LIHUE — Copies of “Triangles of Continuity” have already gone out to fifth and sixth grade students at the Kawaikini Public Charter Schools. “This is new, and being released now,” said Dr. Liela Nitta, author and illustrator of the book,
LIHUE — Copies of “Triangles of Continuity” have already gone out to fifth and sixth grade students at the Kawaikini Public Charter Schools.
“This is new, and being released now,” said Dr. Liela Nitta, author and illustrator of the book, Tuesday during a visit to the mayor’s office. “I’m doing a reading with the Kilauea Elementary School Friday to second through fifth grade students.”
The county’s recycling office partnered with Nitta to distribute the illustrated children’s book to Kauai students, and through efforts by Allison Fraley, the county’s solid waste program development coordinator, and Keola Aki, the recycling specialist, has received requests for 500 copies of the new book.
“I had to illustrate it myself,” Nitta said. “I asked around and couldn’t get anyone to do it, so I ended up doing it myself.”
Triangles of Continuity is a tale about the lifecycle of the endemic ‘O‘opu Nakea, or Awaous stamineus, and the importance of keeping waterways free of pollution.
“This local story is part of a larger global reminder to recycle and reduce waste in order to presere our resources for the future,” Nitta said. “On another note, why is the humuhumunukunukuapua the state fish? It’s not even local. The ‘o‘opu should be the state fish because it is local.”
Following distribution to Kawaikini and Kilauea schools, future distributions will follow.
“It was a pleasure to work with Dr. Nitta on this educational initiative to help our keiki understand the importance of caring for our natural resources,” Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said.