This used to be an easy riddle, even for kids: What’s black and white and read all over?

The notion that books and other printed matter are going the way of the buggy whip and the buttonhook strikes many in their psychic funny bone. Ouch.

Luckily, there are still lots of readers who aren’t all that thrilled about curling up with a Kindle.

"There’s a sensory element with actually handling a book, leafing through it," said Pat Banning, manager of BookEnds in Kailua. "That’s why it’s good to have a place where you can actually go and see books, like a bookstore or a book festival."

The Hawai‘i Book & Music Festival 2012, hosted by Bank of Hawaii, occurs this weekend, with eight venues, more than 150 events and 500 presenters, and more books than one can carry home — which is why tote bags were invented. In addition to booths manned by local book publishers, there will be music, food and other entertainment.

Publishers will be showing off not just their latest and greatest, but also their backlist titles at bargain prices. Bank of Hawaii’s booth will be the site of a book swap, where you can trade your gently used books for others. The books collected will be donated to Hawaii Literacy.

"It’s a big weekend for us, so we always have two tents," said Buddy Bess of Bess Press. "Now that the festival has been running for some years, we’ve figured out the tone and balance of it, and it’s quite an event. It’s always fun to meet our end-users.

"The whole cultural phenomenon of book publishing is morphing so dramatically that I go to work every day and say, ‘What’s going on?’ It’s crazy. We used to work with bookstores to interface with customers, but these outlets don’t exist as much any more, and the big chain store isn’t that interested in local books. Where else can we get such a good opportunity to meet the public? We’re not at the swap meet — yet."

Steve Hirashima, marketing officer for University of Hawaii Press, noted that "in some ways, we’re out of the public eye without bookstores. So this is an opportunity for folks to actually see our new titles for the first time or browse through our backlist and get some real bargains. It’s good public relations and works well with our outreach on social media like Twitter and Facebook."

He added that book fairs he’s attended on the mainland have attracted as many as 300,000 people, so reading isn’t quite dead yet. (After all, you’re reading this story, aren’t you?)

Several well-known authors, including Maxine ­Hong Kingston, Kaui Hart Hemmings and Janny Scott — author of "A Singular Woman," a biography of Ann Dunham, President Barack Obama’s mother — will sign books and talk about their latest works at the festival.

The Keiki Pavilion will host PBS Kids host Mr. Steve and costumed book characters such as the Cat in the Hat, Curious George, Lyle the Crocodile, Peter Rabbit, Stellaluna and the Wild Thing.

A new event is the Hawaii Songwriter Showcase, featuring new talent, at noon Sunday. We’re talking Roland Cazimero, Stephen Inglis, Walter Keale and Kenneth Makuakane.

Other performers include Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele, Kekuhi Kanahele and Kaumaka‘iwa Kanaka‘ole; Nola Nahulu and the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus; Dennis Kamakahi; Shari Lynn; kumu hula Michael Pili Pang and Halau Hula Ka No‘eau; Alan Akaka and the Islanders; and the Royal Hawaiian Band.