The late Aunty Nona Beamer’s book “Naupaka” has received the national 2009 Aesop Prize for Children’s Folklore.

“Naupaka,” illustrated by Caren Keala Loebel-Fried, is accompanied with a CD featuring Nona Beamer accompanied by slack-key master Keola Beamer. It tells the story of how, long ago, romance bloomed between the beautiful Hawaiian princess Naupaka and a handsome commoner named Kaui.
The Aesop Prize and Accolades are awarded by the Children’s Folklore Section of the American Folklore Society. The committee praised “Naupaka” for its presentation in Hawaiian and English, and said “‘Naupaka,’ released shortly after (Aunty Nona’s) death, reflects her care not only in telling the story, but in providing cultural context, botanical details and sources for future research.”
“Naupaka” is published by Kamahoi Press, an arm of Bishop Museum Press. It is available at most Hawaii book stores and information can be found at www.bishopmuseum.org/press.