Storyteller’s passion still burns bright at 96

Storytelling has been a part of Shiho Nunes’ life since she was a young girl. Fables, folk tales, histories and tales of her mother’s childhood experiences were all part of the mix. "My mother was a consummate storyteller. It was the most natural thing to want to write them down," Nunes said.

"In my generation, people wrote things in their head before they wrote them down. My mother filled my head with stories; I can still tell them, and she blessed me with the skill."

Nunes, 96, a teacher by trade, started writing later in life. "I didn’t really start writing until after I retired, which was in my 50s. It was a natural progression from teaching to writing. Once a teacher, always a teacher," she said.

Nunes graduated from Hilo High in 1934 and headed to the University of Southern California. She became homesick and finished her degree at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, later returning to Hilo to teach.

Nunes moved to Honolulu in 1959 with her late husband and three daughters. She started out at Farrington High School, going on to work at the Department of Education, the former Hawaii Curriculum Center and the University of Hawaii’s College of Education.

Upon her retirement Nunes’ first project, "The Shishu Ladies of Hilo: Japa­nese Embroidery in Hawaii," was a special tribute to her parents — her father, who created embroidery designs, and her mother, who taught the ladies how to embroider — and the women who were their students. Next she published "The Power of the Stone: A Hawaiian Ghost Story."

Her latest literary endeavour, "Chinese Fables: ‘The Dragon Slayer’ and Other Timeless Tales of Wisdom" (Tuttle Publishing, $16.95), retells classic Chinese tales adding some modern flair.

Nunes was inspired to write the collection of 19 stories during a trip to the main library in Hono­lulu. It was there that she stumbled upon a catalog of "yu-yen" — or cautionary tales — collected by Wolfram Eberhard, an American folklorist.

"The abstracts I discovered in Eberhard’s collection all had an unmistakable thread of humor and an underlying meaning. But they were clearly abstracted from more detailed sources and cried out for invention, which is what I tried to do in retelling them for modern readers," she said. "These tales were special. I was sure that they’d be interesting to children.

"I hope readers get some simple lessons from the story situations, things that they can apply to daily living. The stories are old and the wisdom is tested by time," she said. "I don’t think the stories would have survived so long if they were simply distilled lessons. I hope readers enjoy the stories as stories, for their own sake, not simply for the lessons they may teach."

Nunes’ favorite tale in the book is "The Practical Bride," a story of a bride who walks to her wedding after the sedan chair gives way. "It made me smile when I first read it. The young woman is so sensible about getting the job done."

Nunes still has projects in the works and hopes that she can see them to completion. "At my age you take things one day at a time," she said. "I have a Hawaiian history story in the works that I’d like to finish. I think of it as my last one. I’ve spent my time quite fruitfully." She also has a collection of ghost stories that she is trying to publish.

Since 2007 Nunes has lived in Berkeley, Calif., with her daughter SusanNunes.

"What I find inspiring in my mother is that she gets up every day and makes an effort to work," Susan said. "No longer able to use a keyboard or typewriter, she writes on a yellow tablet. Writing is her passion; it gives her a sense of purpose."

Reading activities geared toward youths

Keiki are always an important part of the annual Hawaii Book & Music Festival, and young readers will get their own area for the first time in the Keiki Read Aloud Pavilion.

Cookie entrepreneur Wally "Famous" Amos will be guest emcee at the pavilion both days of the festival, where he and other children’s authors and local celebrities will read books they have written or their favorite kids’ books.

The Keiki Stage will feature performances by PBS Kids host Mr. Steve (10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. May 18 and 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. May 19). Meanwhile at the Keiki Activities Cafe Stage, character favorites the Cat in the Hat, Curious George and the Lorax will be available for photo opportunities.

The Hawaii School Librarians Association will help keep things going at the Keiki Activities Pavilion, and the Keiki Zone will have bouncers and rides available (for a fee).

Gary Chun, Star-Advertiser

Isle native’s ‘Patches & Penelope’ pits pooches against pirates

The story of "Patches & Penelope: Adventures on the High Seas" ($16.95 Ravenholme Studios) is a modern-day version of "Lady and the Tramp" with a pirate adventure twist.

In this tale the protagonist is Penelope, the royal papillon dog of France who meets Patches, an ordinary Chihuahua.

The story will appeal to anyone who loves dogs, with fun and colorful illustrations by Terry Howell Stanley.

Honolulu native Seth Bly-Char, 28, wrote the children’s book, which tells the story of pirates kidnapping Penelope (a princess with a diamond collar who is fed caviar in a castle). The pirates bring her aboard the S.S. Breedlove, sail across the ocean and try to sell her for a fortune.

It’s Bly-Char’s first published book, inspired by his two real-life dogs, Patches and Penelope.

Like a true gent in the story, Patches offers Penelope a scrap of food on the pirates’ ship and becomes her companion before they are rescued.

The book comes with an audiobook CD narrated by "American Idol" finalist Jordan Segundo. Segundo has a great narrator’s voice­ — a good, natural storytelling voice for a children’s book without trying too hard or overexaggerating. He shifts to the voice of the pirate, Captain Murdoch, with just the right gruffness and Irish inflections, as well as the noble Captain Highworth, who rescues the pups.

Last year the book helped raise more than $1,000 for the Oahu Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA). It has also been on OC16’s "The Pet Hui," which featured the real-life Patches and Penelope.

The words are descriptive and the dialogue very readable, though it may be a bit long for younger children (this is for ages 4 and older).

Altogether, it’s fun to listen to the audio CD while flipping through the colorful illustrations — it has a nice message about being kind to animals, with a happy ending, to boot.

Visit www.PatchesandPenelope.com.

Nina Wu, Star-Advertiser