"MY DOG HAS FLIES: POETRY FOR HAWAI'I'S KIDS" by Sue Cowing, Jon J. Murakami illustrator; BeachHouse Publishing; $12.95; all ages

A good book of poetry specifically geared to local kids is a rare find, but this new title from BeachHouse Publishing proves it can be done. Cowing's lighthearted poems complemented by Murakami's whimsical black-and-white drawings feel like an Island salute to the Shel Silverstein classics. The collection of poems, often stories in verse, explore everyday themes of Hawai'i, from school life to slippers to sharks, with a keen sense of rhyme and rhythm.

Here's an excerpt:

What's in a name?

Some animals' names make them she's or he's,

like DAMSELflies or MANatees.

The Hawaiian monk seal sounds like a mister,

but shouldn't he have a nun seal sister?

Some ladybugs really are boy bugs you know,

and for every tilapia ... a tilapio.

It's a cowfrog the bullfrog is bellowing for,

and there have to be Portuguese Women-of-war

or they'd all be finished by this time next spring.

Those spooky blue jellies would go ... ex-sting!

Although this is her first published poetry book for children, Cowing's poems and stories for children have appeared nationally in Cricket and Spider magazines. She won two Ka Palapala Po'okela awards for her adult book "Fire in the Sea: An Anthology of Poetry and Art."

"PUA POLU: THE PRETTY BLUE HAWAIIAN FLOWER" by Nona Beamer, Caren Keala Loebel-Fried illustrator; Kamahoi Press; $14.95; ages 3-6

Celebrated kupuna Nona Beamer draws on a memory of being pregnant with her first son, Keola, to tell a simple tale of a morning-glory flower that pays the price for refusing to go to sleep. The story is written in both English and Hawaiian, and illustrated with ravishing bold block-printing art.

Most mesmerizing is the bonus CD included in the book, on which Nona Beamer, and son Keola Beamer, perform the story and music. The Beamers' audio rendition is a powerful lullaby certain to evoke sweet dreams. Proceeds from the sale of the book support the Bishop Museum.

Jolie Jean Cotton is a Honolulu mom and children's book author. Her reviews of children's books appear here on the first Sunday of each month.