seems to be about right.”
Even older students are finding them helpful.
“High school kids are using them,” he said. “For instance, there are a few books about Patsy Mink, and some of them are excellent, of course. But there’s really no book about Mary [Kawena Pukui] developed properly.”
The unexpected path to becoming an author
Del Rocco never imagined writing books like these.
“I never thought of doing it,” he said. “I have to give credit where it belongs, which is Jane Gillespie. She is the editor and the publisher of BeachHouse Publishing.”
He had worked with her before, translating children’s books from English to ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. One day, she made an unexpected offer.
“Out of the blue, I think two years ago, she sent me an email and said, how would you like to write some children’s biographies about people from Hawai‘i?”
Del Rocco decided the books needed to be published in English rather than ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
“That makes for a broader audience, obviously. And also, it would be a lot easier,” he said. “We have talked about actually translating some of them into [ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi], and that may happen eventually. But for now, they are in English.”
A personal connection to the church and the neighborhood
The signing event will be held at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, where Del Rocco has sung in the choir since 1988.
“The event was thought up by the pastor at the church,” he said. “It’s a meet and greet. It’s a chance for people to get their book signed if they have books. And if not, they can also buy the books.”
Snacks, crafts and keiki-friendly punch are expected.
“Rumor has it there will be some fun crafts as well as snacks and maybe some nonalcoholic punch for the kids,” he said.
The church is directly across from the Brown School on Punahou Street.
“The Lutheran Church of Honolulu has a very small parking lot,” Del Rocco said. “However, if you go mauka on Poki Street, there’s a big lot that belongs to them. So, there’s lots of parking for any event at the church.”
For keiki and kūpuna alike
Though the books were written for keiki, their reach has gone far beyond the expected.
“A friend of mine, her mother is 100; and she told me that the books are perfect for her,” Del Rocco said. “She doesn’t read a lot anymore, but she enjoys them. And they got great illustrations.”
Del Rocco said it’s about getting the stories out into the community and making connections through the church that helped raise him.
You can click here to learn more about the Lutheran Church of Honolulu and the book signing evet.
“It’s a way for the books to get out there, for people to meet me, and also to hopefully get to know this church which is providing the space for it.”